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Frequently Asked Questions

What is UltimateHomeServer?​

UltimateHomeServer is a user-friendly package of open-source services that combine to create a powerful home server, capable of replacing many of the services you may already be paying for. It is designed to be easy to set up and maintain, secure, and reliable.

UHS is comprised of a few different components that work together to create a cohesive experience. The main components are:

  • K3s - K3s is a production ready Kubernetes distribution that is lightweight and simple to use. It is the backbone of the UltimateHomeServer.
  • Helm Charts - The main repository contains the Helm charts that make up the services available in UHS.
  • UHS-CLI - The uhs CLI provides an easy way to install and configure services in UHS.

See the Services page for a list of services that are available in UHS.

Why Kubernetes?​

  • Stability
  • Reliablity
  • Scalability

Rather than building an entirely new application or collection of scripts to manage self-hostable services, UHS is built on top of Kubernetes because it is a powerful, well-supported, and open-source platform that is already used by many companies to run their production workloads. It is also a great way to learn about Kubernetes and how it works, while using UHS can help beginners get started without much Kubernetes knowledge.

Most services that can be self-hosted already offer a Docker image, typically with a Docker Compose file to make it easy to run the service. You can find many of our favorite services on LinuxServer.io, which is where we get many of our Docker images from.

Kubernetes-based deployments, even at home, have several advantages over Docker Compose:

  • Zero-downtime updates - Kubernetes can update services without any downtime, by creating a new container and then switching traffic to it once it is ready.
  • Automatic restarts - Kubernetes can automatically restart containers that fail, or even entire nodes if they go down.
  • Automatic load balancing - Kubernetes can automatically distribute traffic to containers, and even scale up the number of containers if needed.
  • Cluster management - Kubernetes can manage multiple nodes, and even multiple clusters, making it easy to scale up your home server as needed, or even bring it into a cloud provider if you want to.
  • Experience - Kubernetes is a widely used platform, and learning it can be a great way to get experience with a technology that is used by many companies.

Why is X service not included?​

Only because we haven't gotten to it yet! We are always looking for new services to add to UHS, and we welcome contributions from the community. If you have a service you would like to see added, please open an issue on the GitHub repository