What Is a Homelab? (And Why You're About to Fall Down a Wonderful Rabbit Hole)
Your own private cloud — and a wonderful rabbit hole.
The logbook
Field Notes
129 entries on homelab infrastructure, AI, monitoring, and more — recorded from a live cluster, not researched from other people's posts.
LAST ENTRY: OCT 15, 2026 · STATUS: RECORDING
Getting Started · I
New to homelabbing? Start here — hardware first, then build up the stack.
#proxmox#infrastructure
Choosing Homelab Hardware: What Actually Matters and What to Ignore
What actually matters in homelab hardware — and what's just shiny.
·20 min readRead →
#getting-started#infrastructure
The $150 Homelab: One Used Mini PC, Ten Services, No Rack
Ten services on one used mini PC — with receipts.
·11 min readRead →
#networking#infrastructure
Choosing a Network Switch for Your Homelab: Speed, Managed vs Unmanaged, and VLAN Basics
1GbE vs 2.5GbE, managed vs not — what your lab really needs.
·11 min readRead →
#getting-started#automation
Ventoy: One USB Drive for Every ISO You Own
One USB drive that boots every ISO you drop on it.
·10 min readRead →
#proxmox#infrastructure
Installing Proxmox VE: Complete Step-by-Step Guide from USB to First Login
USB in, first login out — Proxmox installed without surprises.
·11 min readRead →
#proxmox#infrastructure
Proxmox Security Hardening: SSH Keys, Firewall, and Locking Down a New Cluster
Keys in, passwords out, and a root login nobody can brute-force.
·13 min readRead →
Getting Started · II
New to homelabbing? Start here — hardware first, then build up the stack.
#proxmox#lxc
Creating Your First Proxmox LXC Container: Step-by-Step
Your first container, and the wizard choices that matter.
·6 min readRead →
#proxmox#infrastructure
Creating Your First Proxmox VM: A Complete Walkthrough
First VM, from ISO upload to first login, no step skipped.
·9 min readRead →
#getting-started#self-hosted
Your First Docker Compose Stack: From Zero to a Running Service
Your first stack, and every Compose word finally explained.
·6 min readRead →
#proxmox#infrastructure
Forming a Proxmox Cluster: Quorum, Corosync, and Joining Multiple Nodes
Quorum and Corosync demystified, then three nodes join hands.
·11 min readRead →
#getting-started#infrastructure
What Is a NAS? (And Which Kind Your Homelab Actually Needs)
Network storage in plain English, and which kind fits you.
·7 min readRead →
#getting-started#infrastructure
Shared Storage for Your Homelab: Samba and NFS File Shares Done Right
Samba for the laptops, NFS for the servers, one source of files.
·6 min readRead →
#getting-started#proxmox
Run Home Assistant on Proxmox the Right Way (HAOS in a VM)
HAOS gets its own VM — the supported way that never fights you.
·5 min readRead →
#tools#homelab
Eleven Free Homelab Tools for the Questions Guides Skip
Most labs have one box quietly carrying everything. Mine did too.
·11 min readRead →
Proxmox · I
Virtualisation, containers, storage, and cluster management.
#proxmox#infrastructure
Proxmox Storage Guide: local-lvm, ZFS, NFS, and When to Use Each
local-lvm, ZFS, NFS — what each is actually for.
·7 min readRead →
#proxmox#infrastructure
The 99% Root Disk: Common Homelab Storage Issues and Fixes
The morning my root disk hit 99%, and the traps behind it.
·12 min readRead →
#comparison#proxmox
Proxmox VM vs LXC: When to Use Each
Kernel-sharing containers or full VMs — pick with confidence.
·7 min readRead →
#proxmox#infrastructure
Install Windows on Proxmox with VirtIO Drivers
The installer says 'no drives found' — here's the driver it's missing.
·6 min readRead →
#proxmox#infrastructure
Proxmox Cloud-Init Templates: New VMs in 30 Seconds Flat
Clone a ready VM in thirty seconds; never touch the wizard again.
