Hello! I’m new to self hosting and networking stuff. I do use only Linux and have experience with Debian, Ubuntu, Mint, and have settled with Fedora and Bazzite on KDE on the home computers/laptops.
I got a GMKtec NucBox G9 Mini PC Intel® Twin Lake N150 recently and wireless keyboard with touchpad, installed Fedora Kiinoite on it and have so far only added VacuumTube. I don’t have much experience with the terminal and I’m not sure what step to do next or how.
What I want to do is set up an Arrstack, and I know I need to put Docker and maybe Portainer? I have no experience with Docker though. I also want to put some basic things I and others can access remotely like a shopping list program, photo backups, period tracker, and DnD software. But I’m very afraid of exposing the server to the internet and it being hacked or such. I know there’s something called Tailscale but I’m not sure if that’s what I need. And I don’t know what order I’m supposed to put any of this.
I’ve tried searching the internet for guides but haven’t really found anything except one that’s for Yunohost and it’s not really self hosting because they set it up on a cloud. All advice is appreciated. Thank you!
edit: I wanted to add I also want to use this as a htpc and it’s connected to the TV, so that’s why I want a GUI mostly - because it makes it easier to control from the couch
Nobody is addressing tailscale so far, so I’ll throw my two cents in: I have tailscale on my phone and my laptop, and I have a bunch of stuff running at home, and they all act like they’re on the same network as long as I’m logged in. There are a lot of alternatives out there, but I find it quite useful. I have immich for my pictures and pihole for ad blocking using docker. The basic docker tutorials are worth following. All I really use is docker ps, docker image docker compose up (-d), docker pull. Nano to edit the yaml files I find online. Unhacked so far!
So is Tailscale the first thing I should set up next? or do I figure out the Arr stack and other software first and then set up Tailscale?
If tailscale is your preferred method to access your network from outside your home it’s one of the most important parts of your setup, in terms of both security and functionality.
Luckily, overlay VPNs like tailscale are pretty easy to set up without glaring security problems, but you definitely want to triple-check you aren’t messing things up. The thing is, you don’t know what you don’t know, so you might not realize if you make a mistake. But like I said, it’s pretty hard with those types of setups.
To actually answer your question though, I recommend you get one or two containers working locally and then figure out how to access them from your tailnet before you dive in and set up your entire stack. Docker adds another layer of complexity when it comes to accessing things so I recommend you get it right and then deploy and test each container individually.
Don’t set up 10 containers and then try to see if they all work, go steadily and deliberately, checking to make sure each works, and then snapshot your functional setup before you start using it heavily.
Don’t forget to plan for backups and updates.
thank you! I’ll try to set up a shopping list program first then to test it. If anyone has any to recommend, I’m willing to hear suggestions!
You mentioned immich somewhere, I think that’s a good one to set up. Don’t throw your entire life’s photo album at it at first, but it’s really good to test a variety of functions and transfer speeds.
Oh yeah… And TAKE NOTES about your setup. Like, for each container, make notes of how you set it up and why. Trust me this is REALLY important for maintaining your stuff. If you go down a rabbit hole for two days and find a couple forum threads that lead you to how you need to modify the configs for your use case, a year from now you will have forgotten everything.
Document, document, document.
I don’t actually use the arr stack, but if you set up Tailscale it won’t hurt anything else by being set up. I just know that it’s pretty straightforward to use, so I thought I’d throw in a good word for it.