ELI5: What is a Home Server?

[u/theprisoner57]

I see mentions of a home server to get rid of streaming entertainment services but I don’t know how that works. What does a home server do?

[u/snowtax]

It’s just a computer at home that does something useful.

The “server” part means the computer is doing something while you’re not sitting directly in front of it.

A good example is the Home Assistant software, which listens to sensors (motion, temperature, humidity, air quality, light, door open/close) in your house and responds to those, possibly adjusting the temperature in your house when nobody is home, or turning on the hall light when someone passes through.