Self-Hosted Main

VMware on one, runs Ubuntu (and then docker) and various appliances. Xpenology on the other. Xpenology also runs Docker for more OOTB containerized apps.

I tried Unraid - left due to annoyance of losing server function when I had to take drive arrays down and only scrubbing on demand

Went to True Nas scale for the promise of ZFS and liked it, but had issues with the interface and getting GPU passthrough to containers was impossible.

Ended up ditching my large server case (still have it - anyone need a large 12 drive 3U case with a big threadripper and bunch of ram - hit me up) and switched to a NUC running ubuntu with portainer managing my dockers on it and all my data stored on a Synology NAS.

Proxmox cluster for containers,alerts.etc

Openmediavault for my NAS

I use Fedora.
Why not Promox or unraid or any of those? Because I didn't see a personal benefit to it over Linux+libvirt+qemu (I'm sure there is a benefit, I just don't care enough to find out) Why not Arch/Debian/Ubuntu/etc? Because I partially use it as a way to learn or practice things from work and I want to stick as close to RHEL as possible.

FreeBSD with its jails

Clean Debian + Docker w/ portainer, without installing anything extra on it. SOLID.

• Device support is great for older enterprise stuff

• Stable as it goes.

• Easy to find solution for problems you may come across due high userbase.

unRAID is fantastic. I used to use it as a monolith server, now it acts as my NAS.

I currently run a Kubernetes cluster on a handful of Ubuntu server nodes.

Currently running 1 server. Ubuntu, with docker because I'm not doing a ton, but I don't want to have to take down my pi-hole if I need to reboot jellyfin. etc.

I use a mix of truenas, debian, and proxmox

I use Debian stable just because I'm so familiar with Linux

I have only ever used UnRaid, so I can't speak to the differences between server options. But I love UnRaid!

I am not very experienced in using text-based command terminals, so having a GUI is very helpful for me. In the past, I've tried to really understand the Linux terminal, making reference sheets for all the commands and writing down file paths, but in the end, I just spend way too much time trying to remember/ figure out how to do something that would only take clicking an icon. (I'm not here to argue the merits of terminal vs GUI. I understand the power of the terminal and still occasionally use it when necessary).

I originally started using UnRaid because of the Linus Tech Tips video, where they made 2 gaming PCs in one computer. I really wanted to do that too for my partner and I to game together. I mainly wanted to do that for the cool factor, but ultimately, it was cheaper to buy all the parts for one PC and just get a second GPU and an UnRaid license than it was to buy everything for 2 PCs.

UnRaid's built-in Docker and VM support is amazing! The Community Applications plugin has also made Docker Containers a breeze! People make pre-configured apps that only take minimal setup on my side to get running (mostly setting the file path for save folders). I've never made much luck with Docker itself on other OSs, but now I run Plex, Home Assistant, Blender, Cura Slicer, photo backup, minecraft server, etc. All only took a few clicks and setting file paths, and then they are up and running!

The ability to quickly spin up VMs in UnRaid and choose how many resources you want to give it (CPU cores, RAM, passing through USB or any PCIe device) has been amazing! It is really making it easier for me to learn Linux since I can easily access Windows or Linux as VMs and easily give GPU access to either if I need to. I guess it's like having all the benefits of bare metal installs and VMs.

UnRaid also has a terminal for more advanced users. Really, it seems anything is possible with some of the stuff I've read about people doing. And I never imagined I could build two gaming PCs into one!

Used Unraid for many years and moved to TrueNAS Scale, mainly due to lack of raid performance and bitrot.

Really happy with TrueNAS Scale and specially K8s.

Proxmox, truenas

I don't have much of a homeserver, its more of an experiment - but I have Fedora IoT as hypervisor OS running a Open Media Vault guest and another Fedora IoT VM for container services.

I'm a big fan of Fedora's Ostree setup, and have used Silverblue on the desktop for a while now, so IoT makes a lot of sense for me.