CasaOS

CasaOS (now evolving into ZimaOS) is a self‑hosted operating system designed to turn any capable machine—whether an Intel/AMD PC, Raspberry Pi, or other ARM device—into a personal cloud and application hub. At its core, CasaOS exposes the Docker ecosystem through a lightweight web‑based dashboard, allowing developers to spin up, manage, and monitor containerized workloads without leaving the browser. The platform is intentionally minimalistic: it bundles a curated set of essential utilities (file manager, media server, backup tools) and offers an extensible “app store” where community‑verified Docker images can be installed with a single click.

Technical Stack & Architecture

• Runtime: CasaOS is built in Go, leveraging the concurrency model of goroutines for efficient I/O handling. The core service runs as a single binary that orchestrates Docker via the official Go SDK (github.com/docker/docker/client), ensuring tight coupling with container lifecycle events.
• Front‑end: The dashboard is a SPA written in Vue.js (v3) with TypeScript, consuming a RESTful API exposed by the Go backend. Authentication is token‑based (JWT) and integrates with Docker’s own user management where applicable.
• Data Persistence: Configuration is stored in a lightweight SQLite database located under /etc/casaos/config.db. Docker volumes are mapped to user‑defined paths, allowing persistent storage across restarts. Optional integration with PostgreSQL or MySQL is available via environment variables for advanced use cases.
• Container Management: CasaOS relies on Docker Engine (or Podman in container‑friendly modes) for image pulling, building, and runtime. It supports Docker Compose files for multi‑service deployments, exposing a simplified UI to convert docker-compose.yml into CasaOS “apps”.

Core Capabilities & APIs

• App Store SDK: Developers can publish their Docker images to the CasaOS app store by providing a casaos.yaml manifest. The platform automatically generates UI tiles, handles versioning, and manages update checks.
• REST API: Endpoints for listing containers, inspecting logs, restarting services, and managing storage quotas. The API is documented with OpenAPI 3.0 and can be consumed by custom tooling or CI/CD pipelines.
• CLI Tool (casaos-cli): A command‑line interface that mirrors the web API, enabling scripted deployments and remote management via SSH or Ansible.
• Webhooks & Events: CasaOS emits JSON payloads on container start/stop, backup completions, and file‑system changes. Third‑party services can subscribe via a simple webhook endpoint.

Deployment & Infrastructure

• Self‑Hosting Requirements: Minimum 2 GB RAM, 20 GB SSD for the base OS plus Docker storage. CPU can be ARM or x86; CasaOS supports Raspberry Pi 4, ODROID, and standard PCs. It can run inside a virtual machine or as a bare‑metal installation.
• Containerization: The entire CasaOS stack can be containerized itself, simplifying updates. A pre‑built Docker image (casaos/casaos:latest) is available, and the system can be deployed on Kubernetes via Helm charts for multi‑node setups.
• Scalability: Horizontal scaling is achieved by running multiple CasaOS instances behind a reverse proxy (Traefik or Nginx) and sharing a common Docker data volume. The dashboard supports multi‑tenant access, making it suitable for small teams or home labs.

Integration & Extensibility

• Plugin System: Developers can write Go plugins that register new API routes or UI components. The plugin loader watches a /plugins directory and hot‑reloads modules on change.
• Custom App Templates: The app store supports templated Dockerfiles, allowing developers to pre‑configure environment variables and volumes. Community scripts can be added via GitHub Actions that push new images to the store automatically.
• Webhooks & Automation: CasaOS can trigger external scripts on events, enabling integration with home automation platforms (Home Assistant), CI/CD pipelines (GitHub Actions), or monitoring tools (Prometheus).

Developer Experience

• Configuration: All settings are exposed through environment variables or the web UI, with sane defaults that work out‑of‑the‑box. The casaos.yaml manifest is straightforward, encouraging rapid iteration.
• Documentation: The official repo hosts a comprehensive developer guide, API reference, and contributor handbook. Community discussions on Discord and GitHub provide quick support.
• Community & Licensing: MIT‑licensed, CasaOS has an active contributor base (~15 core contributors) and a growing ecosystem of over 50 community‑verified apps. The open‑source nature ensures transparency and rapid feature feedback.

Use Cases

1. Home Media Server: Spin up Plex or Jellyfin with a single click, manage storage across multiple drives, and expose the server via secure HTTPS.
2. Personal Cloud: Replace SaaS services by installing Nextcloud, Syncthing, or Seafile; synchronize files across devices with zero external traffic.
3. Development Sandbox: Use CasaOS to host local services (MongoDB, Redis, Node.js) for rapid prototyping; expose a REST API to external CI tools.
4. Edge Computing: Deploy on an IoT gateway (Raspberry Pi) to run lightweight containers for sensor data aggregation, with remote monitoring through the dashboard.

Advantages

• **Performance &