Self-Hosted Apps Every Homelab Should Run

The best self-hosted apps for your homelab. Essential Docker containers for DNS, media, cloud storage, monitoring, and more. All free and open source.

Updated

Self-Hosted Apps Every Homelab Should Run

One of the best parts of having a homelab is running your own services. Here are the essential self-hosted apps that every homelabber should consider, organized by category.

Network & Infrastructure

Pi-hole

What it does: Network-wide ad blocker and DNS server

Why you need it: Block ads on every device on your network — phones, smart TVs, everything — without installing anything on each device.

Difficulty: Easy | RAM: 256MB | Docker: Yes

Nginx Proxy Manager

What it does: Reverse proxy with automatic SSL certificates

Why you need it: Access all your services through clean URLs (e.g., jellyfin.yourdomain.com) with HTTPS, instead of remembering IP addresses and port numbers.

Difficulty: Easy | RAM: 256MB | Docker: Yes

WireGuard (or Tailscale)

What it does: VPN to access your homelab remotely

Why you need it: Securely access your home services from anywhere without exposing them to the internet.

Difficulty: Medium (WireGuard) / Easy (Tailscale) | Docker: Yes

Uptime Kuma

What it does: Service monitoring with notifications

Why you need it: Get alerted when any of your services go down. Beautiful dashboard to see everything at a glance.

Difficulty: Easy | RAM: 256MB | Docker: Yes

Media

Jellyfin

What it does: Free media server for movies, TV, and music

Why you need it: Stream your media library to any device. The free alternative to Plex with no premium features locked behind a paywall.

Difficulty: Easy | RAM: 1–4GB | Docker: Yes

*arr Stack (Radarr, Sonarr, Prowlarr)

What it does: Automated media management and organization

Why you need it: Automatically organize, rename, and manage your movie and TV show libraries. Works with Jellyfin/Plex.

Difficulty: Medium | RAM: 512MB each | Docker: Yes

Navidrome

What it does: Self-hosted music streaming server

Why you need it: Stream your music collection from anywhere. Compatible with Subsonic apps.

Difficulty: Easy | RAM: 256MB | Docker: Yes

Cloud & Productivity

Nextcloud

What it does: Self-hosted cloud storage, calendar, contacts, and more

Why you need it: Replace Google Drive/Dropbox with your own cloud. Sync files across devices, share with others, and keep your data private.

Difficulty: Medium | RAM: 1–2GB | Docker: Yes

Vaultwarden

What it does: Self-hosted Bitwarden password manager

Why you need it: Manage all your passwords locally. Compatible with all Bitwarden apps and browser extensions.

Difficulty: Easy | RAM: 128MB | Docker: Yes

Paperless-ngx

What it does: Document management system with OCR

Why you need it: Scan, organize, and search all your documents digitally. Never lose a receipt or bill again.

Difficulty: Medium | RAM: 1GB | Docker: Yes

Home Automation

Home Assistant

What it does: Home automation platform

Why you need it: Control and automate all your smart home devices from one dashboard. Works with virtually every smart home protocol and device.

Difficulty: Medium | RAM: 1–2GB | Docker: Yes

Monitoring & Management

Portainer

What it does: Docker management web UI

Why you need it: Manage your Docker containers through a visual interface instead of the command line. Essential for beginners.

Difficulty: Easy | RAM: 256MB | Docker: Yes

Grafana + Prometheus

What it does: Metrics visualization and monitoring

Why you need it: Beautiful dashboards showing CPU, RAM, disk, and network usage across all your servers.

Difficulty: Medium | RAM: 512MB each | Docker: Yes

Heimdall or Homepage

What it does: Application dashboard

Why you need it: A single page with links to all your self-hosted services. Your homelab's homepage.

Difficulty: Easy | RAM: 128MB | Docker: Yes

Starter Stack Recommendations

The Essentials (5 containers, ~2GB RAM)

  1. Pi-hole
  2. Portainer
  3. Nginx Proxy Manager
  4. Uptime Kuma
  5. Homepage

The Media Server (add ~4GB RAM)

  1. Jellyfin
  2. Radarr + Sonarr + Prowlarr

The Full Stack (add ~4GB RAM)

  1. Nextcloud
  2. Vaultwarden
  3. Home Assistant
  4. Grafana + Prometheus

Tips for Getting Started

  1. Use Docker Compose: Define your entire stack in one YAML file. Easy to backup, restore, and replicate.
  2. Start with 2–3 containers: Don't try to deploy everything at once. Get comfortable, then add more.
  3. Join the communities: r/selfhosted, the app-specific Discord servers, and YouTube channels are invaluable.
  4. Back up your data: Docker volumes contain your config and data. Back them up regularly.
  5. Use Portainer: It makes Docker management visual and beginner-friendly.

Bottom Line

You don't need to run all of these. Start with Pi-hole and Portainer, then add services as you need them. The beauty of self-hosting is choosing exactly what you want to run. Every app on this list is free and open source.