Homelab

Protecting your self-hosted services from brute-force attacks, port scanning, and malicious traffic is essential. For years, Fail2Ban has been the go-to solution for Linux system administrators. But CrowdSec has emerged as a modern alternative with collaborative threat intelligence and Docker-first design. Which one should you choose for your homelab? 💡 This article contains affiliate links. If you buy through them, we earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Learn more. In this guide, we’ll compare CrowdSec and Fail2Ban across key metrics: installation complexity, configuration flexibility, performance impact, community features, and real-world effectiveness. By the end, you’ll know exactly which intrusion prevention system fits your self-hosted infrastructure. ...

Building a Network Attached Storage (NAS) system is often the foundation of any serious homelab. Whether you’re storing family photos, running Docker containers, or serving media to multiple devices, choosing the right NAS software can make or break your experience. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll compare the three most popular NAS operating systems in 2026: TrueNAS, Unraid, and OpenMediaVault. We’ll cover installation, features, performance, and help you decide which one fits your needs. ...

You don’t need a rack server to self-host. In fact, a mini PC is the sweet spot for most homelabbers — low power consumption, silent operation, tiny footprint, and enough performance to run Proxmox with a dozen VMs and containers without breaking a sweat. I’ve tested a lot of these machines. Here are the ones actually worth buying in 2026, organized by budget. 💡 This article contains affiliate links. If you buy through them, we earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Learn more. Why a Mini PC? Before the recommendations, here’s why mini PCs beat traditional server hardware for most home setups: ...