🧠 Building My Unraid Homelab

Over the past few years, I’ve built a powerful and flexible homelab using Unraid. This self-hosted environment allows me to develop, test, and deploy various projects in a safe and efficient setup. It's become a critical tool for learning, experimentation, and daily development work.

🔧 What’s Inside?

My Unraid server acts as the central hub for everything. Here's a breakdown of the key components:

• Unraid OS: Acts as the base, giving me access to Docker, VMs, and easy disk management.
• Virtual Machines:
  • Ubuntu Server – Hosts web apps, APIs, and automation tools.
  • Windows Server 2016 – Used for learning Active Directory and Windows administration.
  • Windows 11 – Used for testing desktop applications and services.
• Docker Containers: Running services like:
  • NGINX for reverse proxy
  • MariaDB for databases
  • PostgreSQL for databases
  • Jellyfin, Radarr, Sonarr for media management
  • Custom-built APIs for my personal and client projects

🔒 Secured with Cloudflare Tunnel

One of the best parts of this setup: zero open ports. All external access routes through a secure Cloudflare Tunnel, keeping my services protected and private.

🛠 Use Cases

I use my homelab to:

• Host production and staging environments for my websites
• Test new backend services before deployment
• Learn sysadmin practices like backups, automation, and monitoring
• Simulate real-world IT environments with isolated VMs

✅ Final Thoughts

Running a homelab with Unraid has made me a better developer and system administrator. It's one of the best hands-on learning tools out there—and it’s fully under my control.

Have questions about setting up your own? Feel free to reach out!