K3CAN

What’s a good reverse proxy for a set up using Cloudflare?

Having a reverse proxy behind your reverse proxy is a little redundant, but should work fine. My preference after trying several was nginx. The config takes a little to get used to, but it has a ton of features.

is Cloudflare’s proxy really needed?

Not at all.

Cloudflare just makes configuration a bit easier, especially if you’re behind CGNAT. I wrote a little about them here: https://blog.k3can.us/index.php?post/2025/02/Cloudflare-for-the-Selfhoster

The paid plans get you the “premium” blocklists, which includes one specially made to prevent AI scrapers, but a free account will still get you the actual software, the community blocklist, plus up to three "basic"lists.

The slightly lower power draw pi5 vs a Tiny will eventually make up for the higher initial cost, but you can save more by turning off lights when you leave a room or skipping a round at the bar.

In my opinion, the wider software compatibility, better processing power, and expansible RAM and storage options far outweigh the eventual theoretical savings.

That said, if you need the super small SBC form factor or GPIO pins, definitely go for a pi. They absolutely have their use cases. I have 4 or 5 of the 3B and 3B+, and have used them on-and-off for a variety of tasks over the years.

It’s been a long time since Pi’s were competitive on price.

You can get a used Lenovo Thinkcentre for $50 on eBay. A modern pi is going to cost you that much for just the board, then you still need to buy a case, power supply, SD card, and then figure out some solution for storage…

No reason to bother with a Pi unless you need the GPIO for something. You can do more with a Lenovo Tiny or SFF Dell.