Introduction: Why Your Home Lab Matters
Big Tech companies like Google, Apple, Microsoft, and Meta have fundamentally changed how they operate. They no longer see you as a customer, but a data point to be mined and sold. They’re no longer making products that people want—they’re making products to convert consumers into subscribers and data sources. Google made this business model official when they removed their motto of “don’t be evil” in 2015.
A home lab is a server you keep in your home that has your data on it.
By the end of this guide, you’ll have a local Jellyfin media server, a Nextcloud file server and a Pi-hole ad blocker running on your home network. Every device in your home—phones, tablets, smart TVs—will be able to stream media and block ads automatically.
This isn’t just about privacy — it’s about ownership and control. The “cloud” is just renting space on someone else computer, and rental agreements are rapidly changing to benefit the owner, not the user. Today’s free service becomes tomorrow’s paid subscription. Yesterday’s unlimited storage becomes today’s monthly fee. Companies go out of business, change terms of service, or decide your account violates their ever shifting policies. You’re left with nothing.
You don’t own your data when it lives on their servers. You’re borrowing it, and Big Tech is selling your data to companies, governments, and even private citizen. In our current economic and political climate, depending on Big Tech for your digital life is dangerous. They hold your photos, documents, communications, and digital identity hostage to their business models and political pressures
Take Back Control of Your Data
A home lab changes everything. self hosting is a form of digital Resistance.
Instead of renting digital services, you own them. Your personal details stay on your server. Your photos live on your drives. Your documents exist under your control. No one can change the terms, raise prices, or delete your account. There is a learning curve to this, but these are survival skills in our digital age. Getting a home lab running is like home repair: you can’t just buy a toolbox and immediately know everything, you take it step by step. This guide is designed to help you take your first step.
Once you take that step, a world of possibilities opens up. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves.
Getting Started with Nextcloud: Your Personal Cloud
Why Nextcloud is better than cloud storage services
Installation process for beginners
Setting up your personal file sync and sharing
Adding Ollama: Bringing AI to Your Home Lab
What Ollama is and why it's useful
Simple installation and first steps
Running your first AI model
Connecting to Your Services
Accessing your services from different devices
Setting up custom domain names (no public registration needed)
Securing your services with SSL
Basic Maintenance
Keeping your services updated
Monitoring your home lab's performance
Troubleshooting common beginner issues
What to Learn Next
Recommended next steps after your first services
Basic Linux commands for home lab maintenance
Resources for continuing your learning journey