HomeLab Starter
Page 6 of 11
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MergerFS + SnapRAID: Flexible Union Storage for Your Homelab
Build a flexible, expandable storage pool with MergerFS and SnapRAID. Mix-and-match drives with parity protection for homelab media and backups.
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MQTT for IoT and Home Automation in Your Homelab
Set up an MQTT broker with Mosquitto for IoT devices and home automation. Covers installation, security, Home Assistant integration, and sensor data.
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Immutable Linux Distros for Homelabs: Fedora CoreOS vs Flatcar vs Talos vs Bottlerocket
A practical comparison of container-optimized immutable Linux distributions for homelab use, covering update mechanisms, configuration approaches, and when to use each one.
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Intel N100 Mini PC Builds: The Best Value Homelab Servers in 2026
Build a homelab around Intel N100 mini PCs with recommended models, benchmarks, RAM and storage tips, and use cases from Proxmox to NAS.
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Building a Homelab on ARM64: Raspberry Pi 5, Orange Pi, and Beyond
A practical guide to building an ARM64 homelab with Raspberry Pi 5, Orange Pi 5, ROCK 5B, and other SBCs — OS choices, Docker, clustering, and power efficiency.
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Using Caddy as a Reverse Proxy in Your Homelab
Set up Caddy as your homelab reverse proxy with automatic HTTPS, Caddyfile configuration, Docker integration, wildcard certificates via DNS challenge, and practical comparisons with Traefik and Nginx Proxy Manager.
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2.5GbE Networking for Homelabs: The Practical Decision Guide
A focused guide to deciding whether 2.5GbE networking is right for your homelab, with performance benchmarks, gear recommendations, and hands-on testing methodology.
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NVMe vs SATA SSDs for Your Homelab: A Practical Comparison
When does NVMe actually matter over SATA in a homelab? Real benchmarks and practical guidance for VM storage, containers, NAS builds, and database workloads.
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Homelab ZFS on Linux Complete Guide
A comprehensive guide to running ZFS on Linux in your homelab. Covers installation on Debian and Ubuntu, pool creation, datasets, compression, scrubs, snapshots, and send/receive replication for backups.
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Using dnsmasq for Homelab DNS and DHCP
Set up dnsmasq as a lightweight DNS and DHCP server for your homelab. Covers local DNS resolution, static leases, split-horizon DNS, and integration with Pi-hole and existing routers.
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Running Unbound as a Recursive DNS Resolver in Your Homelab
Set up Unbound as a recursive DNS resolver in Docker, configure DNSSEC validation, and integrate with Pi-hole or AdGuard Home.
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Practical Btrfs Snapshots for Homelab Backups and Rollbacks
Use Btrfs snapshots to protect your homelab data. Covers subvolume layout, manual and automated snapshots with snapper, boot rollbacks, incremental offsite backups with btrfs send, and common pitfalls.
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Homelab Firewall Rules Best Practices
Learn how to design firewall rules for a segmented homelab network. Covers default deny policies, VLAN-based zone design, logging strategies, and common rule patterns for LAN, DMZ, IoT, and management networks.
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Incus for Your Homelab: System Containers and VMs Without the Drama
Getting started with Incus, the community-driven LXD fork, for running system containers and virtual machines in your homelab. Installation, networking, storage, and practical migration tips.
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Running Rootless Containers with Podman in Your Homelab
A practical guide to running rootless Podman containers in your homelab with systemd integration, networking, and migration from Docker.
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Homelab Immutable Infrastructure with NixOS
Use NixOS to build reproducible, declarative homelab server configurations. Covers Nix flakes, declarative service definitions, system rollbacks, remote deployment with deploy-rs, and managing a fleet of NixOS machines.
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Authelia: Single Sign-On and 2FA for Your Home Lab
Set up Authelia for SSO and two-factor authentication in your homelab. Covers reverse proxy integration, access policies, OIDC, and comparison with Authentik and Keycloak.
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Container Management Tools: Portainer vs Dockge vs Lazydocker vs CLI
Compare the most popular Docker container management tools for homelabs — Portainer, Dockge, Lazydocker, and plain CLI — with deployment guides, use cases, and practical advice on choosing the right tool.
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MetalLB: Bare-Metal Load Balancer for Kubernetes
Deploy MetalLB in your homelab Kubernetes cluster to get real LoadBalancer-type services without a cloud provider. Covers installation, Layer 2 and BGP modes, IP address pools, and practical configuration.
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Hyperconverged Infrastructure in Your Home Lab: Proxmox + Ceph
A practical guide to building hyperconverged infrastructure at home with Proxmox and Ceph — clustering, storage tiering, hardware requirements, and honest cost analysis.