HomelabAddiction Research Desk

A documentation-based Mailu self-hosted email guide covering Docker Compose, requirements, DNS, home vs VPS, administration, backups, updates, deliverability, and Mailu vs Mailcow.

Choose a beginner homelab server by workload: compare mini PCs, used desktops, NAS systems, towers, and rack servers, plus the equipment worth buying first.

Use the right WireGuard port-forwarding answer for three common homelab cases: a server at home, a home client connecting outward, or a CGNAT setup that cannot accept inbound traffic.

Choose a rackmount UPS for a homelab by matching rack depth, outlet count, shutdown path, and real wattage to either network-edge gear or a heavier NAS plus Proxmox stack.

Choose APC or CyberPower for a homelab UPS by matching load shape, outlet needs, waveform requirements, and shutdown tooling instead of buying on brand alone.

Use a simple homelab network diagram template that maps internet, router or firewall, switches, hosts, VLANs, and the services or storage paths you actually need to troubleshoot.

Copy a practical homelab documentation template with a front-door README, service inventory, network notes, runbooks, and a change log that stays usable during outages.

Build a homelab naming convention and folder layout that keeps hosts, services, network records, and recovery notes understandable as the environment grows.

Choose a budget homelab UPS by matching real wattage, output type, shutdown support, outlet count, and physical fit to the devices that need protection.

A recovery-focused Proxmox Backup Server workflow covering datastore placement, retention, restore testing, verification, and independent copies.

Replace port forwarding with Tailscale or Cloudflare Tunnel by choosing the right access model, testing the cutover, and removing old exposure safely.

Compare Headscale and Tailscale by control-plane ownership, maintenance, access control, and recovery responsibilities.

Design a clearer homelab storage layout by separating boot, apps, media, and backups so capacity planning, migrations, and restores stay manageable.

Compare Obsidian, BookStack, and Wiki.js for homelab documentation by matching the tool to collaboration, structure, portability, and maintenance requirements.

Choose between Tailscale, WireGuard, and Cloudflare Tunnel by separating private device access, self-managed VPN control, and selective public web-app exposure.

Use a repeatable weekly, monthly, and quarterly homelab maintenance cadence to catch drift before it becomes a recovery event.

Build a lightweight homelab documentation system for inventory, dependencies, runbooks, changes, backups, and recovery.

Use a simple homelab IP plan template to track VLANs, DHCP scopes, reservations, and static assignments before address sprawl makes changes risky.

Build a Docker media stack by aligning container roles, shared paths, permissions, and request flow before adding optional services.

Looking for the best homelab dashboard? Compare Homepage, Homarr, and Dashy by setup style, maintenance, customization, and fit for your services.

Use a documentation-led workflow for repeatable Proxmox cloud-init VM templates, from image selection through first-clone validation.

Deploy Joplin Server on Docker with PostgreSQL, correct APP_BASE_URL handling, persistent storage, and a safer path to HTTPS when you need access beyond the LAN.

Compare Plane, Vikunja, and OpenProject for homelabs using documented requirements, dependencies, install paths, and operational complexity rather than unsupported private benchmarks.

Use Docker IPvlan when a service needs LAN presence but shared MAC behavior and a deliberate host-reachability test make bridge or macvlan a poor fit.

Compare Mattermost, Rocket.Chat, and Zulip for a homelab by deployment overhead, conversation model, integrations, and maintenance fit.

Use Docker macvlan when a service needs its own LAN identity, while planning host reachability, parent interfaces, and safer alternatives.

Follow the Immich Docker setup with storage paths, PostgreSQL, Redis, uploads, and backup decisions planned before the photo library grows.

Compare Plausible, Umami, and Matomo for homelabs using documented dependencies, stack shape, script weight, and the measurement notes in this article.

A practical, documentation-led network design for separating Proxmox Corosync, migration, and Ceph traffic by workload and failure risk.

Deploy Vaultwarden on Docker with a local-first exposure model, strong admin-token defaults, official Bitwarden clients, and backups you can test before you rely on it.

Compare Nextcloud, Seafile, and ownCloud Infinite Scale by sync speed, ecosystem depth, hardware appetite, and maintenance load so a homelab cloud stack fits the job instead of the hype.

A Docker documentation-based guide to bounded json-file retention, Compose overrides, and verifying that log growth cannot consume the host disk.

Set up rootless Docker for a homelab, understand the low-port and privilege tradeoffs, and decide when the extra isolation is worth the effort.

Compare Immich and Synology Photos for a homelab by migration path, family usability, search, hardware overhead, backups, and long-term maintenance.

Build a practical homelab logging stack with Grafana Loki, Alloy, and Grafana. This refresh focuses on documented collection scope, labels, retention, and troubleshooting flow.

