What Is a Homelab, and How Do You Start One?

Have you seen the term “homelab” but weren’t exactly sure what it is? Well, it has a fairly broad definition, but in its simplest terms, it’s just a place where you play with computers, servers, and networking equipment. Here’s everything a homelab involves, and how you get started with your own.

A Homelab Is What You Make It

When it comes to a homelab, you’re in charge. It’s a computer lab you operate in your home. What it includes is up to you. Do you want a big homelab, or a small one? Something that’s power efficient, or power hungry? Do you want to convert an entire room into a server closet to run your homelab with dozens of devices, or just have a few small mini PCs on a shelf somewhere?

The choice is yours at the end of the day. I’ve definitely seen homelabs of all sizes. The capabilities of what you can achieve at home are truly only limited by what you want to do, how much money you want to spend, and how much time you want to devote.

Here’s What a Homelab Typically Involves

So, what physically is a homelab actually made up of? It’s typically one or more computers running various services in your house. This can be a single Raspberry Pi running Pi-Hole, or it can be a cluster of computers that are all added together in a high-availability setup with high-end networking and more.

Just like a homelab is what you make it, a homelab includes what you want it to.

An average homelab will likely include a few computers, a network switch, and a storage server of some sort. My homelab only had a single storage server (which acted as my application server) for about four years. Now, I run two storage servers, a Raspberry Pi, an application server, multiple managed switches, a patch panel, and other miscellaneous gear.

Your homelab is going to evolve and change over time, so don’t get too caught up as to what other people have compared to what you have. Just start at whatever stage you are and watch your homelab grow.

A Homelab Doesn’t Have a Super Strict Definition

The clinical definition of a homelab is a server (or servers) connected through a network to each other and other devices where you can test and try different techniques of management on them. One of the original purposes for a homelab was to learn new networking and systems administration techniques to apply at a day job.

These days, however, a homelab falls under a much looser definition. Like mentioned above, a homelab is really whatever you make of it. That means a homelab doesn’t have to be a place where you’re educating yourself for work.

In fact, I don’t work in systems administration, database management, networking, or anything of the sort. Yes, I write about it here, but mainly because it interests me. My homelab exists purely because it’s a hobby for me, and that’s all it’s ever going to be.

Don’t get caught up in what others try to define a homelab as. So long as you have some computers at home running the services you need, you have a homelab, and that’s all there is to it.

Anyone Can Homelab

Starting a homelab is simple—don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. Truthfully, you can start a homelab with just a few bucks and some Facebook Marketplace browsing. Finding an old desktop or server, or even picking up a cheap mini PC is pretty easy these days, and that’s all it takes to start a homelab.

Beelink S13 PRO

The Beelink Mini S13 Pro desktop PC is a ultra-compact computer powered by the Intel N150 processor. Shipping with 16GB of DDR4 RAM and a 500GB SSD, this micro desktop is perfect for a variety of workloads. From running simple server programs to replacing your old PC, the Beelink S13 Pro is up to the task. 

In fact, you might even have everything needed to start a homelab already at your house. One of the coolest starter homelabs I’ve seen was someone who had an old laptop that had a broken screen. They removed the entire screen, used an external display to configure it, and then had it sitting against the wall. It ran their Docker containers, and I thought it was super neat and resourceful.

Once you have a computer to use as a server, just load up some services you want to run on it and your homelabbing journey has begun! You can choose to go with a server-style OS, like Ubuntu Server, Unraid, TrueNAS, or Proxmox. Or, you can stick with tried-and-true Windows to start with. It really doesn’t matter, so long as you have a computer running the services that you need.

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I’ll be the first to admit that browsing the r/homelab subreddit can be intimidating. Lots of people have lots of money and it can seem like that’s what you need in order to homelab. That’s simply not the case.

You see, homelabs don’t require the latest and greatest technology to run. My servers are 13 years old. My 48-port network switch? It’s 11 years old. My Raspberry Pi 3B? It’s nine years old.

The fact is, you can homelab with whatever equipment you already have, or with brand-new equipment. No matter what hardware you have, no matter how old or rundown it is, you can homelab. Anyone can homelab!

Now that you know what a homelab is and how to get started, check out these 10 Docker containers I think every homelabber should be running. They’re easy to spin up and are a great place to begin your homelabbing journey.

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