r/homelab

Community Overview
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About r/homelab

Welcome to your friendly /r/homelab, where techies and sysadmin from everywhere are welcome to share their labs, projects, builds, etc.

The community at a glance

r/homelab is a Subreddit for DevOps Engineers, Programmers, and Self-Hosters with roughly 1.1M members. It has been around since 2012. It has both a forum and a live chat communication style. On the Hive Index it ranks #1 in the Self-Hosting communities list and #4 in the DevOps communities list.

Roughly 229K members have joined in the past year. Popular discussion topics include Homelab, Server, and Nas. Common discussion themes are Solution Requests and Advice Requests. Product recommendations often mention ups, homelab, and switch.

On Reddit
Established 2012
1.1M Members

Community Topics

Community Features

Forum

This community has a forum

Chat

Only 9% of Self-Hosting communities have live chat

This community has a realtime chat

Subreddit Analysis

via GummySearch
Yearly: +229K members
Growth: +26.7% / year

Member growth over time

All time (yearly)

  • 2013: 5K members
  • 2014: 10K members
  • 2015: 12K members
  • 2016: 25K members
  • 2017: 43K members
  • 2018: 54K members
  • 2019: 94K members
  • 2020: 126K members
  • 2021: 95K members
  • 2023: 161K members
  • 2024: 115K members
  • 2025: 177K members
  • 2026: 168K members

Past year (monthly)

  • Oct: 14K members
  • Nov: 19K members
  • Dec: 18K members
  • Jan: 19K members
  • Feb: 18K members
  • Mar: 35K members
  • Apr: 18K members
  • May: 18K members
  • Jun: 18K members
  • Jul: 18K members
  • Aug: 20K members
  • Sep: 4K members

Themes

  • Solution Requests
    12 posts in the past month
    1. My machine have 2 ethernet ports, there is a way where i can pass all the network traffic through it? (Extra details in text)
    2. password locked me out while i was setting up NAS, please HELP!
    3. Alternative to Nextcloud/Seafile
    #1
    Solution Requests
    My machine have 2 ethernet ports, there is a way where i can pass all the network traffic through it? (Extra details in text) · password locked me out while i was setting up NAS, please HELP! · Alternative to Nextcloud/Seafile
    12
  • Advice Requests
    4 posts in the past month
    1. Need advice on my setup
    2. What cheap Cisco L3 Switch does everyone recommend for learning?
    3. What should I do?
    #2
    Advice Requests
    Need advice on my setup · What cheap Cisco L3 Switch does everyone recommend for learning? · What should I do?
    4
  • Ideas
    2 posts in the past month
    1. Hitron modem cooling mod
    2. Got Alexa talking to my self-hosted LLM agent — the two undocumented gotchas that made it way harder than expected
    #3
    Ideas
    Hitron modem cooling mod · Got Alexa talking to my self-hosted LLM agent — the two undocumented gotchas that made it way harder than expected
    2
  • Money Talk
    1 post in the past month
    1. Is this the worst time ever to buy a NAS-shaped mini PC?
    #4
    Money Talk
    Is this the worst time ever to buy a NAS-shaped mini PC?
    1

Topics

  • Homelab
    30 posts in the past month
    1. Starting a homelab… but first!
    2. My homelab journey started in 2011 with a synology DS 211+
    3. My very adequate homelab
    #1
    Homelab
    Starting a homelab… but first! · My homelab journey started in 2011 with a synology DS 211+ · My very adequate homelab
    30
  • Server
    17 posts in the past month
    1. Is my server dead?
    2. I Built a New Motherboard to Save My Old Server
    3. Is it worth building my own server?
    #2
    Server
    Is my server dead? · I Built a New Motherboard to Save My Old Server · Is it worth building my own server?
    17
  • Nas
    14 posts in the past month
    1. Upgrading my old HP Pro 3500 MT TrueNAS setup (SSD boot drive + RAID question)
    2. password locked me out while i was setting up NAS, please HELP!
    3. Intend to build a NAS for 1 tb external SSD
    #3
    Nas
    Upgrading my old HP Pro 3500 MT TrueNAS setup (SSD boot drive + RAID question) · password locked me out while i was setting up NAS, please HELP! · Intend to build a NAS for 1 tb external SSD
    14
  • Storage
    12 posts in the past month
    #4
    Storage
    12
  • Hardware
    9 posts in the past month
    #5
    Hardware
    9

