The Power of Creating a Homelab

You don't need a rack full of servers or a dedicated room to start your homelab journey. That old office computer sitting in your closet? That's all you need to begin.

Start Small, Learn Big

The beauty of a homelab is that it doesn't have to be complicated. A small form factor office PC, a mini PC, or even a Raspberry Pi can serve as your entry point. Leave it running, connect it to your network, and suddenly you have a platform to experiment with real-world IT concepts.

The goal isn't to build something impressive—it's to build something that teaches you.

What Can You Learn?

Setting Up a File Share

One of the first things you can do is set up a simple file share. Whether it's Samba for cross-platform access or NFS for Linux systems, you'll learn:

How network shares work
User permissions and access control
How devices discover services on a network

It sounds basic, but understanding file sharing at this level gives you insight into how enterprise storage solutions work.

Securing Your Network

Once you have something running, you'll naturally start thinking about security. How do I keep this safe from the internet? This leads you down the path of learning:

Firewall rules and port management
VPNs for secure remote access
Network segmentation
The importance of updates and patches

These aren't abstract concepts anymore—they're practical skills you're applying to protect your own data.

Hosting Your Own Applications

Want to take it further? Host an application. It could be:

A media server like Plex or Jellyfin
A password manager like Vaultwarden
A personal dashboard like Homepage
Your own website or blog

Each application teaches you something new about deployment, configuration, and maintenance.

Why It Matters

Working in IT or development, it's easy to only interact with systems that are already set up. Someone else configured the servers. Someone else manages the network. A homelab puts you in the driver's seat.

You break things. You fix them. You learn why certain practices exist because you've experienced the alternative.

My Setup

I practice what I preach. My homelab started with an old PC I built before upgrading to my current rig. Instead of letting it collect dust, I set it up in my small office and just let it run.

Is it the most elegant solution? Probably not. But it works, and that's the point.

Here's what I'm running:

Dashboard: I started with Homarr but switched to Glance—it's cleaner and lighter for what I need
File sharing: Set up with user access management so everyone gets their own space, with a shared folder for collaboration
VPN: Configured through my router so I can access everything remotely without exposing services to the internet
Security: Password authentication is disabled—SSH key only
Containers: Docker for running services, managed through Portainer instead of the CLI

I even ran UVDesk—a full ticketing system—when I was helping friends and family with IT. Having a real ticket queue for "my printer won't work" requests was overkill, but it taught me how support systems function under the hood.

I tried Plex for a while but honestly didn't get much use out of it. And that's fine. A homelab should serve your needs, not check boxes on someone else's list.

The hardware isn't impressive. The setup isn't complicated. But I've learned more from maintaining this single machine than I did from any tutorial.

Getting Started

Here's my advice: don't overthink it.

Find any computer you're not using
Install a Linux distribution (Ubuntu Server is beginner-friendly)
Pick one project and see it through
Document what you learn

That's it. You don't need to buy anything new. You don't need a grand plan. Just start.

Final Thoughts

A homelab is one of the best investments you can make in your technical growth—and it doesn't have to cost a thing. The skills you build translate directly to professional environments, and the confidence you gain from managing your own infrastructure is invaluable.

So dust off that old computer. Your homelab is waiting.