Starter stacks
Each one is a few apps that work together, and where to begin.
Your first home server
A spare computer becomes a server you run from your browser. No terminal.
Block ads for the whole house
Every phone, laptop and TV, with nothing to install on them.
Movie night server
Your own films and home videos on every screen, at home or away.
Replace Google Photos
Phone photos upload to your house, with a backup somewhere else.
A Minecraft world for friends
Always on, whitelisted, and backed up.
Private AI chat
A chat assistant that never sends what you type anywhere.
Homelab topics
39 written so far, out of 101 planned. New ones appear in What changed.
Start
The machine, what to install on it, and the basics underneath everything else.
Hardware you already ownPick: An old laptop- Buying guidePick: A used business mini PC
- Server operating systemsPick: ZimaOS
Desktop operating systemsPick: Linux Mint- Storage and drivesPick: Two matching drives in a mirror
- Networking basicsPick: Give your server a fixed address
Firewalls and router firmwarePick: OPNsense
Docker and containersPick: Docker Engine with Compose
Virtual machinesPick: Proxmox VE- Linux command linePick: LinuxCommand.org
- Power, noise and UPSPick: A plug-in power meter
Access and security
Reaching your things from anywhere without letting anyone else in.
- Remote accessPick: Tailscale
Domains and reverse proxiesPick: Nginx Proxy Manager- Securing your homelabPick: No open ports
Password managersPick: Bitwarden
Privacy toolsPick: Firefox with uBlock Origin
VPNsPick: Mullvad VPN
Email aliases and two-factor appsPick: Ente Auth
Secure messagingPick: Signal
Search engines and de-GooglingPick: DuckDuckGo
Media
Films, shows, music, books and photos, served from your own machine.
Self-hosted apps
Replacements for services you rent, running on hardware you own.
Files and personal cloudPick: Nextcloud
BackupsPick: Restic- Ad blockingPick: AdGuard Home
Dashboards and monitoringPick: Uptime Kuma
Notes and documentsPick: Obsidian- Coming next: Speed tests and network monitoring, Office and docs, Calendar and contacts sync and 9 more.
AI
Models on your own machine, and the hosted tools worth using.
Gaming
Servers for your friends, and your games on any screen in the house.
- Minecraft hostingPick: Crafty Controller
- Coming next: Other game servers, Game streaming, Emulation and ROM management and 5 more.
Devices
The best tools for the phone, TV and computer you already use.
- iOS toolsPick: Tailscale
Android toolsPick: F-Droid- Android TV toolsPick: Projectivy Launcher
- Coming next: Smart TVs and streaming boxes, Windows tools, Mac tools and 6 more.
Topics on the way
Smart home and sensors, Build and tinker, Code, Learn, Extras: 33 more topics, from Home Assistant to mechanical keyboards.
Step-by-step guides
Step by step, with a check at the end so you know it worked.
Block ads on every device with AdGuard Home
20 minutesEasyNo terminalBack up your phone's photos with Immich
45 minutesMediumNo terminalSet up a Jellyfin media server
30 minutesEasyNo terminalHost a Minecraft server with Crafty
40 minutesEasyNo terminalReach your server from anywhere with Tailscale
10 minutesEasyNo terminalTurn a spare computer into a home server with ZimaOS
45 minutesEasyNo terminal