Your data.
Your infrastructure.
Your rules.
Practical guides for running Proxmox, Docker, and self-hosted services on budget hardware. Built from a real homelab, not a sponsored lab. New to homelabs? Here's how to build a homelab on a budget. Not sure where to begin? Start here for the full reading order.
Setup Guides
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Home Assistant on Proxmox: HAOS VM Setup
Run Home Assistant OS as a Proxmox VM on an N100 mini PC: sizing, VM import, USB passthrough for a Zigbee or Z-Wave stick, static IP, backups, remote access.
UPS Monitoring With NUT for a Homelab
Set up Network UPS Tools on Proxmox so your homelab shuts down cleanly on battery: USB and SNMP drivers, upsmon, shutdown timing, and how to test it.
Restic Backups for a Homelab: Encrypted
Set up restic for homelab file-level backups to Backblaze B2 or a local NAS: snapshots, retention, systemd timers, and the restore test that proves it works.
Latest Articles
View all → Best NVMe SSD for a Mini PC Homelab
A mini PC homelab cares about write endurance, heat in a sealed chassis, and whether the drive physically fits. Here is which NVMe SSD to buy, and why.
Best Mini PC for Jellyfin or Plex (2026)
Transcoding capacity comes from the QuickSync generation, not the core count. Which mini PC to buy for Jellyfin or Plex, and how to avoid overspending on cores.
ThinkCentre M720q vs M920q vs OptiPlex
ThinkCentre M720q vs M920q vs OptiPlex 7060 Micro for Proxmox: RAM ceilings, VT-d, NICs compared, and which one actually earns its price gap.
Is Self-Hosting Worth It? It Depends on You
Whether self-hosting pays off depends less on the math than on your temperament. Here is how to tell which kind of person you are before you spend a dollar.
BookStack vs Outline vs Wiki.js for a Homelab
A self-hosted wiki comparison for homelabs: BookStack, Outline, and Wiki.js, judged on what they actually cost you in dependencies, RAM, and setup time.
Prebuilt NAS vs DIY NAS: Synology or Build?
Synology and UGREEN sell convenience; a DIY build sells capability per dollar. The real cost of each once drives are in, and which suits a budget homelab.