·6 min readRead →
#comparison#proxmox
Docker on Proxmox: LXC vs VM, Done Right
Why the privileged-LXC shortcut bites, and the VM that doesn't.
·5 min readRead →
Proxmox · II
Virtualisation, containers, storage, and cluster management.
#proxmox#lxc
Pi-hole on Proxmox LXC: Network-Wide DNS and Ad Blocking
Ads blocked for every device, DNS answered down the hall.
·4 min readRead →
#proxmox#infrastructure
Proxmox Firewall: Securing a Home Cluster with Zone-Based Rules
Three layers of firewall, and where each rule belongs.
·6 min readRead →
#proxmox#infrastructure
Proxmox Backup Server: Automated CT and VM Backups with Deduplication
Backups that dedupe, verify, and run while you sleep.
·8 min readRead →
#proxmox#infrastructure
What a Proxmox Restore Actually Costs: Measured RTO
I timed every step of a real restore so you can plan with numbers.
·13 min readRead →
#proxmox#infrastructure
Proxmox Emails You After Every Backup — Here's the One-Line Fix
Success mail is noise. Failure mail is sacred. One command splits them.
·11 min readRead →
#proxmox#infrastructure
Building a 4-Node Proxmox Cluster on HP EliteDesk Mini PCs
Four office castoffs become a production-grade cluster.
·7 min readRead →
Proxmox · III
Virtualisation, containers, storage, and cluster management.
#proxmox#automation
Turn a Hand-Built Proxmox Cluster Into Code Without Breaking It
Your running cluster becomes code without a single restart.
·10 min readRead →
#proxmox#automation
Import a Live Proxmox Cluster Into OpenTofu With Zero Changes
Import until the plan says zero — nothing restarts, nothing drifts.
·10 min readRead →
#proxmox#automation
Ansible for a Cluster You Built by Hand: Capture, Then Assert
Ansible adopts the cluster you built by hand — without touching it.
·10 min readRead →
#proxmox#automation
A Proxmox Container Born, Configured, and Destroyed From Code
Born from code, configured by code, destroyed on schedule.
·10 min readRead →
#proxmox#infrastructure
Rebuild Your Homelab From Zero: What Survives a Total Loss
Lose every node and walk back in — the restore order that works.
·12 min readRead →
#proxmox#infrastructure
Exit Code 137: Common Homelab Service Issues and Fixes
The kill that names itself, the cluster that freezes, the door that won't open.
·14 min readRead →
Proxmox · IV
Virtualisation, containers, storage, and cluster management.
#proxmox#lxc
Vaultwarden on Proxmox LXC: Self-Hosted Bitwarden-Compatible Password Manager
Your passwords, served by Bitwarden apps, hosted by you.
·7 min readRead →
#proxmox#lxc
Wiki.js on Proxmox LXC: Self-Hosted Knowledge Base in 30 Minutes
A real wiki with a real database, in half an hour.
·6 min readRead →
#proxmox#networking
Proxmox VE 9.2 SDN Fabrics: Routed, Encrypted Networking
Let your nodes route around a dead link — no static routes, no hand-editing.
·6 min readRead →
#proxmox#storage
PBS 4.2 Backups to Self-Hosted MinIO Object Storage
Proxmox Backup Server 4.2 speaks S3 now — point it at your own MinIO.
·6 min readRead →
#proxmox#infrastructure
Proxmox VE 9.2 Custom CPU Models for Live Migration
Add a different CPU to your cluster? Here's how VMs still live-migrate.
·5 min readRead →
#comparison#proxmox
Proxmox vs TrueNAS vs Unraid: Which Homelab OS Should You Run?
Hypervisor, NAS, or all-in-one — pick by what your lab is for.
·8 min readRead →
Monitoring · I
Metrics, dashboards, and alerting with Prometheus and Grafana.
#monitoring#infrastructure
One UPS, Whole Homelab: Safe Auto-Shutdown with NUT
The power fails; every machine parks itself before the battery dies.
