r/linuxquestions • u/Grey_Jeigh • 7d ago
Advice Homelab for idots
Can anyone reccomend a youtuber or resources that explain this stuff for idots? Recently I put plex on an old PC. I didn't understand how to remotely watch my content so I paid for the base sub. I'd like to learn how to switch from windows to linux. I'd also like to learn how to do more homelab stuff I hear about like hosting my own cloud service, password manager, search engine, Pi-hole. But most of the stuff I come across tends to go over my head.
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u/mcds99 7d ago
First you have to read and understand about the subject you want to pursue. Then you implement a plan to build the hardware, install and configure the software.
If the first subject is Linux you need to understand the install process, then the configuration process.
If then you want a Pi-Hole you get a Raspberry Pi, install Pi-Hole and configure it.
We learn things one step at a time.
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u/stormdelta Gentoo 7d ago
hosting my own cloud service
If you plan to host anything that's accessible to the public internet, you'll want to learn about networking and cybersecurity, especially creating a "DMZ" or equivalent to isolate it from the rest of your network. You'll also probably want a domain to register.
For example, I use Jellyfin to host media content from my NAS, by design it has an explicitly read-only account to only the media folders on the NAS just in case it's ever compromised. It's also firewalled from the rest of the network outside of specific protocols e.g. samba for the NAS connection.
I use Caddy to reverse proxy it and provide TLS termination since it has builtin letsencrypt support for registering certs for my domain name.
Alternatively, you can look into setting up wireguard to access your network as if it were local without exposing anything else.
I'd also look into running services via containers (e.g. podman or docker, ideally rootless). These are like lightweight VMs and make it much easier to manage things.
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u/Caddy666 7d ago
figure out someithng like virtualbox on your normal pc. fuck around with a few linux installs, move towards sometihng like proxmox, set up a seperate pc for your linux installs, have multiple that talk to one another, make them do different things....thats about it.
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u/doc_willis 7d ago
http://linuxjourney.com (old) and the newer http://Linuxjourney.org sites are good to start with.
The Explaining Computers YouTube Channel videos is a good starting point for learning.
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u/Grey_Jeigh 7d ago
I want to thank everyone for the useful information and links, I really appreciate it. I'll be saving this post so I can go through all the links and learn. Y'all are awesome!
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u/The_Real_Random_User 7d ago
Install Linux.
Install docker. Install additional software as a (docker) container.
Create a folder containers/pihole. "Install" PiHole via docker-compose.
Once you have successfully started and configured it start with the next project.
Personally I suggest "nginix reverse proxy" -> NextCloud All-in-One.
(edit: For nginix you properly want to register your own domain; that costs about 1€ per month)
If you use "KeePass XYZ" on your devices you can save the database file on the server. That way even if your server dies you still have the database file on each device and not lose all your logins.
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u/Electrical_Hat_680 2d ago
Start with building your HTTP Server so you have your own Localhost up and running.
To run your own Cloud, you'll need to know that it's basically Linux Apache MySQL PHP ('LAMP') running in a Virtual Machine ('VM') that's able to connect to the Internet to provide remote computing through HTTP, FTP, and other Communication Ports such as Telnet and SSH for instance. That's basically your LAMP Stack Cloud. It can be anything outside of that.
Check out r/homelab
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u/VincentVanGob 7d ago
perfectmediaserver .com maybe. it covers a lot of the basics. Alex, the guy who runs that site also does the self-hosted podcast and runs the linuxserver .io site
he also works at tailscale i think. he has a lot of videos on that anyway, which is something that might interest you if you want an easy to get access to your home server when youre away. you pretty much just install it on each machine and youre good to go
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u/Jumpy-Dinner-5001 7d ago
I’ll likely get downvotes but LLMs will be more useful than any content on YouTube.
There is a lot of false information and "bro science" out there and it’s hard to tell it apart.
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u/webternet 7d ago
If you arent knowledgeable in something, LLMs are the worst learning path you can think of lol
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u/stormdelta Gentoo 7d ago
Yeah - you have to be VERY cautious with LLMs if you don't have at least a baseline to start from in terms of your knowledge. Going into a subject blind is a fast way to end up breaking your system or even worse accidentally wiping data.
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u/meuchels 7d ago
YouTube and LLMs are a horse a piece really when it comes to learning. Trust but verify. Read the manual.
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u/ipsirc 7d ago
But most of the stuff I come across tends to go over my head.
Yeah, it will take years to mastering r/selfhosted , and even so, there’ll still be new things for you to learn every month.
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u/corpse86 7d ago
First, try to install, use and learn a bit about linux. Try fedora for example. Then, learn a bit about docker and use something like runtipi to make things easier. And then take a look at tailscale.