HomelabOS

HomelabOS is a self-hosted platform that helps you deploy and manage a large catalog of services on your own servers. It focuses on reproducible setup, security defaults, and keeping services usable on a local network even when the internet is unavailable.

Key Features

• Curated “app store” catalog for deploying 100+ self-hosted services
• Automated provisioning and configuration using Ansible
• Container-based service deployment (Docker)
• Built-in backup and restore workflows using restic
• Optional S3-compatible backup targets (for example via MinIO)
• Security-oriented defaults for common homelab deployments
• Optional Tor hidden service configuration for exposing apps without port forwarding
• Optional Terraform workflow to deploy a bastion/reverse-proxy host

Use Cases

• Quickly stand up a homelab with common apps (chat, file sync, media, home automation)
• Create a more private alternative to multiple SaaS subscriptions under one admin workflow
• Run LAN-first services that continue working during internet outages

Limitations and Considerations

• App availability, updates, and configuration options depend on the maintained catalog/roles
• Managing many containers and backups can require planning for storage and system resources

HomelabOS is best suited for homelab operators who want an opinionated, automated way to deploy many services consistently. It combines infrastructure automation with a large app catalog to reduce ongoing maintenance overhead.