Self-hosting large language models (LLMs) has evolved from a niche experiment to a viable option for developers, researchers, and small teams. By running models like Llama 3, Mistral, or Gemma on your own system, you gain three key advantages:

• Privacy and Control: All data remains on your machine, ideal for sensitive information.
• Cost Efficiency: Avoid per-token fees from cloud APIs; local inference has no ongoing costs after setup.
• Flexibility: Easily switch models, run multiple instances, fine-tune for specific tasks, and integrate into workflows.

Modern tools like Docker, Ollama, and Open WebUI simplify the process, making it accessible without deep DevOps expertise.