0de82e55b6
Changes: - Removed entire Method 2 section (Docker labels with dummy containers) - Simplified to focus only on Method 1 (File Provider) as recommended approach - Updated Quick Start section with cleaner step-by-step instructions - Removed resource consumption warnings (no longer relevant) - Updated AI Management section to remove Docker labels references - Maintained all advanced configuration examples (WebSocket, HTTPS backend, IP whitelist) - Kept all troubleshooting, security best practices, and complete example The guide now focuses exclusively on the recommended YAML file approach, which is simpler, more reliable, and doesn't consume unnecessary resources.
AI-Homelab Documentation
Welcome to the AI-Homelab documentation! This is your comprehensive guide to deploying and managing a production-ready homelab infrastructure with 50+ pre-configured services.
Mission Statement
Provide a fast, convenient, and free way to deploy homelab servers with popular features
- DuckDNS subdomains with LetsEncrypt SSL wildcard certificates
- Security First - Secure Single Sign On with Authelia
- Traefik - Proxy Host for an entire homelab
- Sablier - Lazy Loading of services
- TLS Certificates for docker proxy
Deployment Scenarios
-
Single server
Select Option 1
- Use Dockge to start the desired stacks
- Use Homepage to explore your services
-
Core Server + Remote Server
Core Server
- A small low power device, like a Raspberry Pi 4 4GB.
- Deploy core stack. (Authelia, DuckDNS, Traefik, Sablier, Homepage)
- Functions as a gateway between the internet and your servers.
- Configure a remote host file for each Remote Server.
- Configure sablier.yml for services to lazyload.
- Generate TLS certificate, all servers use the same TLS certificate for dockerproxy
Remote Server(s)
- Your old office or gaming PC, SBCs, second hand PCs, etc
- Select Option 3 to install Infrastructure only
- Ensure the TLS certificate was copied correctly and docker daemon configured
- Use Dockge to start the desired stacks
- Use Homepage to explore your services
📚 Documentation Structure
🚀 Getting Started
- Quick Start Guide - Step-by-step setup for new users
- Prerequisites & Requirements - What you need before starting
- First Deployment - Automated setup process
🏗️ Architecture & Design
- System Architecture - High-level overview of components
- Network Architecture - How services communicate
- Security Model - Authentication, SSL, and access control
- Storage Strategy - Data persistence and organization
💾 Backup & Recovery
- Backup Strategy - Comprehensive Restic + Backrest guide (default strategy)
- Backrest Service - Web UI for backup management
📦 Services & Stacks
Core Infrastructure (Deploy First)
Essential services that everything else depends on:
- DuckDNS - Dynamic DNS updates
- Traefik - Reverse proxy & SSL termination
- Authelia - Single Sign-On authentication
- Gluetun - VPN client for secure downloads
- Sablier - Lazy loading service for on-demand containers
Management & Monitoring
- Dockge - Primary stack management UI
- Homepage - Service dashboard (AI-configurable)
- Homarr - Alternative modern dashboard
- Dozzle - Real-time log viewer
- Glances - System monitoring
- Pi-hole - DNS & ad blocking
Media Services
- Jellyfin - Open-source media streaming
- Plex - Popular media server (alternative)
- qBittorrent - Torrent client (VPN-routed)
- Calibre-Web - Ebook reader & server
Media Management (Arr Stack)
- Sonarr - TV show automation
- Radarr - Movie automation
- Prowlarr - Indexer management
- Readarr - Ebook/audiobook automation
- Lidarr - Music library management
- Bazarr - Subtitle automation
- Jellyseerr - Media request interface
Home Automation
- Home Assistant - Smart home platform
- Node-RED - Flow-based programming
- Zigbee2MQTT - Zigbee device integration
- ESPHome - ESP device firmware
- TasmoAdmin - Tasmota device management
- MotionEye - Video surveillance
Productivity & Collaboration
- Nextcloud - Self-hosted cloud storage
- Gitea - Git service (GitHub alternative)
- BookStack - Documentation/wiki platform
- WordPress - Blog/CMS platform
- MediaWiki - Wiki platform
- DokuWiki - Simple wiki
- Excalidraw - Collaborative drawing
Development Tools
- Code Server - VS Code in the browser
- GitLab - Complete DevOps platform
- Jupyter - Interactive computing
- pgAdmin - PostgreSQL administration
Monitoring & Observability
- Grafana - Metrics visualization
- Prometheus - Metrics collection
- Uptime Kuma - Uptime monitoring
- Loki - Log aggregation
- Promtail - Log shipping
- Node Exporter - System metrics
- cAdvisor - Container metrics
Utilities & Tools
- Backrest - Backup management (Restic-based, default)
- Duplicati - Alternative backup solution
- FreshRSS - RSS feed reader
- Wallabag - Read-it-later service
- Watchtower - Automatic updates
- Vaultwarden - Password manager
Alternative Services
Services that provide alternatives to the defaults:
🛠️ Development & Operations
Docker & Container Management
- Docker Guidelines - Complete service management guide
- Service Creation - How to add new services
- Service Modification - Updating existing services
- Resource Limits - CPU/memory management
- Troubleshooting - Common issues & fixes
External Service Integration
- Proxying External Hosts - Route non-Docker services through Traefik
- External Host Examples - Raspberry Pi, NAS, etc.
AI & Automation
- Copilot Instructions - AI agent guidelines for this codebase
- AI Management Capabilities - What the AI can help with
📋 Quick References
Commands & Operations
- Quick Reference - Essential commands and workflows
- Stack Management - Start/stop/restart services
- Deployment Scripts - Setup and deployment automation
Troubleshooting
- Common Issues - SSL, networking, permissions
- Service Won't Start - Debugging steps
- Traefik Routing - Route configuration issues
- VPN Problems - Gluetun troubleshooting
📖 Advanced Topics
SSL & Certificates
- Wildcard SSL Setup - How SSL certificates work
- Certificate Troubleshooting - SSL issues and fixes
- DNS Challenge Process - How domain validation works
Security & Access Control
- Authelia Configuration - SSO setup and customization
- Bypass Rules - When to skip authentication
- 2FA Setup - Two-factor authentication
Backup & Recovery
- Backup Strategies - Data protection approaches
- Service Backups - Database backup solutions
- Configuration Backup - Config file preservation
🔧 Development & Contributing
Repository Structure
- File Organization - How files are organized
- Service Documentation - Individual service guides
- Configuration Templates - Reusable configurations
- Scripts - Automation and deployment tools
Development Workflow
- Adding Services - New service integration
- Testing Changes - Validation procedures
- Resource Limits - Performance management
📚 Additional Resources
- GitHub Repository - Source code and issues
- Docker Hub - Container images
- Traefik Documentation - Official reverse proxy docs
- Authelia Documentation - SSO documentation
- DuckDNS - Dynamic DNS service
🎯 Quick Navigation
New to AI-Homelab? → Getting Started
Need to add a service? → Service Creation Guide
Having issues? → Troubleshooting
Want to contribute? → Development Workflow
🌐 Community Resources
For community-contributed examples, user experiences, and additional guides, visit the EZ-Homelab Wiki.
This documentation is maintained by AI and community contributors. Last updated: January 26, 2026