·12 min readRead →
#self-hosted#monitoring
Uptime Kuma: Dead-Simple Homelab Monitoring Before You Touch Grafana
Monitoring you can set up before lunch and trust by dinner.
·5 min readRead →
#monitoring#self-hosted
The Docker localhost Trap: 24 Hours of Red, Zero Real Downtime
24 hours of red monitors while everything was actually up.
·10 min readRead →
#monitoring#grafana
What Is Grafana? Homelab Metrics and Dashboards Explained
The dashboards everyone screenshots, finally explained.
·8 min readRead →
#monitoring#prometheus
What Is Prometheus? Homelab Metrics and Alerts Explained
Pull-based metrics and PromQL, minus the jargon.
·12 min readRead →
#monitoring#grafana
Proxmox Monitoring with Prometheus and Grafana: Full Stack Setup
From no metrics to full-cluster dashboards in one build.
·7 min readRead →
Monitoring · II
Metrics, dashboards, and alerting with Prometheus and Grafana.
#monitoring#grafana
Node Exporter + pve-exporter: Complete Proxmox Metrics in Grafana
Node metrics plus cluster metrics, meeting in one dashboard.
·7 min readRead →
#monitoring#proxmox
Homelab Capacity Planning: What If a Node Dies Tonight?
A simulator that answers: if a node dies tonight, do we fit?
·17 min readRead →
#monitoring#automation
One Homelab, One Email: A Daily Digest You'll Actually Read
Everything used to email me. Now one thing does — at 8:30, with buttons.
·14 min readRead →
#monitoring#automation
Real Screenshots, Zero Leaks: My Disposable Demo Lab
Real screenshots, fake lab — publishing without leaking a thing.
·9 min readRead →
#monitoring#ai
Track AI Token Spend in Grafana: Claude, Codex, and Ollama
Every token your AI tools burn, graphed next to your CPU temps.
·12 min readRead →
#monitoring#self-hosted
Watch Any Web Page for Changes With changedetection.io
Stop checking that release page. Let a watcher ping you when it changes.
·7 min readRead →
Monitoring · III
Metrics, dashboards, and alerting with Prometheus and Grafana.
#monitoring#storage
SMART Disk-Health Trending for Your Whole Fleet
A disk warns you before it dies. Trend SMART and you get weeks of notice.
·7 min readRead →
#ai#ollama
Load-Balance a Multi-Node Ollama Cluster With Olla
Three Ollama boxes, one smart endpoint that routes, fails over, and reports.
·8 min readRead →
Networking · I
Remote access, VLANs, switches, and secure tunnels.
#networking#security
Your Smart TV Doesn't Need to See Your NAS: VLANs for Beginners
Your smart TV has no business seeing your NAS.
·17 min readRead →
#networking#tailscale
Tailscale Subnet Router: Remote Homelab Access Without Port Forwarding
The whole lab reachable from anywhere, zero ports forwarded.
·5 min readRead →
#networking#tailscale
Tailscale Exit Node: Route All Traffic Through Your Homelab
Coffee-shop Wi-Fi, but every packet exits through your lab.
·6 min readRead →
#networking#tailscale
Green Lights, No Packets: Common Homelab Network Issues
Every light is green, every ping times out — meet the four usual suspects.
·16 min readRead →
#networking#tailscale
The Packet Three Firewalls Ate: Debugging a Tailscale Subnet Route
The router reached the NAS. The container behind it timed out.
·11 min readRead →
#networking#tailscale
Tailscale Stuck on a DERP Relay? Give Each Device Its Own Port
Five devices, one router, one port 41641. Only one of them went direct.
·8 min readRead →
Networking · II
Remote access, VLANs, switches, and secure tunnels.
#networking#tailscale
Why a 208 KB Buffer Throttled My Tailscale Backups
Every obvious suspect was innocent. The culprit: 208 KB.
·11 min readRead →
#networking#self-hosted
What Is Traefik? Reverse Proxies Explained for Homelabs
The reverse proxy explained with doors, not diagrams.
·7 min readRead →
#networking#self-hosted
How to Set Up Traefik with Let's Encrypt
Green padlocks on every service, renewed while you sleep.
