Homelab
A self-hosted homelab for testing infrastructure patterns, validating architecture decisions, and running practical workloads in a controlled environment.
Problem space
I need a safe environment to test infrastructure and platform ideas before using them in production-like contexts. Reading documentation is useful, but it does not replace practical validation under real operational conditions.
Without a homelab, experimentation is slower, riskier, and often disconnected from day-to-day engineering decisions.
This setup went through many iterations over the years, with two main shifts: moving from hacky hardware to a more defined Intel NUC-based system, and later moving from ESXi to Proxmox.
What I wanted to achieve
The goal is to maintain a reliable sandbox for architecture and operations work:
- test deployment and upgrade paths,
- validate monitoring and recovery procedures,
- experiment with networking, storage, and orchestration patterns,
- keep a realistic setup for learning and troubleshooting.
Approach
The platform evolved in clear stages:
- it started on Raspberry Pi,
- then moved to an ESXi-based setup on Intel NUC,
- and later fully migrated from ESXi to Proxmox (still on Intel NUC) after licensing changes.
Since switching to Proxmox, it has been a significantly better fit for my needs.
I treat the homelab as an engineering system, not as a one-off environment: changes are documented, automation is preferred, and improvements are introduced incrementally.
Status
Current status: active and continuously evolving. It runs my VM workloads, hosts key services (including home automation requirements), and supports infrastructure research with near production-grade operating expectations.