Flair

  • Help
    54 posts in the past month
    1. My machine have 2 ethernet ports, there is a way where i can pass all the network traffic through it? (Extra details in text)
    2. Need some input on getting a rack for my mess
    3. Which UPS brand you trust the most?
    #1
    Help
    My machine have 2 ethernet ports, there is a way where i can pass all the network traffic through it? (Extra details in text) · Need some input on getting a rack for my mess · Which UPS brand you trust the most?
    54
  • Project Showcase: Hardware
    35 posts in the past month
    1. Starting a homelab… but first!
    2. Testing my build chops
    3. Jonsbo N6 Home NAS Build
    #2
    Project Showcase: Hardware
    Starting a homelab… but first! · Testing my build chops · Jonsbo N6 Home NAS Build
    35
  • Discussion
    26 posts in the past month
    1. Advice on Hetzner Storage Box as a cold storage solution
    2. Pooled RAM across an old laptop, a Windows PC, and a Mac to run a 13B model — source-available, would love eyes on it
    3. Best practices, tips, and tools for racking heavy-ass network gear (when working solo)?
    #3
    Discussion
    Advice on Hetzner Storage Box as a cold storage solution · Pooled RAM across an old laptop, a Windows PC, and a Mac to run a 13B model — source-available, would love eyes on it · Best practices, tips, and tools for racking heavy-ass network gear (when working solo)?
    26
  • Project Showcase: Operations
    6 posts in the past month
    1. Anyone have experience mixing old and new gpus (drivers, patched drivers)?
    2. It’s done! (For now??)
    3. My first homelab
    #4
    Project Showcase: Operations
    Anyone have experience mixing old and new gpus (drivers, patched drivers)? · It’s done! (For now??) · My first homelab
    6
  • LabPorn
    5 posts in the past month
    1. Homelab as a centerpiece
    2. Mobile Lackrack
    3. Hardware score
    #5
    LabPorn
    Homelab as a centerpiece · Mobile Lackrack · Hardware score
    5

Product recommendations

  • ups
    4 posts in the past month
    1. Best buys for a rack-mount UPS?
    2. Best All-Around mid-range UPS
    3. Best way to integrate a UPS?
    #1
    ups
    Best buys for a rack-mount UPS? · Best All-Around mid-range UPS · Best way to integrate a UPS?
    4
  • homelab
    4 posts in the past month
    1. Is this the best way to start my homelab journey?
    2. Best way to access a homelab from outside the network?
    3. Best way to access a homelab from outside the network?
    #2
    homelab
    Is this the best way to start my homelab journey? · Best way to access a homelab from outside the network? · Best way to access a homelab from outside the network?
    4
  • switch
    4 posts in the past month
    1. How I Chose the Best Managed Network Switch for My Home Lab
    2. Can anyone recommend a 8 port managed 2.5gb switch?
    3. Cheap 1G Cisco Managed Switch Recs
    #3
    switch
    How I Chose the Best Managed Network Switch for My Home Lab · Can anyone recommend a 8 port managed 2.5gb switch? · Cheap 1G Cisco Managed Switch Recs
    4
  • nas
    3 posts in the past month
    1. Looking for best nas/plex path with optiplex 9020 usff and 2 20tb seagate expansion
    2. Recommend a Cheap 2-bay NAS?
    3. Super basic / budget NAS setup recs?
    #4
    nas
    Looking for best nas/plex path with optiplex 9020 usff and 2 20tb seagate expansion · Recommend a Cheap 2-bay NAS? · Super basic / budget NAS setup recs?
    3
  • hypervisor
    3 posts in the past month
    1. Best OS for hypervisor, using the VMs interatively?
    2. Best OS for hypervisor, using the VMs interatively?
    3. What is best option for hypervisor platform on laptop / wifi?
    #5
    hypervisor
    Best OS for hypervisor, using the VMs interatively? · Best OS for hypervisor, using the VMs interatively? · What is best option for hypervisor platform on laptop / wifi?
    3
View full analysis on GummySearchSynced 9/7/2026

Frequently asked questions

Who is r/homelab for?
Best for DevOps Engineers and Programmers and Self-Hosters enthusiasts looking for a Reddit-based community with forum discussion, live chat.
Is r/homelab free to join?
This listing is not marked as paid-only. Access rules and any fees are decided by the community.
How many members does r/homelab have?
Roughly 1.1M members, based on figures reported by the community or its host. Member counts are approximate and change over time.
What platform is r/homelab on?
r/homelab runs on Reddit. Reddit communities (or "subreddits") are forum-based groups on the popular social news aggregation, web content rating, and discussion website Reddit. Reddit is commonly known as "the front page of the internet". Users submit content to the site such as links, text posts, and images, which are then voted up or down and discussed by other members. From investing Reddit communities, to professional ones, to ones just for laughs, you're likely to find a community for you on Reddit.
What topics does r/homelab cover?
On the Hive Index, r/homelab is organized under DevOps Engineers, Programmers, Self-Hosters.
How do I join r/homelab?
You can join r/homelab by clicking this link, or pressing the "Go to community" button above.
What are the DevOps communities like?
Communities for DevOps engineers and platform teams covering CI/CD, cloud infrastructure, Kubernetes, and site reliability. Discord and Slack host active practitioner communities, with discussion ranging from tool comparisons and troubleshooting to career paths and on-call culture.
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Monthly Stats

39
Views /mo
(+34%)
31
Visitors /mo
(+19%)
10
Referrals /mo
(+100%)

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