Homelab software free. A homelab is a personal computing environment that mimics enterprise-level setups, allowing individuals to explore various technologies, software and configurations in a controlled setting. Includes tips for networking, sysadmin, and data science paths. There are a few good monitoring software options for home servers. These will span everything from hardware, to software, applications and other technologies in between. My questions are: What cameras do you guys use? Is there a good free/open DVR software to spin up on a VM that will simply allow me to save/view motion activated footage from a mapped network drive attached to my NAS? Welcome to your friendly /r/homelab, where techies and sysadmin from everywhere are welcome to share their labs, projects, builds, etc. Apr 22, 2025 · My top picks for home lab management tools to streamline containers, virtual machines, and networks for efficient service hosting. Oct 15, 2024 · Homelab is a server that resides locally in one's home to host several applications and virtualized Tagged with tooling, productivity, opensource, github. May 16, 2023 · Let’s take a look at 7 of the best home lab server tools in 2023. Apr 25, 2024 · Apps, Containers, Docker, Guide, Homelab, Homeserver, Self Hosting, Software - April 25, 2024 7 Apps for your Homelab in 2024 If you are running a homelab or home server setup, this post is intended for you! If you are anything like me, you always look for something new to run in your lab. Many enthusiasts working in the tech sector as system admins or similar roles create and maintain a homelab technology sandpit. Different ideas for different projects. Sure This is my entire homelab documentation files. Have I got the software for you! Shinobi is the solution! Simple setup! Ninja easy! Sexy interface? Check. HTML version (recommended), Markdown version (legacy). A beginner's guide to setting up your first homelab. It's just a convenient place to aggregate them. Virtualization and Containerization. Its /etc/hosts file is the golden copy of name -> IP mappings, and that file gets sync'd to other systems in the homelab. A place to share, discuss, discover, assist with, gain assistance for, and critique self-hosted alternatives to our favorite web apps, web services, and online tools. The free license is more than enough for any homelab user. Observables, such as IP and email addresses, URLs, domain names, files or hashes, can be analyzed one by one or in bulk mode using a Web interface. proxmox. Nov 4, 2024 · Choosing the Right Apps: It’s essential to choose the right applications tailored to the purpose of your homelab. - ChristianLempa/homelab Nov 27, 2024 · Using software options like TrueNAS or Unraid can meet more intensive storage requirements than entry-level NAS devices. Get inspired to embark on your own home lab adventure. Just pick free edition of commercial software. We would like to show you a description here but the site won’t allow us. So get organized and keep all your applications, services and bookmarks in one central location. Thank you all in advance. What AV for Homelab (Windows 10/11, Windows Server 2019/22 and Linux) with central management ? Free or low pricing only. Welcome to your friendly /r/homelab, where techies and sysadmin from everywhere are welcome to share their labs, projects, builds, etc. By using the right software tools, you can gain insights into resource usage, network traffic, and potential issues. I have a mix of Linux (Debian, Ubuntu) and Windows (WS2016) VM's running in my lab. nzbhydra2 NZBHydra 2 is a meta search for newznab indexers and Apr 19, 2022 · Do you find yourself on a Self Hosted rampage and quickly losing yourself within the collection of applications you've amassed? These self hosted dashboards can help you get organized and become the central brain of your Homelab. Hey everyone, happy Saturday! Just curious what services everyone runs in their homelab? Feel free to list ALL the services!… A categorized community-driven collection of awesome homelab resources, tools, frameworks and software. com, and chime in on what hypervisor has been your trusty partner in your home lab adventures. Running a VOIP/SIP homelab with 3CX (free) PBX 2020-12-05 15:25:00 Just yesterday, a lucrative dumpster dive netted me two brandnew IP desk phones, very spiffy Grandstream GPX2130 models. Discover tools for AI, Analytics, Authentication, Automation, Backup, Bookmarking, Calendar Oct 26, 2019 · A concise list of the latest and greatest homelab friendly software you should be running. Non-Free software is listed on the Non-Free page. Must-Explore GitHub Repositories GitHub hosts numerous open-source projects that can enhance your homelab. CLI Tools - brew install kubernetes-cli helm The free software presented here is a sketch for the Arduino or equivalent IDE. Analysts can also automate these operations thanks to the Cortex REST API. lidarr Sonarr but for Music. Submit App. Learn how to define goals, choose hardware (Raspberry Pi, NUC, used servers), select software (Proxmox, Docker), set up basic networking, and start small. May 16, 2025 · Let’s say you’ve put together a reliable home lab that’s armed to the teeth with your favorite virtual machines and containers. A different take on listicle of homelab — related blogs, security, pen-testing and much more Steadfast self-hosting book — a quirky take on how Welcome