Homelab Builds

Practical homelab builds for infrastructure engineers. This is where enterprise skills meet kit you can actually afford. Guides cover mini PC clusters, refurbished Dell and HPE servers, Proxmox hypervisor setups, network segmentation with VLANs, and the power and cooling tradeoffs that matter when you run 24/7 at home. Every build documented here has either sat in a production rack or a real spare bedroom. No theoretical gear lists, no affiliate filler. If you want to learn Kubernetes on a £120 refurbished OptiPlex or run a dozen self-hosted services on a Pi cluster, start here. The homelab is a professional development environment, and this is how we treat it.

Close-up of a Linux penguin sticker placed on a blue ice cube tray with frozen cubes.

systemctl Commands: Start, Stop & Manage Linux Services (With Real Examples)

Linux Fundamentals /

Real terminal output, captured live – not a mock-up. Service Management for Junior Sysadmins The Command You’ll Use More Than Any Other In my first week as a junior sysadmin, I probably ran systemctl status about fifty times a day. Application not responding? Check the service. Website down? Check the service. Database timing out? You […]

systemctl Commands: Start, Stop & Manage Linux Services (With Real Examples) Read More »

Close-up of colorful text on a computer screen, showcasing cybersecurity concepts.

30 Linux Commands That Get You Hired: The Interview Cheat Sheet

Homelab Builds, Linux Fundamentals /

Real terminal output, captured live – not a mock-up. Why This Matters for Your Career I’ve sat on both sides of the technical interview table. As a candidate, I’ve fumbled through command-line questions that should have been easy. As a hiring manager, I’ve watched promising candidates crash and burn because they couldn’t navigate a filesystem

30 Linux Commands That Get You Hired: The Interview Cheat Sheet Read More »

In-Place Upgrade to Proxmox Backup Server 4.0 (Homelab Edition)

Proxmox Projects /

If your homelab matters, your backups matter more. Proxmox Backup Server (PBS) 4.0 is out now on Debian 13 “Trixie”, with a Linux 6.14 kernel and ZFS 2.3.3. Headline upgrades include native S3-compatible object storage, live RAIDZ expansion, and automatic sync on mount for removable datastores. Below is a straightforward, no-subscription in-place upgrade from PBS

In-Place Upgrade to Proxmox Backup Server 4.0 (Homelab Edition) Read More »

Homelab Essential Services (2026): Build Your Full Stack

Free Resources, Homelab Builds, Self-Hosted & Open Source /

This isn’t just a hobby. This is how you build the skills to run production-grade infrastructure — from your garage, spare room, or Raspberry Pi. From the homelab: I run over 30 self-hosted services across my homelab. These are the ones I consider essential — the services that would be the first I redeploy if

Homelab Essential Services (2026): Build Your Full Stack Read More »

Compact mini PC with customizable digital display glowing in blue on a dark desk setup.

Raspberry Pi vs Mini PC for Homelab (Power Draw + Real Use)

Low Power Servers, NAS & Storage, Proxmox Projects, Raspberry Pi Projects, Self-Hosted & Open Source /

Raspberry Pi or mini PC for a homelab? It is a question I get asked weekly, and the answer is more “both, for different things” than people expect. I have run both for years. The Pi handles lightweight services where low power and a small footprint matter. The mini PC runs everything else: virtualisation, databases,

Raspberry Pi vs Mini PC for Homelab (Power Draw + Real Use) Read More »

Getting Started with a Homelab: Buy, Build, or Rent?

Homelab Builds, Self-Hosted & Open Source /

If you’re getting started with a homelab, you’re likely asking yourself: should I buy new hardware, build a setup from used gear, or rent cloud servers like Linode or DigitalOcean? This guide will help you compare all three paths so you can choose the best fit for your learning goals, budget, and career growth. Homelabs

Getting Started with a Homelab: Buy, Build, or Rent? Read More »

Scroll to Top