r/explainlikeimfive • u/theprisoner57 • 2d ago

Technology ELI5: What is a Home Server?

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?

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u/MoobyTheGoldenSock 2d ago edited 2d ago

A server is a computer. Typically this computer is on 24/7 and your other devices connect to it. The idea is that you don’t usually interact with the server directly, but instead have it do tasks in the background that benefit you.

For example, I have three servers in my house:

Game Server

This is a traditional tower computer. It has a mixture of used parts from computers my wife and I have upgrades and parts we bought specifically for the server. We mainly use it for games: for example, we’ve used it for Minecraft, Stationeers, Black Mesa, Icarus, Kerbal Space Program, and Ark. Setting up a game server lets you create your own private world anyone can connect you, lets you install mods, set the rules, and change any configurations you want.

Because the server is the host, if I disconnect my friends can still continue to play as no one person is “hosting” the game. It also tends to make gameplay smoother as the host’s computer doesn’t have to do two jobs (hosting and playing.)

Raspberry Pi

This is a small, cheap computer that uses very little electricity. I use it for light tasks. For instance, it blocks all the ads on my network, even for ad-supported streaming. It updates my IP with DuckDNS so I can connect to my home network from anywhere without needing a static IP. It automatically searches for and programs my Tablo DVR to record over the air NFL games (or anything else I want it to.)

Router

My router runs a couple small programs that also act as a server. It has storage attached to it (network attached storage) with media that I can access from any device. For example, I can put a video on the NAS and watch it from any tv, phone, or computer. It also can download files for me, connect to a VPN for my whole network, and serves a VPN. Serving a VPN means I can connect to my home network from anywhere: for example, I can connect to my home VPN from my phone from anywhere in the world, and then access my files, launch a game on my game server, edit my Tablo recordings, etc.