Chapter 01 2 min read
Why run a home server?
Decide whether a home server fits your goals, time, budget, and appetite for maintenance.
A field guide / Home servers
Build a home server, one step at a time.
Start with the why, then work through hardware, storage, apps, access, and care. No prior homelab experience required. Each chapter explains the idea before the choices you’ll make.
Chapter 02 3 min read
Choosing hardware that fits
Match a first server to the work it must do, while accounting for electricity, noise, and future maintenance.
Chapter 03 3 min read
Picking an operating system
Compare Unraid with several common alternatives, and learn what an operating system does for a home server.
Chapter 04 3 min read
Storage and protecting your data
Learn what an array, parity, and cache do, then plan backups that survive server failure.
Chapter 05 3 min read
Docker containers, explained
Understand images, containers, volumes, ports, and the two common ways to configure apps.
Chapter 06 2 min read
Domains, DNS, reverse proxies, and HTTPS
Follow a request from a memorable name to a local service, and learn what HTTPS does and does not protect.
Chapter 07 2 min read
Remote access without opening ports
Use a private network overlay to reach selected home services without publishing them to the public Internet.
Chapter 08 3 min read
Building a legal media stack
See how media libraries, request tools, automation, and download clients can fit together—with rights and safety first.
Chapter 09 3 min read
A local smart home
Connect sensors, automations, cameras, and voice tools while keeping control and privacy in view.
Chapter 10 3 min read
Keeping it healthy and secure
Build a manageable routine for updates, monitoring, logs, passwords, and recoverable configuration.