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Home Lab for Self Hosting
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items 🖥️ Home Lab: Build It, Run It, Own It
This list is everything you need to start your own home lab—from the hardware that powers it to the software that brings it to life. Whether you’re just experimenting or building a full self-hosted setup, you’ll...
Sections
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Hardware
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Software
Hardware
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​The Beelink N100 is a compact, energy-efficient mini PC ideal for running a home server. Its small form factor allows for discreet placement, such as next to your modem, facilitating a direct Ethernet connection for reliable network performance. Equ...
Beelink MINI S12 Intel® Alder Lake N100
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If you're building out a home lab or need a powerful storage solution, the TerraMaster D4-320 is a beast worth checking out. This 4-bay external hard drive enclosure delivers impressive performance, tons of flexibility, and is incredibly easy to set ...
D4-320 - TerraMaster
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When starting a home server or NAS build—especially with Unraid—Seagate hard drives are one of the most reliable and budget-friendly options out there. I typically recommend starting with an 8TB Seagate drive, which strikes a good balance between pri...
 If you're planning on going big later (like 18–20TB drives), it's worth considering those from the start, especially for parity. In Unraid, you’ll want to use at least two drives—one for your actual data, and one as a parity drive. The parity drive i...
 Seagate drives (especially the IronWolf and Exos lines) are well-suited for 24/7 operation and handle the constant reads/writes of a home lab or Plex server with no issues. They’re quiet, dependable, and easy to find at reasonable prices.
 So whether you’re just starting with a small Unraid build or planning to scale, Seagate drives are a solid foundation. Start with 8TB if you're testing the waters—just be sure your parity drive can keep up when you expand!
 If you're planning on going big later (like 18–20TB drives), it's worth considering those from the start, especially for parity. In Unraid, you’ll want to use at least two drives—one for your actual data, and one as a parity drive. The parity drive i...
 Seagate drives (especially the IronWolf and Exos lines) are well-suited for 24/7 operation and handle the constant reads/writes of a home lab or Plex server with no issues. They’re quiet, dependable, and easy to find at reasonable prices.
 So whether you’re just starting with a small Unraid build or planning to scale, Seagate drives are a solid foundation. Start with 8TB if you're testing the waters—just be sure your parity drive can keep up when you expand!
Seagate External Hard Drives - Data Storage
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Acer KB272 G0bi is a 27" Full HD monitor that's great if you need a screen while setting up your Unraid server. It's crisp, smooth, and affordable—but totally optional. If you already have a home computer with a monitor, you can just use that tempora...
27" KB2 Essential Monitor - KB272 G0BI
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The Redragon S101 Gaming Keyboard and Mouse Combo is a solid, budget-friendly option if you need peripherals during your Unraid setup. It features a full-size RGB backlit keyboard with 104 keys and a comfortable wrist rest, along with a 3200 DPI adju...
Redragon S101 Keyboard & M601 Mouse RGB
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SK hynix Beetle X31 is a fast, portable SSD that works great as a cache drive for Unraid. With speeds up to 1,050 MB/s, it helps speed up transfers, improve Docker performance, and smooth out day-to-day operations on your server. It connects via USB-...
Beetle X31 SK hynix SSD - Optional
Software
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When it comes to building a custom home server, there are several great operating systems out there—like TrueNAS, OpenMediaVault, and Proxmox. But my top choice is Unraid, and for good reason.Â
Unraid is a powerful, flexible, and beginner-friendly operating system designed specifically for home servers, media centers, and even small business storage. What really sets it apart is its unique ability to mix and match hard drives of different s...Â
Beyond that, Unraid offers a super clean web interface for managing everything. You can run Docker containers, virtual machines, and even host services like Plex, Nextcloud, and game servers all from one machine. It's perfect for people who want a se...Â
Whether you're storing media, backing up your devices, or spinning up your own cloud, Unraid gives you the tools to do it—without locking you into complicated setups or expensive hardware.
