Homelab

Welcome to my homelab! 🏡

This is where I experiment, learn, and run various services that help me grow as a DevOps Engineer and recently MLOps Engineer. My homelab serves as a testing ground for new technologies and a platform for self-hosted solutions.

💻 Hardware Infrastructure

Compute Resources

  • Main Server: Intel Core Ultra 5 235T, 64GB RAM, 512GB NVMe SSD
  • Secondary Nodes: No secondary nodes
  • Virtualization: Proxmox
  • Container Runtime: Docker & Kubernetes (K3s)

Networking Equipment

  • Router: Raspberry Pi 4B with OpenWrt
  • Switch: TP-Link Switch 8 Port (TL-SG108E)
  • Access Points: None
  • Network Storage (NAS): Old laptop running TrueNAS (2 x 1TB HDD mirror mode)

Storage

  • Total Capacity: ~ 1500 GB
  • Configuration: SSD/HDD mix
  • Backup Strategy: 1 copy of data on NAS, 1 copy on external hard drive

⚙️ Software & Services

Infrastructure Management

  • Container Orchestration: Kubernetes cluster (K3s)
  • Infrastructure as Code: Terraform, Ansible
  • CI/CD: Jenkins
  • Version Control: GitHub

Monitoring & Observability

  • Metrics: Prometheus + Grafana
  • Logging: No logging setup as of now
  • Alerting: Working on AlertManager setup
  • Network Monitoring: WatchYourLAN

Self-Hosted Applications

  • Media Server: Jellyfin
  • Camera: Frigate
  • Games: RetroAssembly
  • Automation: n8n
  • Document Manager: Paperless-ngx
  • Vibe-coded apps: stash (self-hosted purchase wishlist), email-analyzer (self-hosted email analysis tool)
  • DNS: AdGuard Home
  • VPN: Tailscale
  • Other: Portainer, IT-Tools, ReactiveResume, BentoPDF and Glance

Development & Learning

  • Database Playground: MongoDB
  • API Gateway: Traefik
  • AWS Playground: Localstack
  • ML Playground: JupyterHub

📈 Network Architecture

Internet → ISP Router → TP Link Switch
                               ├── VLAN 1: Management  → Gaming PC
                               └── VLAN 2: HomeLab Network → OpenWrt Router
                                                                    ├── Proxmox
                                                                    └── NAS

TP Link Switch
        ├── Port 0: Vlan 1: WAN from ISP Router
        ├── Port 1: Vlan 1: Gaming PC
        ├── Port 2: Vlan 1: OpenWrt Router (eth0)
        ├── Port 3: Vlan 2: OpenWrt Router (eth1)
        ├── Port 4: Vlan 2: Proxmox
        └── Port 5: Vlan 2: NAS

Security Measures

  • Network segmentation via VLANs
  • Firewall rules and DMZ setup
  • Tailscale VPN for remote access
  • Regular security updates and patching
  • Fail2ban for intrusion prevention

🚀 Current Projects

  • Learning Kubernetes
  • Learning MLOps hands-on
  • Building observability stack from scratch for AI models

💡 Why Homelab?

Running a homelab gives me:

  • Hands-on Experience: Practical experience with enterprise technologies
  • Learning Platform: Safe environment to break things and learn
  • Self-Sufficiency: Control over my data and services
  • Cost Savings: Self-hosted alternatives to cloud services
  • Fun & Experimentation: Endless opportunities to tinker and improve

🔧 Maintenance & Uptime

  • Backup Schedule: Work in progress….
  • Monitoring: 24/7 monitoring
  • Current Uptime: Work in progress….

🔥 Challenges & Lessons Learned

  • Power Management: Dealing with power outages, UPS setup
  • Documentation: Importance of documenting everything

Want to start your own homelab? Feel free to reach out! I’m happy to share my experiences and help you get started.

Last Updated: January 2026