Deploy Authentik for a homelab by starting with one protected app, understanding applications vs providers vs outposts, and keeping DNS and HTTPS requirements explicit.

Choose 2.5GbE, 10GbE, or a hybrid NAS upgrade path by matching network spend to storage throughput, cabling, heat, and multi-user workload reality.

Learn how Docker health checks really work, how to pair them with Compose startup ordering, and how to pick probes that reflect service readiness instead of process uptime.

Use Docker Compose secrets, BuildKit secrets, and encrypted files to keep passwords and tokens out of compose files, screenshots, and Git history.

Compare Wazuh, Security Onion, and CrowdSec by deployment footprint, signal depth, and response role so you can choose the security layer that fits your homelab.

Use NUT with Proxmox to detect power loss, coordinate VM shutdowns, and power off the host cleanly before battery runtime runs out.

Set up HTTPS for a homelab by pairing a reverse proxy, certificate challenge path, and local DNS override so internal traffic stays local without browser warnings.

Compare RAID 5, RAID 6, and RAID 10 for a homelab NAS by usable capacity, rebuild exposure, and workload fit so the storage layout matches your risk tolerance.

Use restic for a practical 3-2-1 homelab backup workflow across Linux servers, Docker volumes, and offsite copies. This refresh focuses on documented repository, retention, and restore-test steps.

Use Docker to deploy WireGuard for homelab remote access with clear UDP port-forwarding requirements, safer UI exposure choices, and client or DNS checks that confirm the tunnel really works.

Compare NVMe and SATA SSDs for Proxmox, Docker, and NAS workloads using interface limits, workload needs, and practical buying guidance.

Plan a Proxmox ZFS layout by deciding boot placement, pool redundancy, SSD versus HDD roles, and backup boundaries before the first VM lands on disk.

Monitor Proxmox with Prometheus and Grafana by exposing node metrics, storing time series cleanly, and building dashboards that show host pressure before performance drifts.

Choose Cat6, Cat6A, or Cat8 by matching cable category to link length, 10GbE goals, PoE density, and how difficult the run will be to replace later.

Fix Docker proxy issues by separating daemon proxy settings, build and client defaults, and container egress rules so pulls, builds, and private-network traffic each use the right path.

Harden Docker in a homelab by tightening the Linux host, limiting socket exposure, reducing published ports, running containers with less privilege, and keeping image hygiene reviewable.

Create Proxmox templates by preparing a clean base VM, enabling Cloud-Init, converting it once, and cloning repeatable guests with fewer manual fixes.

Choose Proxmox LXC containers or virtual machines by matching each workload to kernel requirements, isolation needs, passthrough limits, and density goals.

Configure the Proxmox firewall by separating datacenter, node, and VM rules, protecting management access, and preserving cluster or backup traffic before enforcing defaults.

Deploy Nginx Proxy Manager on Docker with a shared app network, working public DNS, ports 80 and 443 for certificate issuance, and one test app before expanding.

Choose 2-bay NAS, 4-bay NAS, or mini PC + DAS hardware by matching backup growth, drive expansion, software overhead, and network speed to the job your homelab storage actually needs to do.

Set up a practical homelab monitoring stack with Prometheus, Grafana, Alertmanager, node_exporter, and cAdvisor. This refresh focuses on documented metrics coverage, placement, and alert scope.

Build a NAS backup plan by separating live storage, local restores, and offsite copies so recovery stays practical after deletion, disk failure, ransomware, or site loss.

Compare three common NAS cache SSD choices by endurance, sustained write behavior, DRAM design, and budget so the cache layer matches the workload instead of the marketing sheet.

Plan Proxmox storage by separating fast VM storage, bulk capacity, and backup targets so snapshots, restores, and growth paths stay manageable.

Set up Pi-hole on Docker with a simple Compose stack, fix port 53 conflicts, point test clients at the right DNS server, and verify that queries are actually flowing through Pi-hole.

Compare WD Red Plus, Seagate IronWolf, and Toshiba N300 for your homelab NAS with real throughput, workload, power, and noise tradeoffs.

Keep Docker Compose maintainable with one readable stack file, deliberate volume choices, clear profile use, preflight config validation, and health checks that support recovery.

Learn how to connect multiple VLANs in a homelab by mapping subnets, configuring trunks and access ports, creating DHCP scopes, and testing firewall boundaries.

Choose a Plex NAS by matching transcoding headroom, drive-bay growth, networking, and admin polish across the QNAP TS-464, UGREEN DXP2800, and Synology DS224+.

Learn how to set up homelab network segmentation with a practical five-zone VLAN model, IoT isolation, firewall rules, DNS, logging, and Proxmox and Docker placement guidance.

Compare four self-hosted email stacks by operational burden, Docker complexity, DNS expectations, and the kind of operator each path fits best.

