What is a Homelab?

In the simplest terms, a homelab is just a spare computer — or a collection of computers — that does something for you. It usually sits at home connected to nothing more than power and your network, and it stays on 24x7.

And just as humanity needs more and more energy to reach the next level of civilisation, once you start your homelab and it grows, you will also need more specialized hardware to run more specialized services.

Services and the software behind them

When these computers, or that one computer, do something for you, it is called providing a service. And the way they provide a service is through software.

Just like you use your iCloud account to back up your photos to the cloud, you can host a service that does that for you in your own home. Just like you pay for Google Drive, Dropbox, iCloud+, or OneDrive, you could run a service on your own computer that does the same thing for you, at home. Any service that is being provided by a software business can technically be provided by your homelab instead. It just needs the appropriate software.

Self-hosting

This software is written by some very good people in their spare time, most of the time for free, and sometimes it is on par with a similar offering from a multi-billion-dollar corporation. Downloading, installing and running this software on your own homelab is called self-hosting, because you host the software on your own computers, which then provide you the service.

And since you manage your own infrastructure — your homelab — you are in control of everything, the good and the bad.

The bad: since you are now the one hosting it, you are the one who maintains it. If other people come to rely on your homelab, they will call you for support when something breaks. It is literally called self-hosting, and by definition it is decentralized, so there is no support desk but you. That makes for a steep learning curve, especially for someone who is not very familiar with technology.

The good: you are now in control of your data entirely. You set how many backups happen, when, and how frequently. You decide which hardware to buy, and when. With this great power also comes great responsibility — but the payoff is very good too.

Why Homelab Central

There are plenty of videos, blogs, and internet articles that explain things and help you when you need it. But they are very much scattered all across. So I am starting Homelab Central to be your source for all things homelab — from hardware, to software, to tech support. To get you started very easily, and to keep it running as smoothly as you can.

So, if you are ready to begin your journey, or are just curious about homelabbing, join the newsletter and support me here.