·4 min readRead →
#comparison#networking
Pi-hole vs AdGuard Home: Which Network Ad Blocker?
Encrypted DNS out of the box, or the biggest blocklist community?
·5 min readRead →
#comparison#networking
Traefik vs Nginx Proxy Manager vs Caddy: Which Reverse Proxy?
GUI, labels, or one file — pick your reverse proxy.
·6 min readRead →
#comparison#networking
WireGuard vs Tailscale vs OpenVPN: Which VPN for Your Homelab?
The fast protocol, the effortless mesh, or the old reliable.
·6 min readRead →
AI & Self-Hosted · I
Local LLMs, agents, and self-hosted services.
#proxmox#infrastructure
Proxmox GPU passthrough: give one VM the whole card
One VM gets the card; the host gives up control.
·8 min readRead →
#self-hosted#automation
Docker Compose Part 2: Update, Back Up, and Move Your Stacks
Deployment is day one. This is every day after.
·11 min readRead →
#self-hosted#security
What Is Authentik? One Login for Your Whole Homelab
Stop inventing a new password for every service you host.
·8 min readRead →
#self-hosted#security
How to Set Up Authentik with Docker Compose
From empty Docker host to single sign-on in about half an hour.
·11 min readRead →
#self-hosted#security
Append-only laptop backups with restic on your NAS
If my laptop gets encrypted, it can't reach back and wipe the backups.
·8 min readRead →
#self-hosted#security
What backs up your NAS apps? Append-only restic for their data
Your NAS protects everything but the apps running on it.
·7 min readRead →
AI & Self-Hosted · II
Local LLMs, agents, and self-hosted services.
#self-hosted#automation
Self-Host Your Photos with Immich: A Private Google Photos Alternative
Google Photos, replaced by a container you own.
·5 min readRead →
#self-hosted#automation
One Dashboard for Your Whole Homelab: Set Up Homepage
Stop bookmarking IPs. One page knows where everything lives.
·5 min readRead →
#ai#ollama
CPU-Only Ollama Cluster on Proxmox LXC: 3-Node Setup with Load Balancing
Three CPU-only nodes serving local LLMs behind one endpoint.
·8 min readRead →
#ai#ollama
The best small LLM for a CPU-only homelab node
Seven models, no GPU, three runs each, and the newest isn't the fastest.
·11 min readRead →
AI & Self-Hosted · III
Local LLMs, agents, and self-hosted services.
#ai#ollama
Self-Hosted Bookmarks That Tag Themselves With Local AI
A bookmark folder is where links go to die. Give it a local-AI librarian.
·9 min readRead →
#self-hosted#storage
Paperless-ngx: OCR Every Document You Own, Searchable
Stop hunting through folders. Search the text inside every scan and PDF.
·7 min readRead →
#self-hosted#getting-started
Your Homelab Needs a Second Brain — Here's Why
You've fixed this problem before. You just can't find where.
·5 min readRead →
#self-hosted#getting-started
Never Lose a Homelab Note Again: A Git + Markdown Vault
Notes with version history, grep, and no vendor in sight.
·7 min readRead →
AI & Self-Hosted · IV
Local LLMs, agents, and self-hosted services.
#self-hosted#security
Share Your Vault Across Machines Without Split-Brain
Many readers, one truth — sharing a vault without split-brain.
·4 min readRead →
#self-hosted#automation
Why Auto-Syncing Your Notes Repo Will Corrupt It
Auto-sync will eat your notes. Lock, validate, then commit.
·5 min readRead →
#self-hosted#automation
Turn Your Git Vault Into a Searchable Wiki.js Site
The vault stays canonical; Wiki.js is just its pretty face.
·5 min readRead →
#ai#ollama
Semantic Search for Your Notes, Running Locally
Semantic search over your notes, no cloud, no API key.
·5 min readRead →
AI & Self-Hosted · V
Local LLMs, agents, and self-hosted services.
#ai#self-hosted
10 Mistakes I Made Building a Homelab Second Brain (And How Each Got Fixed)
Ten ways I broke my second brain so yours stays whole.