OpenWrt vs OPNsense vs pfSense for a homelab: compare routing, firewall depth, VPNs, hardware needs, and the best fit for low-power or x86 builds.

Set up Proxmox GPU passthrough with the checks that matter first: bootloader path, IOMMU groups, VFIO binding, q35/OVMF, and when ACS override is a last resort.

Choose a homelab managed switch by balancing PoE budget, uplink path, controller model, and VLAN workflow across UniFi, MikroTik, and Omada.

Build homelab firewall rules by starting with a small zone model, blocking inter-VLAN traffic by default, then allowing only named paths for DNS, admin access, backups, monitoring, and published services.

Understand DHCP leases, reservations, scope sizing, and common failure modes so you can troubleshoot address issues and plan cleaner homelab networks.

Comparing UniFi, Omada, and Aruba Instant On for homelabs with real benchmark data, pros and cons, and the best pick for each use case.

Design a homelab network by separating management, servers, trusted clients, IoT, and guests, then placing DNS, reverse proxy, and monitoring deliberately instead of rebuilding the layout every time the lab grows.

Compare flatnotes, Memos, Joplin Server, and TriliumNext Notes by workflow fit, backup path, and Docker complexity so you can choose a notes stack that stays maintainable.

Step-by-step guide to setting up Jellyfin on Docker for self-hosted media streaming. Covers installation, hardware transcoding, remote access, and common mistakes.

I tested 7 mini PCs for Proxmox VE with real benchmarks. Compare Beelink SER8 vs Minisforum MS-01 vs ASUS NUC 14 Pro for your homelab in 2026.

Compare Caddy, Traefik, and Nginx Proxy Manager for homelabs by HTTPS setup, Docker automation, recovery, and day-two maintenance.

Understand Proxmox bridges, VLAN-aware trunks, bonding trade-offs, and SDN basics so the host network stays recoverable as the lab grows.

Harden SSH on a homelab server with Ed25519 keys, safer sshd_config defaults, testing steps, and rollback habits that reduce lockout risk.

Compare Zabbix, LibreNMS, and Uptime Kuma by discovery model, alerting depth, maintenance overhead, and team fit so a homelab monitoring stack matches the job.

Build a small Proxmox cluster in a supportable order: hardware baseline, quorum, shared storage, HA behavior, and the network choices that keep failover predictable.

Choose between Pi-hole and AdGuard Home by matching DNS filtering, encrypted upstream support, and per-client policy needs to your homelab network.

Build a Proxmox backup plan around native vzdump jobs, Proxmox Backup Server retention, and offsite copies that are periodically restored and verified instead of assumed to work.

Set up Authelia for homelab SSO by pairing it with a reverse proxy, a session backend, and an access-control policy you can explain and maintain.

Set up a private Docker registry with persistent storage, authentication, TLS, and client trust steps so image pushes and pulls stay predictable inside a homelab.

Choose NFS, SMB, or iSCSI for your homelab NAS by matching the protocol to Linux-heavy shares, mixed-client access, or block storage for VMs and databases.

Use docker logs effectively, set rotation before log files grow out of control, and decide when centralized logging is worth adding to a homelab stack.

Compare ZFS, Btrfs, and ext4 by snapshots, integrity features, memory appetite, and recovery trade-offs so a homelab NAS uses the filesystem it can actually operate.

Choose Docker bridge, host, overlay, macvlan, or none by matching each service to LAN visibility, port exposure, and multi-host requirements before the network grows harder to debug.

Back up Docker volumes, bind mounts, Compose files, and offsite copies with a restore-first workflow that keeps homelab services recoverable.

Choose between TrueNAS Scale, TrueNAS Core, and Unraid by matching app support, drive-mixing flexibility, ZFS requirements, and long-term maintenance tradeoffs to the NAS job you actually need to run.

Learn Docker multi-stage builds by separating build toolchains from runtime images, using cache-friendly layers, and choosing lean final stages for homelab services.

Start a self-hosted password manager with Vaultwarden by matching the deployment to backup discipline, client expectations, and the amount of operational overhead your homelab can tolerate.

Compare Proxmox VE, VMware ESXi, and Hyper-V by licensing posture, cluster path, workload fit, and management overhead so a homelab can pick a platform it can actually operate.

Set up Fail2ban for a homelab by watching the right logs, tuning jails carefully, and verifying bans without locking out legitimate admin access.

Compare Docker monitoring approaches for homelabs using documented dependencies, setup complexity, and the measurement notes included in this article.

Choose Docker or Podman for a homelab by matching ecosystem fit, rootless operation, and systemd workflow expectations to the runtime you will maintain.

Choose between Docker volumes and bind mounts by matching each storage type to app data, host-managed files, backups, and restore workflow needs.

Choose Docker Swarm or K3s for a homelab by matching single-node simplicity, cluster growth, and Kubernetes learning goals to the right orchestration path.