r/homelab

Community Overview
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reddit.com/r/homelab/
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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 230K members have joined in the past year. Popular discussion topics include Homelab, Server, and Storage. Common discussion themes are Advice Requests and Solution 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: +230K members
Growth: +26.6% / 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: 177K 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: 13K members

Themes

  • Advice Requests
    10 posts in the past month
    1. Needing help getting started: NAS + Local AI build + other
    2. Advice/feedback on parts for home lab
    3. Documenting my homelab on GitHub
    #1
    Advice Requests
    Needing help getting started: NAS + Local AI build + other · Advice/feedback on parts for home lab · Documenting my homelab on GitHub
    10
  • Solution Requests
    9 posts in the past month
    1. Needing managed switch suggestions
    2. I want to Start but idk what hardware to buy
    3. Looking to start - Lenovo M75q
    #2
    Solution Requests
    Needing managed switch suggestions · I want to Start but idk what hardware to buy · Looking to start - Lenovo M75q
    9
  • Self-Promotion
    1 post in the past month
    1. Introducing Dewarr. A Seerr inspired media manager connecting Goodreads, Hardcover, and Audiobookshelf
    #3
    Self-Promotion
    Introducing Dewarr. A Seerr inspired media manager connecting Goodreads, Hardcover, and Audiobookshelf
    1
  • Ideas
    1 post in the past month
    1. We built a forward error correction layer for TCP over high-loss satellite links — here's what actually worked (and what didn't)
    #4
    Ideas
    We built a forward error correction layer for TCP over high-loss satellite links — here's what actually worked (and what didn't)
    1
  • Pain & Anger
    1 post in the past month
    1. My SSD crashed and I need to buy a replacement - Rant
    #5
    Pain & Anger
    My SSD crashed and I need to buy a replacement - Rant
    1

Topics

  • Homelab
    21 posts in the past month
    #1
    Homelab
    21
  • Server
    11 posts in the past month
    #2
    Server
    11
  • Storage
    11 posts in the past month
    #3
    Storage
    11
  • Nas
    8 posts in the past month
    #4
    Nas
    8
  • Hardware
    7 posts in the past month
    #5
    Hardware
    7

Flair

  • Help
    69 posts in the past month
    1. Booting stuck at OS S3 wake vector call
    2. Starting small media server
    3. Zhenlong x424 Rails.
    #1
    Help
    Booting stuck at OS S3 wake vector call · Starting small media server · Zhenlong x424 Rails.
    69
  • Discussion
    34 posts in the past month
    1. Absolutely no benefit in hosting ADS-B, but I think we should.
    2. Never thought I'd be this excited about reducing power draw
    3. What did you do in your homelab today?
    #2
    Discussion
    Absolutely no benefit in hosting ADS-B, but I think we should. · Never thought I'd be this excited about reducing power draw · What did you do in your homelab today?
    34
  • Project Showcase: Hardware
    30 posts in the past month
    1. My homelab has 7 VLANs and a disaster recovery plan. My family just wants Netflix to work.
    2. Started my first Home Lab
    3. My WIP Miku themed homelab
    #3
    Project Showcase: Hardware
    My homelab has 7 VLANs and a disaster recovery plan. My family just wants Netflix to work. · Started my first Home Lab · My WIP Miku themed homelab
    30
  • LabPorn
    6 posts in the past month
    1. Just picked up this unit from Scottsdale Police Department.. (please ignore flair, I was forced to choose one)
    2. Beautiful at night. God damn
    3. Homelabs at 'night' are beautiful
    #4
    LabPorn
    Just picked up this unit from Scottsdale Police Department.. (please ignore flair, I was forced to choose one) · Beautiful at night. God damn · Homelabs at 'night' are beautiful
    6
  • Project Showcase: Operations
    5 posts in the past month
    1. Made a Notion template for documenting a home lab (devices, services, IP plan, backups, changelog)
    2. Trying to limit LG TV G4 spying
    3. What I use my server for (with screenshots)
    #5
    Project Showcase: Operations
    Made a Notion template for documenting a home lab (devices, services, IP plan, backups, changelog) · Trying to limit LG TV G4 spying · What I use my server for (with screenshots)
    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 9/22/2026

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

62
Views /mo
(+114%)
49
Visitors /mo
(+96%)
12
Referrals /mo
(+50%)

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