[Software] Home Lab Starter Guide: What to Install, in What Order, and What to Skip

Quick answer: Start small. One always-on x86
computer, a clean install of Proxmox VE (if you want
virtual machines) or Debian with Docker (if you only
want containers), and two or three apps you will use every week. Set up
backups before you add anything important, and reach your lab through a
VPN instead of opening ports on your router. A good first weekend looks
like this: Saturday for the operating system, networking and a backup
plan, Sunday for your first apps. Add anything else later.

This is a planning guide, not a hands-on test. We did not build a lab
for this article. Every technical claim below comes from official
documentation (Proxmox, Docker, Debian, Home Assistant, Jellyfin, Immich
and CISA), checked on November 5, 2026. Commands and
menus change, so always follow the current official install guide when
you run them.

What is a home lab, and
who is it for?

A home lab is a computer, or a few, at home that you use to run
services and learn how they work. Common uses include:

Smart-home control with Home Assistant
A personal media server with Jellyfin
A private photo library with Immich
Network-wide tools such as DNS filtering
A place to practice skills such as Linux, networking and
containers

It suits you if you enjoy tinkering, want more control over your
data, or want hands-on practice. It does not suit you if you want
something that never needs attention. Every service you host is one you
must update and back up.

Step 1: Choose your
starting hardware

You do not need a rack. You need one reliable machine that can stay
on.

Good first choices:

A small x86 mini PC. Our guide to choosing a
mini PC for a home server covers CPUs, RAM and storage in
detail.
An old desktop or laptop you already own. A laptop even has a
built-in battery as a brief power cut backup, though a battery that has
aged is not a reliable one.

What to check:

64-bit x86 processor with virtualization support.
Proxmox lists an Intel VT or AMD-V capable CPU and motherboard for
running virtual machines on x86 hardware.
At least 16 GB of RAM if you want more than a
couple of apps. Immich alone lists a 6 GB minimum.
An SSD, not a spinning hard drive, for the system
and app data. Immich specifically recommends local SSD storage for its
database.
Wired Ethernet.

Not recommended for Proxmox: a Raspberry Pi.
Proxmox’s documentation says device-tree-only single-board computers,
such as the Raspberry Pi, are not supported. Proxmox does now list
64-bit ARM support, but only on specific server platforms and UEFI-based
ARMv9 hardware, not on a Pi. A Pi is still a fine choice for Home
Assistant, which supports Pi 4 and Pi 5 models with at least 2 GB of
RAM.

Step 2: Pick your foundation

You have two main routes, and neither is wrong.

Route	Best for	What you manage
Proxmox VE	Several isolated systems, snapshots, learning virtualization	The hypervisor, plus each VM or container
Debian + Docker	Running apps as containers on one system	One operating system plus Docker
Home Assistant OS alone	A dedicated smart-home box	Home Assistant only

Proxmox VE

Proxmox VE is a free, open-source virtualization platform. Its
installer is a complete Debian-based system with a web interface. A few
things to know from the official installation guide:

The installer can wipe the target disk, so use an
empty machine or back up first.
After installation you manage the system from a browser at your
server’s address on port 8006 using HTTPS.
The minimum requirements are modest, but Proxmox recommends at least
2 GB of RAM for the operating system and Proxmox services, plus the
memory your guests need.
If you use the ZFS file system, the documentation suggests 4 GB plus
1 GB for each terabyte of raw disk space.
The documentation discourages consumer SSDs for production use
because they lack power-loss protection. Many home labbers accept that
risk for a hobby setup, but it is why backups matter.

Debian with Docker

If you only want containers, plain Debian is a solid base. Debian 13
“Trixie” is the current stable release, and Debian’s release page lists
regular support through August 9, 2028 and long-term support through
June 30, 2030. Debian 12 “Bookworm” is now “oldstable”: its regular
support ended July 11, 2026, and long-term support runs through June 30,
2028. For a new install, start with Debian 13.

Docker’s documentation lists Debian 13 (stable) and Debian 12
(oldstable) as the supported releases for Docker Engine. It recommends
installing from Docker’s own apt repository, which includes the Docker
Compose plugin. Use the docker compose command (with a
space), because Immich’s documentation says the older
docker-compose command is deprecated and no longer
supported.

Two security notes from Docker’s documentation are worth remembering
now, not later:

Published container ports can bypass your firewall.
Docker says that if you use ufw or firewalld,
ports you publish from a container can bypass your firewall rules. Do
not assume your firewall is protecting a service just because you
enabled it.
Docker group access is powerful. Adding a user to
the docker group gives that user privileges equivalent to
root, according to Docker’s docs. Add only accounts you trust.

Home Assistant OS or
Container?

Home Assistant offers several install types. On dedicated hardware,
Home Assistant describes Home Assistant OS as its recommended
installation type for most users, and it supports apps (extra software
packages that older guides call add-ons). The Container method is for
people who already manage Docker and are comfortable without apps. You
can run Home Assistant OS inside a Proxmox virtual machine, which is a
popular way to combine the two.

