Need help with setting up a home server

Hey guys, I have a few questions about setting up a home server for myself and a couple of people.
We would need some storage (like a couple of TB) that I'm able to encrypt with OpenPGP and the ability to host a chat room. The most important part is data safety / privacy.

Do you have hardware and OS recommendations?

Thanks :)

https://redd.it/1x0lowm
@r_SelfHosted