Original: https://blog.cohix.network/a-modern-homelab-for-2023/
My view on the modern home lab for 2023
I have been running a home lab for about 5 years, starting with a Raspberry Pi trying out Linux. It has evolved into something very useful, and the latest iteration is what I am interested in sharing.
I affectionately call this setup ROSE23, where ROSE stands for “Residential Orchestration, Storage, and Entertainment,” which is the 2023 iteration. My last major update was in 2020, so I called it ROSE20. As I mentioned before, the hardware has recently been updated, with a dedicated QNAP NAS replaced by a Thunderbolt SSD enclosure.
Aside from hardware, the biggest change in my 2023 home lab setup is the complete adoption of Tailscale as a secure network layer connecting all components and running the entry node in the DigitalOcean TOR1 region. Running Tailscale on all nodes allows me to securely add this high-bandwidth entry point with a static IP (which makes some things much easier) while maintaining the security of the nodes running inside my home and providing an efficient exit node to protect internet traffic when I am away from home.
Main Components
My home lab includes a Raspberry Pi, Philips Hue Hub, OWC Thunderbolt enclosure, NetGear Ethernet switch, and Mac mini.
Let’s get into the setup, which consists of several main parts: Mac mini M1 running Plex and NextCloud (Dockerized) along with the TimeMachine backup target. Connected to the OWC ThunderBay mini 4 SSD enclosure. RAID-4 with 4x2TB drives, total available capacity of 6TB. Deployed as a Tailscale exit node DigitalOcean droplet running NGINX reverse proxy in the TOR1 region of DigitalOcean deployed as a Tailscale exit node Raspberry Pi 4b running HomeAssistant OS connected via Ethernet for network access (and for smart home control with the Philips Hue bridge). I have ordered a SkyConnect dongle to add a thread border router for future smart home additions. Ubiquiti Unifi Dream Machine bridged to Bell ISP optical modem connected to a NetGear 8-port unmanaged Ethernet switch, then connected to all the components mentioned above. Personal devices, including iPhone 15 Pro, Apple Watch Ultra 2, iPad Pro (M2), MacBook Pro (M1 Pro), and a work laptop. My wife also has a MacBook Air (M1), an iPhone 11, an iPad Pro (M1), and an Apple Watch.
Yes, we are deep in the Apple ecosystem, and I think if we look straight ahead, we can’t see the blue sky, but it has integrated well, and I really have no complaints serious enough to make me want to change. I will also fully admit that the above points do not have any economic efficiency. You could achieve many of the same functions with a set of devices that cost half (or even less), but since all of this runs very well, I also can’t find myself complaining about the relatively high prices.
You will also notice that it sits on a