to your friendly /r/homelab, where techies and sysadmin from everywhere are welcome to share their labs, projects, builds, etc. A Homelab can give you an enjoyable, low-stress, practical way to learn technology. Just wondering what kind of issues you faced with Hyper-V? Welcome to your friendly /r/homelab, where techies and sysadmin from everywhere are welcome to share their labs, projects, builds, etc. Easy setup? Yep. Apr 17, 2024 · duplicati Free backup software to store encrypted backups online jackett Jackett provides API Support for your favorite torrent trackers. Jan 31, 2025 · Heimdall and Dashy may be the more prominent dashboard tools in the home lab ecosystem, but Homepage provides the most customization options for tinkerers who want to organize their self-hosted Welcome to your friendly /r/homelab, where techies and sysadmin from everywhere are welcome to share their labs, projects, builds, etc. Project Management made easy! Monday dot com: https://bit. A virtual home lab offers an ideal, cost-effective way to sharpen your skills, whether you’re studying for certifications, transitioning careers, or simply looking to Awesome Homelab: Curating Top Open Source Apps for Homelab Enthusiasts. This is part 1 of a multi-part series. You can’t test your Group Policy Objects (GPO) or System Center software deployments without this one crucial piece of software. Sep 1, 2023 · There are various software options you can use for different purposes within your home lab. A free personal financial-accounting software, licensed under GNU/GPL and available for Linux, Windows, Mac OS X. I like sophos. Gain Hands-On Experience: Build practical IT skills like virtualization, server management, and network configuration. From rare disease cures to innovative biomaterials, our dynamic space empowers visionary founders with access to university resources, funding, mentorship, and world-class R&D facilities. Recommendations for homelab software for VOIP/SIP study : r/homelab r/homelab Current search is within r/homelab Remove r/homelab filter and expand search to all of Reddit Nov 4, 2023 · Discover the power of hands-on learning with a budget-friendly tech homelab setup. Another option is Zabbix, which is a highly scalable Dive into the journey of building a homelab server, from choosing cost-effective hardware to selecting the perfect OS and containerized services. See full list on thesysadminschool. One of my favorite is Nagios Core, which is an open-source network monitoring system. In the following list of virtualization software, including other software I use, I wanted to list out the apps, tools, and solutions that I have found useful and beneficial in the lab environment. You need shared storage to set up features like Failover Clustering. ly/4iMXbi0Following up on my previous HomeLab tour, I'm taking you on a deep dive into the applicat May 8, 2023 · Monitoring your homelab is crucial for ensuring its performance, stability, and security. Mar 11, 2025 · I have this software setup on a Raspberry Pi 4 plugged directly into the printer. It is built on its own operating system and offers protection tools to secure your home lab network. - khuedoan/homelab Nov 13, 2024 · Proxmox is great for tinkerers, but there are several other useful operating systems in the home lab space Jun 17, 2024 · Testing and Experimentation: With a homelab, you can freely test new software, configurations, and setups before deploying them in a live environment. If you ask me, it's overkill to roll out fully-fledged opensourse solution for modest home lab. Learn about my go-to productivity apps and essential gadgets. I got a pi-hole as my DNS server for the network in High-Availability. Aug 25, 2023 · A HomeLab is essentially a sandbox environment at your home where you can experiment, build, and manage IT projects as if you were in a real-world data center. mylar An automated Comic Book manager nzbget Efficient Usenet downloader. It is aimed at carrying out the communication between ESP8266 microcontroller and HomeLab-pH module. Jan 11, 2024 · Homelab enthusiasts, explore the software and hardware that fuel my workflow. It also contains names/IPs for some systems outside of the homelab network, but in our home network, but it isn't considered the authority on those. Production-ready platform for agentic workflow development. I like to try and maybe use splunk indefinteley on my home lab. Explore hardware options, networking, and innovation in this comprehensive guide. . Here are some repositories worth checking out: Awesome homelab — a curated collection of different homelab related software offerings. PTZ? Uh-huh! Seriously though, Shinobi is awesome. Mar 27, 2023 · A homelab naturally needs some software and this is my list. The aim is to help technical readers understand their options and make […] Aug 11, 2023 · This is the perfect candidate for starting a homelab as it’s free, so if you decide homelabbing is not for you, no problem! If you use an old laptop, you have the bonus of the built in battery acting as a UPS (uninterruptible power supply), although depending on age, you may want to consider replacing it before it becomes a “spicy pillow”. Jul 12, 2023 · Sophos Firewall Home Edition is a fully functional security appliance designed specifically for home users. Feel free to check our no-commitment free trial and see if it suits your needs. Operating Systems: Linux: Linux distributions like Ubuntu Server, CentOS, Debian, or Fedora are popular choices for home servers due to their stability and flexibility. Mar 19, 2025 · Step 1: Understand your options. Dec 27, 2024 · It offers a slick interface and an app store where you can one-click install tools like Nextcloud, Home Assistant, or Jellyfin, making it perfect for beginners or anyone wanting a “plug-and-play” homelab experience. It’s your playground for creating a mini-version of large-scale deployments, perfect for learning, testing, and even providing services for personal use or to a small community. In this post, I document my own homelab setup, highlighting network architecture, VLAN segmentation, virtualization, and self-hosted applications like Proxmox, TrueNAS, Home Assistant, AdGuard Home, Grafana, and Prometheus. Dec 15, 2024 · Below is a comprehensive blog post followed by a large comparison table. You can also integrate with Ceph for a software-defined storage cluster or use a local ZFS storage array for enhanced data integrity. Hi all, I'm finding myself waisting a lot of time rebuilding stuff in my homelab whenever I break something so I was wondering if you know of any free backup solutions I can setup to create incremental backups of my VMs, if it also support also docker containers that would be a plus but not a requirement. Step 3: Sign up for and take your certification exam – don’t miss the great study resources available through VMware {code} Step Dec 30, 2024 · Unlike your typical desktop OS, home server operating systems are infamous for their steep learning curves, convoluted UIs, and countless terminal commands… which isn’t entirely true. Homelabs are often used for testing new software, learning network Jul 21, 2022 · Home Lab virtualization software I use Ok, on to the reason you most likely are reading this blog post – the home lab virtualization software I use. Feb 17, 2025 · Feel free to share your experiences on WindowsForum. Any suggestions for a free monitoring tool to keep tabs on the performance of these two servers? Something that offers SMTP email alerts would be a preferred feature. Absolutely indispensable for me and probably wouldn't continue running Kubernetes in my homelab without it. If you run a homelab, check out my recommended software tools every homelaber should know about!#1 Proxmoxhttps://www. homelab) submitted 4 hours ago by Outrageous_Platform8 I don't have the money to build a homelab so what are some software based projects I can do for free beginner to intermediate level May 29, 2025 · Compare 8 top homelab firewalls: pfSense, OPNsense, FortiGate, Firewalla & more. Step 2: Sign up for VMUG Advantage to qualify for VCF, get discounted rates on certifications, & enable multi-year extensions. I use Hyper-V and VMware in my homelab and recently got a new cluster with KVM + oVirt + Gluster for testing. 1. It allows you to validate designs, troubleshoot issues, and evaluate the performance and compatibility of different solutions. See how they compare for performance, cost, and features. It’s not perfect, but it works for me. 118 votes, 100 comments. They use this homelab to learn new technologies, train for certification exams Apr 29, 2021 · You may have lots of reasons for what you run your lab but there is an always growing list of new things to try in your Homelab or server. In my early years as a budding software engineer in the 1990s, I would often take home expired or junked office computers Jul 29, 2012 · Scenario You have a home lab set up so you can experiment with the latest and greatest software and technology. Essentially turning my dumb 3D printer smart. The table will cover popular categories of infrastructure and services, presenting a range of self-hosted open source solutions alongside managed or paid cloud services (with notes on free tiers where applicable). Is there such a thing like free license or home license? Enterprise trial is for 60 days and does not seem to fit my needs. Person/Motion/Object detection? Yes, with the caveat that you really should use a GPU for it. If I don't already have a video for one o May 22, 2025 · Build the ultimate homelab with essential Docker applications. The homelab, a computing space previously reserved for the closet or garage, is now beginning to be a larger part of people’s homes and small offices. It’s like an online homelab that lets you experiment with brand new technologies for virtually free! By setting up virtual homelabs in your own home, you can simulate a business environment without breaking things and avoid costly mistakes from messing around in production systems. With HomeLabHub CMDB, you can standardize the management of all of the software, settings, and applications within your lab using an automated and easy-to-use cloud-based solution that is accessible from anywhere and takes just seconds to set up. Downloads are accessible once student status is verified, even if the Apr 14, 2025 · A virtual lab is a must-have for any VMware IT professional looking to stay ahead of the curve. Feb 22, 2025 · My Homelab Diagram in 2025 After spending time on r/selfhosted, I was inspired by how people design their homelabs based on their unique needs and available hardware. Hitting google as well, just didnt know if there were popular suggestions out there. This Dec 29, 2023 · The homelab movement crosses paths with self-hosting (running software services for your own use), but they are not the same thing. You can have a homelab not dedicated to self-hosting services. Here you'll find notes, setups, and configurations for infrastructure, applications, networking, and more. This post walks through my current setup Welcome to your friendly /r/homelab, where techies and sysadmin from everywhere are welcome to share their labs, projects, builds, etc. Fully automated homelab from empty disk to running services with a single command. See Contributing. Jan 31, 2025 · After seeing my HomeLab Hardware tour, many of you asked what I am self-hosting in it… Well, here are all of the services and software I am running in my HomeLab in 2025! Welcome to your friendly /r/homelab, where techies and sysadmin from everywhere are welcome to share their labs, projects, builds, etc. The free software presented here is a sketch for the Arduino or equivalent IDE. Hardware vs software pros, specs & use cases for 2025. Free Private Self-Hosted App Store Over 100 Services Replace Gmail, Slack, Google Drive, Netflix, and much more with your own self-hosted services! Jan 18, 2025 · Before you get started, here's a short list of software tools you'll want to install on your Windows PC to make things easier in your home lab. And it's free, but it does nag you once a week to support them until you do Oct 10, 2024 · Building the perfect homelab involves a balance between your technical needs, budget, and the purpose of the lab itself. More than 150 million people use GitHub to discover, fork, and contribute to over 420 million projects. Jun 2, 2025 · On the other hand, VMware Workstation only offers a 30-day free trial, so, ESXi is usually the preferred choice for users on a budget. ESXi is a nice solution. No homelab is complete without a virtualized Windows client. xyz, homelab, and dawarich. # Homelab Software Free Microsoft Licenses for Students Microsoft Azure for Students (formerly Imagine/DreamSpark) Students enrolled in secondary and post-secondary education are eligible for free licenses for all editions of Windows Server and some other software such as SQL Server through Microsoft Azure for Students. A homelab will also help you find out the technical areas in which you are interested. Simple to use, effective, you can use their AV for free and connect with the FW for better stats. doc Any suggestions out there for software loadbalancers? I had been using the free Kemp load master but accidentally deleted it, now it refuses to let me activate a free license. User-friendly AI Interface (Supports Ollama, OpenAI API, ) There is an optional, end-to-end encrypted, free backup cloud service. Sep 24, 2023 · Windows 11. Setup a homelab in a single command (Cross Platform) Cortex, an open source and free software, has been created by TheHive Project for this very purpose. Dec 4, 2022 · Walkthrough for getting VMWare vSphere ESXi 8 and vCenter 8 running on your homelab using the 60 day free evaluation license. Because studying for my upcoming Ansible exam isn't much fun (OMG two weeks!!), procrastination struck! Let's add VOIP to my simulated company Broehaha in my homelab! Until this weekend I had zero experience Welcome to your friendly /r/homelab, where techies and sysadmin from everywhere are welcome to share their labs, projects, builds, etc. I’ve used them for non server versions of windows without issue. This is a list of Free Software network services and web applications which can be hosted on your own server (s). You could be using VMware ESXi, Hyper-V or another hypervisor for your lab, but they don’t come with shared storage built-in. That is why we are encouraging all VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) or VMware vSphere Foundation (VVF) certified professionals to download your free, personal use VMware vSphere Standard for your virtual lab. May 29, 2023 · Hi, could not find anything on the website. Discover how to start small, scale smartly, and create a tech playground that grows with you. That's the Jun 2, 2025 · Considering Proxmox vs ESXi for your homelab? 🖥️ Discover key differences, features, and recovery options for an optimized, cost-effective setup! Welcome to your friendly /r/homelab, where techies and sysadmin from everywhere are welcome to share their labs, projects, builds, etc. It has a wide range of features, including host and service monitoring, alerting, and reporting. Setting up camera monitoring and video recording is a simple as plugging in a webcam. Dashboards range from simple start pages to more complex super Jul 5, 2025 · I tested Proxmox, VMware, Hyper-V, XCP-ng, and VirtualBox in my 2025 home lab. minio Minio is an S3 storage utility. But considering the experimental nature of home servers, it Welcome to your friendly /r/homelab, where techies and sysadmin from everywhere are welcome to share their labs, projects, builds, etc. Prepare for Certifications: Practice scenarios for exams like CompTIA, Cisco Dec 29, 2024 · Help What are some projects I can do for free (self. It also has a great community support to help with any questions or issues that may arise. If it can also monitor network traffic for Jun 21, 2023 · Explore the top 5 home lab server backup solutions, from free to open source options, 3-2-1 strategy, NFR licenses, secure offsite backups Feb 8, 2025 · Because Proxmox is free to use, you don’t have to juggle licensing fees or