Unraid is a powerful, flexible, and beginner-friendly operating system designed specifically for home servers, media centers, and even small business storage. What really sets it apart is its unique ability to mix and match hard drives of different s...Â
Beyond that, Unraid offers a super clean web interface for managing everything. You can run Docker containers, virtual machines, and even host services like Plex, Nextcloud, and game servers all from one machine. It's perfect for people who want a se...Â
Whether you're storing media, backing up your devices, or spinning up your own cloud, Unraid gives you the tools to do it—without locking you into complicated setups or expensive hardware.
Unraid | Unleash Your Hardware
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Nginx is a lightweight and powerful web server that's perfect for self-hosted projects. I use it as a reverse proxy to securely manage and access all my services (like Plex, Nextcloud, and more) from a single domain. It’s fast, reliable, and makes re...
Nginx Proxy Manager
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Actual Server is a self-hosted budgeting app I run in Docker. It’s fast, private, and gives me full control over my financial data. Think of it like a privacy-focused version of YNAB (You Need A Budget), but hosted right on my own server. Clean inter...
Docker | Actual Budget Documentation
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Audiobookshelf is my go-to self-hosted app for streaming audiobooks. I run it in Docker on my home server, and it organizes, tracks progress, and streams my collection to any device. It’s like having my own personal Audible—no subscriptions, no limit...
audiobookshelf on Docker
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Plex is my all-in-one media server, hosted in Docker on my home lab. It organizes and streams my movies, TV shows, and music to any device, anywhere. With a slick interface and remote access, it's like having my own personal Netflix—fully customized ...
Plex on Docker
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SABnzbd is my Docker-based Usenet downloader that automates grabbing content from NZB files. It’s fast, reliable, and works seamlessly with tools like Sonarr and Radarr to keep my media library updated without lifting a finger. Set it, forget it, and...
SABnzbd - The free and easy binary newsreader
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Prowlarr is my Docker-based indexer manager for Usenet and torrent searches. It connects with apps like Sonarr, Radarr, and SABnzbd to keep everything in sync and make sure I’m always pulling from the best sources. One setup, all indexers, fully auto...
Prowlarr on Dockarr
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Sonarr is my automated TV show manager, running in Docker. It finds, downloads, and organizes new episodes—completely hands-free. Paired with Prowlarr and SABnzbd, it keeps my TV library up to date without me having to search for anything.
Sonarr on Docker
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Radarr is my go-to movie manager in Docker. It automatically finds, downloads, and organizes movies as soon as they’re available. Combined with Prowlarr and SABnzbd, it keeps my movie collection fully stocked and perfectly sorted.
Radarr
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Lidarr is my music library manager, hosted in Docker. It automatically searches for, downloads, and organizes albums and tracks from my favorite artists. With Prowlarr and SABnzbd in the mix, my music collection stays fresh and complete—no manual wor...
Lidarr on Docker
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Readarr is my Docker-powered ebook and audiobook manager. It automates the process of finding, downloading, and organizing books from my favorite authors. Paired with Prowlarr and SABnzbd, it keeps my digital library growing without me lifting a fing...
Readarr on Docker
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Overseerr is my request management tool for Plex, running in Docker. Friends and family can browse available content or request new movies and shows, and it syncs perfectly with Radarr and Sonarr to automate the whole process. It’s like giving my Ple...
Overseerr
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MeTube is my self-hosted YouTube downloader, running in Docker. It lets me easily download videos or audio from YouTube and other platforms with a simple web interface. Great for saving tutorials, music, or content to watch offline—no browser extensi...
metube: Self-hosted YouTube downloader
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ChatGPT is my go-to assistant for setting up and managing my entire home lab. Whether I’m configuring Docker containers, writing automation scripts, or troubleshooting errors, it helps break things down step by step. From setting up Plex to fine-tuni...
Introducing ChatGPT - OpenAI
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dizqueTV lets me create custom, always-on TV channels using my Plex library. Running in Docker, it mimics the cable TV experience—complete with scheduled programming, bumpers, and even commercials. Perfect for background noise or binge-watching with ...
dizquetv: Create live TV channels for Plex