·13 min readRead →
#ai#ollama
RAG for Your Homelab Wiki: Answers That Cite Their Source
Your wiki answers questions now — and cites where it read them.
·12 min readRead →
#self-hosted#infrastructure
What Is Kubernetes? A Plain-English Homelab Guide
You told it what you want. It spends all day making that true.
·6 min readRead →
#self-hosted#infrastructure
How and When to Use Kubernetes in a Homelab
One command gets you a real cluster. Deciding to is the hard part.
·6 min readRead →
Media · I
Media servers, streaming, and the *arr automation stack.
#comparison#self-hosted
Plex vs Jellyfin: Which Media Server Should You Run?
Pay for polish or own the stack — the honest comparison.
·8 min readRead →
#self-hosted#infrastructure
Install Plex Media Server on a NAS or Proxmox LXC
Plex claimed, libraries built, running where the media lives.
·7 min readRead →
#self-hosted#infrastructure
Install Jellyfin on a NAS or Proxmox LXC
Jellyfin running where your files already live.
·8 min readRead →
#jellyfin#media
Free Hardware Transcoding in Jellyfin: VAAPI, QSV, NVENC
GPU-accelerated 4K, no Plex Pass, no melting CPU.
·8 min readRead →
#jellyfin#media
Organizing a Jellyfin Library: Naming and Metadata
Name the files right and Jellyfin matches every poster on the first scan.
·9 min readRead →
#self-hosted#infrastructure
Plex Direct Play and Transcoding on Weak Hardware
Why Plex stutters on weak CPUs — and the setting that saves it.
·7 min readRead →
Media · II
Media servers, streaming, and the *arr automation stack.
#self-hosted#infrastructure
Organizing a Plex Library: Naming, Agents, and Metadata
Name the files right and Plex never guesses wrong again.
·5 min readRead →
#plex#tailscale
Plex Remote Access Over Tailscale (No Port Forwarding)
Full-speed Plex from anywhere, and not one port opened.
·9 min readRead →
#self-hosted#infrastructure
What Is the Arr Stack? Sonarr, Radarr, and Prowlarr Explained
Sonarr, Radarr, Prowlarr — who does what, in plain English.
·6 min readRead →
#self-hosted#infrastructure
Deploy the Arr Stack with Docker Compose (Prowlarr, Radarr, Sonarr)
The full *arr stack standing up in one compose file.
·7 min readRead →
#self-hosted#infrastructure
Automating the Arr Stack: Import Lists, Quality Profiles, Media Server
Add a title to a list; the lab does everything else.
·7 min readRead →
#self-hosted#infrastructure
Bazarr: Automatic Subtitles for Your Arr Stack
The one *arr add-on almost everyone ends up wanting.
·6 min readRead →
Media · III
Media servers, streaming, and the *arr automation stack.
#self-hosted#infrastructure
Lidarr: Automate Your Music Library Like Sonarr
Follow an artist once; new albums just appear.
·5 min readRead →
#self-hosted#infrastructure
Seerr (formerly Jellyseerr): Let Your Family Request Movies
The family browses and requests; the stack quietly delivers.
·7 min readRead →
#self-hosted#infrastructure
The Self-Healing Arr Stack: Why My Watchlist Silently Stopped Downloading
Rotated keys, zero errors, days of silence — then the fix.
·10 min readRead →
#media#monitoring
qBittorrent Stuck at 0 KB/s? Your Synced VPN Port Is Lying
Four days of zero bytes, and an alert that only ever spoke once.
·13 min readRead →
Projects
Full builds and fun experiments — gaming, apps, and tools.
#gaming#minecraft
Fabric Minecraft Server in a Proxmox LXC Container: Mods + JVM Tuning
Fabric, mods, and JVM flags in an unprivileged container.
·7 min readRead →
#flutter#proxmox
Building a Native Proxmox Dashboard in Flutter: Linux Desktop + iOS
A native app for my cluster, because the browser tab bothered me.
·8 min readRead →