HomelabOS

HomelabOS is a comprehensive, self‑hosted platform that bundles over 100 privacy‑centric services into a single, easy‑to‑deploy stack. From a developer’s standpoint, it acts as both an application runtime and a management layer that abstracts the complexities of provisioning, backing up, and securing each service. The core philosophy is “take back control of your data” – every component runs on infrastructure you own, and the system exposes a unified API surface for configuration, monitoring, and automation.

Key Features

• Unified Service Catalog – A curated list of ready‑to‑run containers (e.g., Nextcloud, Rocket.Chat, Plex) that can be spun up with a single command.
• Automated Backups – Nightly snapshots via restic, with optional remote targets such as MinIO or another HomelabOS instance.
• Tor & Reverse‑Proxy Integration – Automatic generation of Tor hidden services and optional Terraform‑driven bastion servers that expose HTTPS endpoints without port forwarding.
• Security‑First Defaults – Hardened container images, automated TLS issuance (Let’s Encrypt or self‑signed), and a hardened host kernel configuration shipped out of the box.

Technical Stack

HomelabOS is built around Docker Compose and Docker‑Swarm for container orchestration, but it can also run on Kubernetes via a Helm chart. The configuration layer is a combination of YAML manifests and environment variables, while the orchestration logic resides in a lightweight Go service that watches the catalog for changes. The database backend is PostgreSQL, with optional Redis caching; all data is encrypted at rest using LUKS volumes mounted by the host.

Core Capabilities

Developers can interact with HomelabOS through a RESTful API that exposes CRUD operations for services, backup schedules, and network policies. Webhooks fire on lifecycle events (e.g., service start/stop), enabling integration with CI/CD pipelines or external monitoring tools. A plugin SDK written in Go allows custom service wrappers to be added without modifying the core codebase, and a CLI exposes all API endpoints for scripted automation.

Deployment & Infrastructure

HomelabOS is designed to run on any Linux host that supports Docker, from a Raspberry Pi 4 to an enterprise‑grade server. It ships with optional Terraform modules that provision a bastion host, configure DNS records (including .onion), and set up an NGINX reverse proxy. For scaling, the Docker‑Swarm mode can be upgraded to a multi‑node cluster, and services automatically replicate across nodes based on resource constraints.

Integration & Extensibility

The platform’s extensibility is two‑fold: first, the catalog can be extended by adding new YAML descriptors that reference any OCI‑compatible image; second, developers can write Go plugins that register new API endpoints or modify the orchestration logic. Built‑in support for Prometheus metrics, Grafana dashboards, and Loki logging makes observability straightforward. Webhooks can be routed to Slack or Mattermost for real‑time alerts.

Developer Experience

HomelabOS prioritizes clear documentation and an active community on GitHub. The configuration language is declarative, reducing the cognitive load of managing hundreds of services. Error handling is consistent across the API, and verbose logging makes debugging straightforward. The project’s open‑source license (AGPLv3) encourages contribution and guarantees that improvements remain free for all users.

Use Cases

• Personal Cloud – Replace commercial SaaS with a private Nextcloud, GitLab, and mail server.
• Home Automation Hub – Run Home Assistant, Zigbee2MQTT, and MQTT brokers on a single box.
• Developer Sandbox – Spin up temporary stacks for testing new frameworks or micro‑services without provisioning cloud resources.
• Educational Labs – Provide students with a secure, isolated environment to learn DevOps and networking concepts.

Advantages

Compared to generic container stacks or cloud‑native platforms, HomelabOS offers performance (no multi‑tenant overhead), flexibility (full control over each service’s configuration), and licensing freedom (AGPLv3 guarantees perpetual free use). Its built‑in backup and Tor integration reduce operational risk, while the plugin architecture keeps it future‑proof. For developers who need a turnkey, privacy‑first, self‑hosted ecosystem, HomelabOS delivers the tooling and abstraction layers that enable rapid deployment without compromising on security or scalability.