Homelab Setup

My homelab is a personal infrastructure for learning, experimenting, and self-hosting services.

Hardware

• Main Server: Intel NUC (i5, 32GB RAM, 1TB NVMe)
• Storage: Synology NAS (8TB RAID)
• Network: UniFi Dream Machine, managed switches

Services

Self-Hosted Applications

• Nextcloud - File sync and sharing
• Jellyfin - Media server
• Pi-hole - Network-wide ad blocking
• Home Assistant - Home automation
• GitLab - Private git hosting
• Monitoring - Prometheus + Grafana

Infrastructure

• Proxmox VE - Virtualization platform
• Docker - Container runtime
• Kubernetes - Container orchestration (k3s)
• Traefik - Reverse proxy

Architecture

Why Self-Host?

• Privacy: Control over my data
• Learning: Hands-on experience with infrastructure
• Flexibility: Customize services to my needs
• Cost: One-time hardware investment vs. monthly subscriptions

Future Plans

• Expand Kubernetes cluster
• Implement automated backups to cloud
• Add more monitoring and alerting
• Set up VPN for remote access

See my blog posts tagged #homelab for detailed guides and experiences.