My Raspberry Pi Homelab: From Zero to Self-Hosted

I’ve been running a Raspberry Pi homelab for years now. What started as a way to host my personal website turned into a full-fledged home server that handles media, downloads, ad-blocking, and more.

This is the story of what I’ve built—and what’s still on the todo list.

The Beginning

It started simple: I wanted a place to host my website. A cheap Raspberry Pi connected to my home internet seemed like the perfect solution. No monthly hosting fees, full control, and a great learning experience.

That was years ago. Here’s what the journey looked like.

What I’ve Built (So Far)

Here’s my progress on the Pi—a mix of completed projects and things I’m still working on:

Completed ✅

• VNC Remote Control – Control the Pi with a graphical desktop from anywhere
• SSH & FTP – Command-line access and file transfers over the network
• Website Hosting – Running Apache to serve my personal site
• Plex Media Storage – Movies and TV shows served to my TV
• Pi-hole Ad Blocker – Network-wide ad blocking at the DNS level
• DDNS Setup – Accessible from anywhere using a memorable domain
• Chromecast Alternative – Stream content to my TV using RaspiCast
• Kali Linux – Bootable penetration testing OS on micro-SD

Still on the Todo List 📋

• Buy a domain name and properly host the site
• Steam Link – Stream games from my laptop to the TV via the Pi
• Docker – Learn containerization
• Personal VPN – Secure browsing from anywhere
• Bluetooth Audio – Wireless headphones connected to the Pi
• Free Proxy – Change my location virtually
• Magic Mirror – Smart display with weather, calendar, news
• Retro Gaming – Old Atari/NES emulation
• Home Security Camera – Motion detection and recording
• Mail Server – Self-hosted email (ambitious, I know)
• Relay Control – Smart home automation via GPIO pins

The Stack

Here’s what actually runs on my Pi:

Key Configurations

Dynamic DNS

Since my home IP changes, I use freemyip.com to keep things accessible:

curl "https://freemyip.com/update?token=YOUR_TOKEN&domain=yourname.freemyip.com"

Set up as a cron job to update every 20 minutes.

Port Forwarding

I forward specific ports on my router to access services externally:

• 80/443 – Web server
• 8112 – Deluge (torrent client)
• 32400 – Plex
• 7878 – Radarr

Storage

An external HDD mounts automatically at boot via /etc/fstab. This holds all my media and downloads.

Pi-hole: The Game Changer

The single most useful thing I installed was Pi-hole. It blocks ads network-wide—every device on my Wi-Fi benefits. No browser extensions needed, works on phones and smart TVs.

Access the admin panel at http://pi.hole/admin or via your Pi’s IP address.

Lessons Learned

1. Static IP is crucial – Set it in your router or via dhcpcd.conf so services stay reachable.

2. Cron jobs are lifesavers – Auto-updates, DDNS refresh, backup scripts—everything runs on autopilot now.

3. External storage pays off – SD cards have limited write cycles. Keep media and downloads on an external drive.

4. Backup everything – Docker containers, config files, cron jobs. When something breaks (and it will), you’ll want a copy.

5. Security matters – Don’t expose more than necessary. Use strong passwords, keep software updated, consider a VPN instead of opening ports.

What’s Next

The todo list is long, but that’s the point. Docker is the next big learning hurdle. After that, a proper VPN so I can access everything securely from outside the home.

The beauty of a homelab is there’s always something new to try.

What’s on your homelab todo list? Drop a comment below—I’d love to hear what projects you’re working on.