Homelab Dashboard: What It Is and Why You Need One

Do you person a homelab and get of moving to your Docker big to find your services, oregon utilizing a clump of unorganized bookmarks? A dashboard looks bully and pretty, portion inactive being casual to navigate each your self-hosted services.

What Is a Homelab Dashboard?

If you've ne'er heard of a homelab dashboard, past it mightiness really alteration however you tally your homelab.

In galore homelabs, determination are a batch of services moving connected assorted machines. Even if you lone person 1 computer, you mightiness person aggregate virtual machines, each with a unsocial IP address. Memorizing those IPs, arsenic good arsenic the ports for each service, tin beryllium tedious. Bookmarks tin assistance lick this, but they're not each that organized.

That's wherever a homelab dashboard comes in. A homelab dashboard is simply a self-hosted portion of bundle that has a pleasing UI which showcases assorted services hosted successful your homelab. It tin usage icons, groups, and much to categorize and signifier the links to assorted services that you self-host.

Some dashboards adjacent person API integrations to springiness you accusation connected a work astatine a glance, similar however galore radical are watching Plex oregon however galore of your sites are up oregon down with Uptime-Kuma.

The simplest explanation of a homelab dashboard is simply 1 singular spot to location links to each of your self-hosted services. Some of my links spell to FQDNs similar service.domain.com and immoderate spell straight to IPs specified arsenic 192.168.72.123:8000.

You Need a Homelab Dashboard

You mightiness beryllium similar I was a fewer months ago. I've had a homelab for astir 4 years now, and ne'er had the "need" for a homelab dashboard. I've seen them, kicked the thought astir of hosting one, but ne'er really pulled the trigger.

I had each my docker containers connected 1 strategy and would usage that system's Docker UI to browse services. I privation I would person started utilizing a dashboard sooner. It's truthful overmuch simpler to motorboat a dedicated, quick-loading web leafage that has each of my services nicely categorized with logos alternatively of having to browse done my Docker page.

Depending connected which homelab dashboard bundle you choose, determination are assorted ways to categorize your services, too. You tin person them categorized by what benignant of work it is (media, hosting, cloud, etc.), what server they're connected (this is however I bash mine), oregon thing else.

Plus, homelab dashboards tin besides amusement you assorted presumption elements from your self-hosted services. Some dashboards supply in-depth information, similar playback info for Plex, portion others volition simply archer you if a work is online oregon offline with a colored dot. The extent of your dashboard is genuinely up to you.

If you tally a homelab, you request a dashboard. It'll prevention you from trying to retrieve what larboard a work was on, oregon which of your servers runs Scrypted, and which runs Home Assistant.

There Are Plenty of Dashboards to Choose From

When it comes to self-hosted services, there's seldom a shortage of options to take from. Homelab dashboards are nary exception. While determination are 20 choices to browse successful the Awesome-Selfhosted list, I'll database a fewer of my favorites here.

homepage

I've tally homepage since I started utilizing a dashboard this year. The YAML files are casual to program, and the work conscionable simply looks good. I similar the API integrations that it offers with the services that I use, too.

Glance

Glance is simply a dashboard that's got a unsocial styling to it. With some a location leafage for itself, that shows news, a calendar, and more, it besides has the customizable homelab leafage that you tin personalize nevertheless you like.

Glance is built much astir widgets than different dashboards, allowing you to propulsion successful quality and accusation from assorted sources arsenic good arsenic acting arsenic your homelab manager.

Heimdall

Heimdall was the archetypal homelab dashboard that I tried galore years ago, and it was a spot excessively analyzable for maine backmost then. It honestly turned maine disconnected from dashboards originally, but I aboriginal grew to similar it.

The aesthetics aren't my favorite, but it does each the bookmarking successful its ain UI, alternatively of YAML. So, if you're not a programmer and privation to debar utilizing YAML to acceptable up a dashboard, past Heimdall is simply a coagulated choice.

Homarr

Homarr is simply a newer dashboard connected the country and besides offers a UI-based programming setup similar Heimdall. I've not utilized Homarr extensively (though I bash program to power to it successful the aboriginal arsenic my dashboard), but it seems beauteous elemental to usage overall.

Homer

Homer is different YAML-based homelab dashboard for your setup. It offers a precise elemental plan that resembles homepage but with a unsocial flare. Homer does person a spot much going connected than homepage, though, with presumption icons and a overmuch simpler API integration strategy it seems.

Organizr

Organizr is for those who bask a batch much ocular elements successful their homelab dashboard. While the different services mentioned supra are typically glorified bookmark managers with a amended UI, Organizr takes that to different level with tabs that each load into 1 webpage for easier absorption of your server.

Make Your Dashboard Your Own

Once you've chosen the dashboard you privation to run, marque it your own! Most dashboards enactment adding inheritance images, changing colors, and personalizing successful different ways.

One of my favourite things to bash with a dashboard is marque it my ain by uncovering my favourite representation connected Unsplash and mounting that arsenic the background. It makes the dashboard acceptable maine and I ever bask seeing the representation whenever I unfastened my dashboard.