How to set up a homelab: hardware, software and remote access

Write down two or three things you want it to do first. It decides everything else: a media server and file share needs disks; a lab for certifications needs memory for VMs; home automation and network-wide ad blocking run on almost anything. Start there and grow it; most homelabs that start big end up half switched off.

• What you already have. An old desktop or laptop is a fine first homelab. A laptop even has its own battery for short power cuts.
• A small mini PC. Quiet, small and usually frugal with power, which matters for something that runs all day.
• A Raspberry Pi. Good for light services that run all the time. See Raspberry Pi remote access.
• A used workstation or server. More memory slots and disk bays, and often a management controller for out-of-band access (see what IPMI is), but louder and hungrier. Rack servers are rarely the right first step.

Whatever you choose: memory is what VMs run out of first, an SSD makes everything feel faster, and a network cable to the router beats Wi-Fi for a server. Measure what it draws with a plug-in power meter before you leave it on for a year.

• A hypervisor runs several VMs and containers on one machine, each its own little server, with snapshots before you try something risky. Proxmox VE is a common free choice; ESXi and Hyper-V match what many workplaces use. Compare them in Proxmox, VMware and KVM hosts, and see the ESXi command line cheat sheet if you pick ESXi.
• Docker on a plain Linux install is lighter when you mostly run apps that come as containers. See managing Docker hosts.
• A NAS system if storage is the main job, with apps on the side. See NAS remote access.

Not sure? A hypervisor keeps your options open: you can run Docker, a NAS system and a Windows VM on it later.

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   Step 1: Give it an address that doesn't change

   In your router, reserve an address for the machine (often called a DHCP reservation), so its web page and SSH are always at the same place.

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   Step 2: Install the hypervisor or OS, then update it

   Install, apply the updates, and set the time zone. Note the admin password somewhere safe.

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   Step 3: Turn on SSH with keys

   You'll use SSH constantly. Set up key sign-in early: enable SSH and passwordless SSH with keys. For a file share, see how to set up an SFTP server.

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   Step 4: Add your first services

   One VM or container per job, so you can rebuild one without touching the others. Snapshot before every big change.

• Back up VMs and containers on a schedule, to a different disk from the one they run on.
• Keep one copy somewhere else: another machine, a disk you take out of the house, or cloud storage.
• Restore one backup now, while nothing's wrong, so you know it works.

Install RemoteAccessApp on one always-on Windows or Linux PC at home. Then, from the RemoteAccessApp Console on your laptop:

• Save the homelab's SSH, SFTP, RDP and VNC hosts, and its web pages in the Windows Console, as hosts that connect through that PC. Nothing is forwarded on your router.
• On a Proxmox server you reach over SSH, see every VM and container, start or stop them and open their consoles.
• On a Linux server, open a disk usage map to see what's filling a disk.
• Run a saved script, such as updates, on several servers at once and see each one's output.
• Remote desktop into that PC itself, and wake machines that sleep: see turn on a PC remotely.

It's free for up to 5 PCs and 5 saved hosts, on Windows and Linux. The homelab page shows how it fits together, and the maintenance night checklist keeps it healthy.