A new Proxmox homelab owner asks what to learn next
The writer says they built their first homelab on a Dell PowerEdge R720 running Proxmox. They currently run Plex, Pi-hole, Nextcloud, an Ubuntu VM, pfSense, and a managed switch. Their storage uses a 1TB SSD plus two 4TB HDDs in a ZFS mirror. They ask whether to focus next on Kubernetes, Docker, Ansible, Grafana and Prometheus, backups, LDAP, or SSO.
Key points
- The writer has a stable Proxmox homelab running several personal services.
- They use an SSD for the host and VM work, plus two HDDs in a ZFS mirror for storage.
- They are considering Docker, Kubernetes, Ansible, monitoring, backups, LDAP, and SSO.
- They want skills that transfer beyond this one setup.
- They are not asking for random apps to install.
Quick term guide
- Nextcloud
- A self-hosted cloud storage program you install on your own server to sync and share files across devices.
- Ubuntu VM
- A separate Ubuntu Linux computer running inside your Mac.
- ZFS mirror
- A storage setup that keeps the same data on two drives so one drive can fail safely.
- Kubernetes
- A powerful but complex tool for running many apps across servers.
- Prometheus
- A popular open-source tool that collects and stores numbers about how well a service is running.
- Mac mini server
- A Mac mini used as an always-on computer for files, apps, backups, or automation.
- monitoring
- Watching a system to see if it is working well or having problems.
- home server
- A personal computer setup at home used to run services or store files instead of regular daily use.