Prerequisites for running Conduit

You'll need:

A domain. Commonly cost about $10/year.
A Linux server with a stable internet connection, at least 500 MB of RAM and some disk space for messages and attachments. Commonly start at $5/month.
Some basic knowledge about using a shell, SSH and configuring and protecting a server.

A word of caution:

Don't underestimate the toll of administrating your own server. Conduit can't protect your conversations if your server gets compromised or deleted.

Make sure that you got:

Automatic security updates
- On Ubuntu/Debian: Set up unattended-upgrades
- On RHEL/CentOS: Have a look at yum-cron
A firewall blocking all but the needed incoming ports
- ufw is an easy interface for the linux firewall
Protection against automatic attacks
- fail2ban scans logs and bans IPs which try to brute force their way into your server.
- Disable ssh login for root and switch from password to key based authentication.
Automated backups
- Most VPS hosting companies offer whole server backups for a small fee.
- Or run your own backup with something like borg.
A way to get notified if your disk fills up.
- If you send too much cat videos to your friends, Conduit might at some point become unable to store any important messages.