Are you just getting into homelabbing? I’ve been doing it for nearly five years, and over that time, I’ve learned quite a lot. From learning to be satisfied with my own setup to figuring out what to self-host, here are a few key things I’ve learned from years of homelabbing to hopefully make your journey easier.
Don’t Get Jealous of Other People’s Setups — Learn From Them
When I first got into the homelab space, I watched countless hours of YouTube videos of people showing off their homelab. I saw huge server racks, multiple computers, massive storage arrays, and all the pretty lights. I had…none of that.
After watching more homelab content than most people consume in a year, I was left unhappy with my setup and wanting more. I didn’t spend any more money (as I didn’t have any more to spend on the homelab), but I was constantly thinking “If only I had this next super cool awesome thing that I don’t really need, but I really want it.”
Eventually, I figured out that I could (and should) look at other people’s setups to learn from them. I was able to watch YouTube videos and not get jealous of TechnoTim’s setup anymore. Instead, I learned from it. What software do other people run? How do they set things up? What’s the networking configuration look like for someone with a more mature homelab?
This allowed me to improve my own homelab step by step. Now, nearly five years after starting my homelab, it’s beginning to look like the setups I saw years ago. Not because I spent crazy money up front, but because I upgraded over time when I had a need instead of just a jealous desire.
The biggest benefit from this is that I actually know how to use the equipment I have instead of just saying, “Yeah, I saw this on a YouTube video and it looked cool, so I got it.” I have a fully managed network with Unifi, but I know how to use it. I have multiple servers, but I actually know how to use them well together instead of just independently.
Running a homelab is more than just having cool equipment; it’s about knowing how to use what you have, and that only comes with time and learning.
More Servers Do Not Mean More Efficiency
I always thought that having a ton of servers was the ticket to more efficiency and productivity in my homelab. So, when I had the opportunity to trade some old hardware for two more servers, I jumped at it.
At first, I was thrilled to have the new servers. I broke out my 27U server rack from the attic and instantly racked the new servers. I upgraded all of my servers to 2.5G networking, installed SSD cache drives, and I was off to the races. One server gave me 30TB more storage for my homelab, while the other acted as my virtual machine host.
Overall, I was happy with them. Until the power bills started to come in. Each of the new servers cost between $20 to $30 per month to run, which jumped my electric bill quite a bit. Not only that, but the servers output a lot of extra heat into my office, making the average temperature around 80F in the place that I work every day.
After a few months of having the new servers, I began to regret my decision. Overall, the servers were everything I dreamed of, but the costs started to outweigh the benefits.
It wasn’t all bad, however. I’ll admit that having the two new (to me) servers did help me figure out a more efficient way to run my homelab. However, the rack-mount servers I got (that I had dreamed of having for years) weren’t what I needed.
Rack-mount servers are quite capable, but old enterprise-grade units can’t hold a candle to even modern desktops. I’m glad that I didn’t spend any money on the servers I got, as now I can just sell them and move on.
I Don’t Have to Self-Host Every Service
When I got my first server, I wanted to self-host everything. If I could host it, I did host it. That worked for a while, but eventually I realized that self-hosting every service wasn’t worth the hassle.
Could I self-host my own music library? Yes, but that requires so much upkeep it’s not worth it. While I could host my own email, it was something that proved not worth the work, either. What about cloud storage? Yes, I can host my own cloud storage, but that too isn’t worth the headache for me.
I do self-host a vast majority of my services, but there are some things that I simply leave to the professionals. Apple Music, Google Drive, iCloud, and even DigitalOcean for my website virtual machines are worth it for me. With nearly 100% uptime, zero maintenance from me, and teams dedicated to keeping the services online, I just simply can’t achieve that level of reliability at home.
Are you just getting started on your homelab journey? If so, welcome to the club! Homelabbing is one of the most fun hobbies I have. Here are a handful of my favorite Docker containers that I think every homelabber should try. Use the list as a starting place to jumpstart your homelab journey today!
I’ve got a list of my favorite homelab services to self-host. Most services on the list are easy to run and provide a great return on your time investment.