worry about feature restrictions. When I look online for security cameras, they all seem to come with either a DVR appliance, or try to push you into cloud hosting. Those are the essentials for your homelab Windows environment! For a homelab just buy a license from one of those grey market cdkey places like vip-scdkey . Checkout this quick list of 10 apps that you can try out and see if you can get some new functionality for free through self hosting. Dec 5, 2024 · 2. Jul 26, 2024 · It's free for personal use and will help you better understand Kubernetes and well as easily maintain your cluster. In this blog post, we’ll explore the best software for monitoring your homelab, helping you make informed decisions and maintain a healthy environment. Luckily, you don’t have to spend … I have a PowerVault and PowerEdge servers running in my Homelab for storage and virtualization needs. Dec 18, 2023 · Recommendations for getting started with the right software on a homelab. Can anyone recommend some free, preferably web based (internal, not cloud based) monitoring software? Either to run from a VM or I also have a Pi or two lying around. You could always run each one for a month or so and test it out. Get up and running with OpenAI gpt-oss, DeepSeek-R1, Gemma 3 and other models. Are you aiming for media hosting, virtualization, networking, development, or security? Understanding your goals will guide your software selection as you build your unique environment. It’s a fantastic platform if you want to keep everything in a single management console. Warp - The best terminal for Mac, Linux, and now Windows. Typically, VMware homelab is run on Linux OS, but if you have a Windows system to use, you can run homelab using Workstation and VMware Player – VMware Player is available for free, but with limited features. GitHub is where people build software. After all, whether you're testing out Windows 11 updates or experimenting with new security patches, the right virtualization platform makes all the difference in creating a seamless, efficient, and . com/en/#2 Dockerhttps://www. The essentials to build, run and deploy your own homelab. Writing is for everyone. This allow control of all aspects of 3D printing including, uploading gcodes, printing, monitoring, and much more. Let’s end this list with getting into the client. Awesome Selfhosted is a Github repository where you can find a list of Free Software, network services and web applications which can be hosted on your own server. Here's a list of software commonly used in home server and home lab environments: 1. Apr 26, 2025 · I’ve been slowly piecing together a homelab using old laptops, a few servers, and a bunch of open source tools. This enables you to have your config backed up off-site, and to sync data between multiple instances easily. Best For: Intermediate users who are searching for a budget server that can also serve as a NAS. Oct 12, 2024 · Homelab is a server that resides locally in one's home to host several applications and virtualized systems for testing, developing, home or functional usage. Depending on your needs and certifications there are different options to your free Home Lab Licenses. This is just a suggestion as you're looking for an RMM tool, please feel free to check our Pulseway RMM, which comes with unlimited remote control, intuitive user interface, definable auto-remediation workflows, patch management for OS and third-party apps, and more. I got my homelab setup with a proxmox host and Sophos XG firewall VM running on the host serving as a firewall for my entire network. com Which are the best open-source Homelab projects? This list will help you: glance, dashy, ProxmoxVE, beszel, netboot. I'm doing some basic upgrade process validation before tackling the production vdi environment at work. This is a great opportunity to … Continued Welcome to your friendly /r/homelab, where techies and sysadmin from everywhere are welcome to share their labs, projects, builds, etc. Streamline media, secure your files, and create a personalized digital space. May 13, 2024 · Building The Perfect Home Lab Server A dive into the software side of homelabs not a member don’t worry (click here) others please continue In the quest to build the ultimate home lab server … Jan 25, 2025 · Why Set Up a Home Lab? A home lab provides an isolated environment where you can: Learn and Experiment: Test new operating systems, software, and networking setups without risking production systems. A list of Free Software network services and web applications which can be hosted on your own servers - awesome-selfhosted/awesome-selfhosted Nov 5, 2018 · One of the best ways to learn about systems, applications, and technology is by starting a homelab. HomeLab at UC San Diego's Center for Novel Therapeutics: The West Coast's largest biotech accelerator fostering over 50 startups annually in life sciences. This lesson explains why a network home lab is a good investment and all components required to build your own lab. Curating Top Open Source Apps for Homelab Enthusiasts. Dec 9, 2024 · In the battle between Amazon Web Services and Google Cloud, a quiet contender is silently encroaching on the battlefield. However, it also is an excellent choice as a router/firewall for your home lab environment. More than 4 camera streams at once? You got it. tzfr lxnppcvz tmytu mfn etkyexi hxmf ptnqa kgudjql duplovw semm