Imagine running your entire digital life—storage, smart home controls, media streaming, and more—on a single, tiny computer. Sounds too good to be true, right? But that’s exactly what I’ve been doing with my Proxmox mini PC, and it’s been a game-changer. Let me walk you through how this setup has transformed the way I manage my data and services, all while breaking free from the cloud’s grip.
Here’s the kicker: it’s not as complicated as it sounds. In fact, it’s surprisingly accessible, even for beginners. And this is the part most people miss—you don’t need a supercomputer or a fortune to get started. Let’s dive in.
The Cloud Conundrum and the Rise of Self-Hosting
In today’s digital age, we’re all tethered to cloud services in one way or another. Remember the AWS outage a few weeks ago? It left countless people unable to work, highlighting just how reliant we’ve become on these platforms. But here’s where it gets controversial: What if I told you that much of this dependence can be replaced by self-hosted solutions running on your own hardware? That’s exactly what I set out to do a few months ago, and the results have been eye-opening.
My journey began with a simple goal: replace cloud storage with a home lab. Fast forward to today, and it’s become an indispensable part of my daily life. All of this runs on a single, compact device—an Asus NUC Pro 14—that packs enough punch to handle everything I throw at it.
Proxmox: The Heart of My Home Lab
At the core of my setup is Proxmox, a lightweight yet powerful virtual environment. It’s the unsung hero that allows me to run multiple services seamlessly. Proxmox supports both full virtual machines (VMs) and Linux containers (LXCs), giving me flexibility without sacrificing performance.
My setup includes just three main services:
- TrueNAS: A VM that acts as my central storage hub.
- Home Assistant: Another VM that controls my smart home devices, freeing me from the need for cloud-based apps.
- Jellyfin: An LXC container that streams my media library with hardware transcoding enabled by assigning a GPU.
And this is the part most people miss: Setting this up was surprisingly straightforward. I even migrated my existing Home Assistant setup into a VM without losing any configurations. Sure, there were a few tweaks needed, but the core functionality remained intact. Proxmox’s community scripts made deploying Jellyfin a breeze, and mapping storage to TrueNAS ensured my media library stayed intact during the transition.
TrueNAS: Where the Magic Happens
While Proxmox is the backbone, TrueNAS is where most of my services live. Right now, I’m running eight essential services on it, including:
- Nextcloud: My go-to cloud storage for documents, synced across devices.
- Immich: A secure home for my photos and videos, replacing Google Photos.
- OnlyOffice: A web-based document editor integrated with Nextcloud.
- Tailscale: For secure remote access to my services.
- Nginx Proxy Manager: Simplifies access with custom URLs instead of IP addresses.
But here’s where it gets controversial: Why rely on Google Drive or OneDrive when you can host your own files? Nextcloud and Immich have become absolutely essential to my workflow, giving me full control over my data without monthly subscriptions. Plus, TrueNAS lets me organize data into datasets and back them up to Backblaze B2, a cost-effective solution that gives me peace of mind.
Tiny but Mighty: The Power of a Mini PC
All of this runs on a single Asus NUC Pro 14, a mini PC with a laptop processor and no discrete GPU. Despite its size, it handles everything with ease, and CPU usage remains impressively low. Here’s the thought-provoking question: Do you really need a high-end machine to achieve this? The answer is no. Even an older, discounted model would suffice, and you can always upgrade RAM or storage later.
Why I Love My Home Lab
Setting up this home lab has been nothing short of life-changing. It’s not an exaggeration—having all my important data on a server I own, with fast access and no recurring fees, has simplified my life. Yes, there’s a learning curve, and you’ll need to ask for help along the way. But the payoff is worth it. And this is the part most people miss: It doesn’t have to be expensive or complicated. With a bit of time and curiosity, anyone can do it.
Now, I want to hear from you: Would you consider setting up a home lab to reduce your reliance on the cloud? Or do you think the convenience of cloud services outweighs the benefits of self-hosting? Let’s discuss in the comments!
