Once you've got a taste of self-hosting on your computer, or maybe a NAS, the inevitable next step tends to be investing in a dedicated machine for the task. In my case, that was a $100 mini PC dedicated to the task of running a range of Docker containers that are intrinsic to my daily use. I'm tired of paying for subscriptions for things I can run myself. I want my photos backed up, my files synced, passwords synced, and my media available on every screen in the house. Alongside, I do not want to rely on five different cloud services and five different subscription services. Switching to a Docker-based stack on a mini PC makes this possible. It lets me isolate each service, update it independently, and break nothing else in the process. These are containers I run all day, every day, and each one solves a real problem in my workflow.

Immich

Replacing cloud photo storage with something I control

I take a lot of photos. Between phones and cameras, I've got well over a hundred thousand photos. Cloud storage gets expensive, and I do not love the idea of handing over my entire photo library to Google. That's why I run Immich. Immich acts as a private alternative to Google Photos.

It automatically backs up photos from my phone to my home server. The mobile app uploads in the background whenever I am on Wi-Fi. Immich does a great job of replicating most of the core functionality of Google Photos. Things like indexing, machine learning-based tagging, object recognition, location data, and more.

What I appreciate most is the modern look and feel. Replicating the Google Photos experience means that even less technically inclined users will feel comfortable. That's important to me, since I've deployed Immich for my family as well. The web interface is blisteringly fast, the timeline view works as you'd expect, and you can easily create shared albums for the family. The problem it solves is simple — full quality backups without recurring storage bills.

Jellyfin

Take back control from streaming chaos

Let's be real, streaming fatigue is real. You never really know where your content is going to be, and prices are perpetually going up. Jellyfin fixes that by giving me full control of my media. Jellyfin scans your personal media and gives you a clean Netflix-style interface for everything you own. Things like artwork and metadata get pulled in automatically, all your TV shows get grouped by seasons, and it even supports hardware transcoding which matters a lot when you are running a cheap, low-budget mini PC.

The biggest benefit, of course, is ownership of data and flexibility. I can stream inside my home network or securely outside it and, in either case, I don't have to stress about figuring out exactly where I am supposed to go to find my favorite movie.

Home Assistant

The backbone of my entire smart home

Smart home devices are fragmented by nature and isolated to their own ecosystems. Between the Hue apps for my lights, another app for my smart fan, and yet another for my air purifier, none of these talk to each other. Home Assistant is the glue that binds them together and is the backbone of my smart home.

Home Assistant runs as a container on my mini PC and discovers all the devices on the network. It's got integrations for pretty much every brand of smart device you can think of, and once connected you can pull whatever device you want onto a completely personalized dashboard. That's just the beginning, of course. The real power is automation. Home Assistant can help you create routines and automations that are actually useful. For example, if my phone leaves the house, certain devices automatically switch off. If the temperature crosses a specific threshold, a fan might switch. Because the entire setup is local-first, automations continue working even if my internet connection drops.

Pi-hole

Network-wide ad blocking without touching every device

The modern internet is built around ads and information tracking being the norm. I can block them in browsers using extensions, but that doesn't do much for tablets, smart TVs, and more. That's where Pi-hole steps in and blocks them at the network level. It works as a DNS sinkhole. I point my router's DNS settings to the Pi-hole container. When a device tries to resolve a known ad or tracking domain, Pi-hole stops the request. Easy as that.

Results are immediately noticeable with faster page loads, cleaner-looking apps and even devices that normally show banner ads simply not loading them up. Pi-hole also gives me visibility into network requests. I can see which devices are making the most requests and which domains are calling home. That's big from a visibility into my network security point of view. Pi-hole solves a network-wide problem without requiring me to configure each device individually and, once in place, it protects everything on the network.

Why this tiny $100 mini PC earns its keep every single day

Just these self-hosted services alone have justified the investment I made. But this tiny $100 mini PC sits on my desk, consumes little power and runs many more such services, all of which combined, have dramatically improved my self-hosting experience. If I want to experiment with something new, I spin up another container. There are obvious benefits, like lack of subscriptions and data ownership, but more than that, it's about removing friction from daily life and owning the tools that matter to me.