Every home lab enthusiast starts with the same simple goal: install a few useful services and keep things manageable. My own journey began recently, and like many, I decided to simplify things by containerizing everything with Docker. I only intended to install two — just two basic, essential containers to start with.
Those two containers were Pi-hole for network-wide ad blocking and Portainer for easy container management (when I toy with dozens of productivity and security containers). Now, one acts as the DNS gatekeeper for my whole house, and the other is the dashboard I can no longer live without.
Forget about Portainer, I use this simple tool to manage all my Docker containers on my NAS
I use Dockge to manage all my Docker containers, and I won't look back (except in some instances).
Pi-hole
The essential network gatekeeper
When I first considered installing Pi-hole, I saw it as a simple luxury: a way to clean up web pages by blocking annoying ads. I spun up the Docker container with a simple command, then made the one critical configuration change: setting my router’s DNS to point directly to my Pi-hole’s IP address.
After that tweak, it wasn’t just about ad-blocking; it was a full-scale, non-negotiable takeover of my entire network’s connectivity. Suddenly, every device in my home (from the smart thermostat and security cameras to my work laptop and phone) was dependent on that single, small Docker container for all its internet requests.
This immediate dependency is why Pi-hole became absolutely essential. It basically acts as an invisible security layer. I gained granular control and watched the Query Log filling up with hundreds of thousands of blocked requests for trackers, and, of course, ads.
Now, if my Docker host goes down, or if I try to bypass Pi-hole, the internet feels fundamentally broken, slow, cluttered, and exposed. My home lab may host a dozen other services, but they are all secondary to the clean, essential service provided by the tiny DNS dictator I willingly installed.
If you are still concerned about your home network's security, consider using a powerful reverse proxy such as Nginx Proxy Manager or Traefik. These tools provide the necessary layer for managing custom URLs, SSL certificates, and secure access to multiple services.
My home lab wouldn’t be the same without these 7 Docker containers
Nothing in my home would run as smoothly as it does if I hadn't deployed these Docker containers
Portainer
Non-negotiable for Docker management
If Pi-hole handled my network’s connectivity, Portainer handled my entire Docker workflow and management. Before Portainer, I lived in the terminal. Every new container meant SSHing into my host, writing a complex, multi-line Docker run command, or editing a YRAM file for Docker Compose.
Troubleshooting was also a nightmare as I had to track logs via the command line. Even a minor update was a small, stressful project.
When I installed Portainer, initially, it was just a convenience — a simple web interface. It felt good for beginners or for quick visual checks. I planned to get back to the command line for anything serious. But I was wrong.
Portainer, through efficiency and ease of use, quickly rendered the terminal obsolete for 99% of my day-to-day operations.
The first major shift was the visualization of complexity. Previously, my Docker stack was a mess: a list of names spat out by docker ps. Portainer transformed that into a clear, intuitive dashboard. I could instantly see which containers were healthy (the assuring green light), which were failing (the alarming red), and how much CPU and memory each service was consuming.
This immediate, visual feedback alone saved me countless hours of detective work. If a service went rogue or hung up, I didn’t need to learn a dozen Linux commands; I just opened a web browser, logged into Portainer, and immediately knew the culprit.
Next came the liberation from repetitive administrative tasks. For instance, if I need to restart a flaky service, I can click the container name and select Restart.
Similarly, if I need to glance over logs for a deployment failure, I can click Logs to view beautifully formatted, searchable logs. Besides, I don’t need to bother writing and running a complicated YAML file when I can paste the contents directly into Portainer’s Stacks feature.
It deploys the entire application stack in seconds, manages the volumes, and gives me a single point of reference for updating or destroying the service. It became my new IDE for infrastructure.
Moreover, Portainer is a perfect partner to Pi-hole. When Pi-hole needs an update, I don’t SSH in; I go to Portainer, pull the latest image, and redeploy the container using the exact same settings it had before.
When I add another service — say, a monitoring tool — to see how Pi-hole is performing, I use Portainer to deploy it. In short, Portainer didn’t just enhance my home lab experience; it completely replaced the way I interact with Docker.
The essential duo
In the end, Pi-hole and Portainer turned into a fundamental, non-negotiable stack. If I had to start over with only two containers, it would be these two, because they don’t just add functionality — they add control and dependability. If your goal is to truly anchor your home network and simplify the chaos of Docker management, install Pi-hole and Portainer.
Of course, once you expand your home lab setup, make sure to install these Docker containers to get the best out of it.