Homelab & Self-Hosting Setup

Overview

This homelab serves as a self-hosted environment for monitoring, security, and automation. It includes Raspberry Pi devices, a NAS, Docker-based services, and a WireGuard VPN for remote access. The goal is to maintain full control over data, improve security, and experiment with self-hosting solutions.

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Hardware

• Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga (4th Gen) (Hostname: Voyager)

  • OS: Ubuntu Desktop
  • Role: Portable workstation & remote access
  • CPU: Intel Core i5 (10th Gen)
  • RAM: 8GB DDR4

• Dell Optiplex 3050 SFF (Hostname: NetWarden)

  • OS: Ubuntu Server
  • Role: Primary server running Netdata, Loki, and Promtail
  • CPU: Intel Core i5-7500T
  • RAM: 16GB DDR4
  • Storage: 2TB NVMe

• Dell Precision Tower 7810 (Hostname: HomeServ)

  • OS: Ubuntu Desktop
  • Role: Main workstation
  • CPU: Dual Intel Xeon E5-2623 v3
  • RAM: 64GB DDR4
  • Storage: 2x 500GB SSD

• Raspberry Pi 4 (Hostname: SignalShieldVPN)

  • OS: Ubuntu Light
  • Role: Running Pi-hole for network-wide ad blocking
  • RAM: 4GB
  • Storage: 32GB microSD

• Raspberry Pi 4 (Hostname: HomeDJ)

  • OS: Moode Audio
  • Role: Hi-Fi music streaming
  • RAM: 4GB
  • Storage: 64GB microSD

• Netgear ReadyNAS 314 (Hostname: HomeNAS)

  • OS: Debian 8
  • Role: Storage & Plex Media Hosting
  • RAID Level: RAID 5
  • Drives: 4x 8TB HDD (Total usable: ~24TB)

• Cisco Catalyst 3560-X Series POE+

  • Role: Managed switch for VLAN and network segmentation

Software & Services

Monitoring & Logging

• Netdata → Live system monitoring
• Loki & Promtail → Centralized log aggregation

Networking & Security

• Pi-hole → Network-wide ad blocking
• WireGuard VPN → Secure remote access
• UFW & Fail2Ban → Firewall and intrusion prevention

Self-Hosting & Media

• Docker → Containerized services
• Plex (Native on NAS) → Media streaming
• Moode Audio (Raspberry Pi) → Hi-Fi music streaming

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Future Plans

• Replace all existing patch cables with Cat 6 cables to improve network speed and reliability
• Upgrade SFF system to 32GB RAM by replacing existing memory with two 16GB sticks
• Replace Raspberry Pi 4 (Pi-hole) with a Raspberry Pi 5 (8GB model) for improved performance
• Implement a Network Time Protocol (NTP) server for synchronized time across all devices
• Deploy a custom firewall for advanced network security
• Enhance monitoring with alerting and automated responses
• Set up a self-hosted cloud solution for private file storage and remote access

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Why Self-Hosting?

• Privacy & Control → No reliance on third-party cloud services
• Security → Custom firewall & VPN ensure data safety
• Learning & Experimentation → Continuous improvement in networking & automation skills

This homelab is a constantly evolving setup designed to maximize control, security, and functionality over self-hosted services. 🚀