Step 3: Set up your network
sensibly

You do not need advanced networking on day one, but a few habits save
trouble:

Give the server a fixed address. Either set a
static IP on the server or create a reservation in your router.
Addresses that change will break bookmarks and apps.
Use clear names. Name the machine and each service
so you remember what they are.
Do not forward ports to the internet at first.
Reach your lab from outside through a VPN you control.
Keep a list. A simple note with each service, its
address, its login location and its update method will become very
valuable in six months.

Step 4: Plan your
backups before you need them

Backups are the single thing most beginners skip. Plan them
early.

CISA’s guidance on backing up data describes the 3-2-1
rule:

3 copies of your data
2 different types of storage media
1 copy stored offsite

For a home lab, that could mean the live data on the server, a second
copy on an external USB drive, and a third copy in an encrypted cloud
storage account or at a trusted relative’s house. Two details that
people forget:

A backup you never restore is a guess. Try
restoring a file, or a whole test VM, at least once.
A backup stored on the same disk is not a backup.
If the drive fails, both copies are gone.

Proxmox also has built-in backup tools for VMs and containers, so you
can schedule them from the web interface once your storage is set
up.

Step 5: Install your first
apps

Pick two or three, not ten. These are good first choices because each
has clear official documentation.

Home Assistant

Good if you own smart-home devices. If you use a Pi, check that it is
a Pi 4 or 5 with at least 2 GB of RAM. On x86 hardware, Home Assistant’s
installation guide lists a generic x86-64 machine as supported.

Jellyfin

A free media server that lets you stream your own movies, music and
shows to phones, TVs and browsers. Jellyfin’s documentation notes that
hardware transcoding can use Intel Quick Sync or VA-API on supported
systems, and that you should use an SSD for the transcode cache. If your
media is already in formats your devices can play directly, you may not
need transcoding at all.

Immich

A self-hosted photo and video library with phone backup. Immich’s
requirements say 6 GB of RAM minimum (8 GB recommended), 2 CPU cores
minimum (4 recommended), and that Postgres should sit on local SSD
storage rather than a network share. It also says Linux is strongly
recommended over other operating systems, and that Docker inside an LXC
container is not recommended, so use a full virtual machine if you run
it under Proxmox. Immich requires docker compose.

For more ideas, see our roundup of the best
self-hosted apps for 2026.

What to skip at first

Exposing services to the internet before you
understand authentication and updates.
Running every app you read about. Each one adds
maintenance.
Clustering and high availability. Those are
interesting later projects, not first-weekend ones.

Step 6: A first-weekend plan

Saturday

Back up anything on the machine you intend to use.
Download the installer you chose (Proxmox VE or Debian) from its
official site and write it to a USB drive.
Install it, give the machine a fixed address, and confirm you can
log in from another computer.
Install updates.
Decide where your backups will live and write down the plan.

Sunday

Install your first app, ideally Home Assistant or Jellyfin.
Add a second app only if the first is working.
Set up one automatic backup and run a test restore.
Write down your service list: name, address, how to update and where
the backup goes.

Step 7: Keep it healthy

Update on a schedule. Pick a recurring time, such
as the first weekend of the month, to update the operating system and
apps.
Read release notes before major upgrades. Some
projects introduce breaking changes between major versions.
Watch disk space. Photo libraries, backups and logs
grow quietly.
Use unique passwords and a password manager. Turn
on two-factor authentication wherever the service offers it.
Remove what you stop using. Old services are old
attack surface.

Common mistakes

Mistake	Why it hurts	Better approach
Opening router ports for convenience	Exposes admin pages to the whole internet	Use a VPN
Skipping backups	One failed drive can erase everything	Follow the 3-2-1 rule
Starting with a cluster	Adds complexity without much benefit	Run one machine first
Using the wrong Docker command	Older `docker-compose` is not supported by some projects	Use `docker compose`
No notes	You forget how things were set up	Keep a short service list

FAQ

What is the
cheapest way to start a home lab?

Use a computer you already own, or a small second-hand x86 machine.
Check that it supports virtualization and has enough RAM for your first
apps.

Do I need Proxmox?

No. If you only run containers, Debian with Docker is enough. Proxmox
is useful when you want separate virtual machines, snapshots and a web
interface for managing them.

Can I use a Raspberry Pi
as a home lab?

For some tasks, yes. Home Assistant supports Pi 4 and 5. Proxmox does
not support the Raspberry Pi, and Immich’s 6 GB RAM minimum makes it a
tight fit.

Is it safe to
expose my home lab to the internet?

It is safer to avoid it at first. Use a VPN for remote access, and
learn authentication and update practices before you publish any
service.

How much electricity will it
use?

It depends on the hardware and load. Manufacturers list rated power
for chips, but that is not the same as measured wall power, so use a
plug-in power meter if you want a real number.

How often should I update?

Plan a regular schedule and read release notes first. Security
updates matter most for anything reachable from outside your
network.

Sources

All checked November 5, 2026.

By Early Adopted Editorial Team. Last updated: November 5,
2026

What is a home lab, and who is it for?

Step 1: Choose your starting hardware