Evolution Of My Homelab

# Evolution Of My Homelab

Welcome fellow sysadmins and DevOps engineers! Today, we’ll delve into the evolution of my self-hosted infrastructure, popularly known as my homelab. This article is designed to share practical insights gained over time, focusing on automation, open-source tools, and optimization for a smooth DevOps experience.

Prerequisites

To follow along with this guide, you’ll need the following:

1. A dedicated machine (or multiple machines) running a Linux distribution such as Ubuntu 20.04 or CentOS 8.
2. Docker version 5.0.8 or higher. You can install it using the command:

   apt-get update && apt-get install docker-ce=5.0.8 -y
   

3. Kubernetes cluster (Minikube is a good starting point). Make sure to have kubectl installed and configured correctly.

Setting Up the Homelab Infrastructure

Step 1: Docker Compose Setup

Create a docker-compose.yml file in your preferred directory:

version: "3"
services:
  my-app:
    image: my-app:latest
    ports:
      - "8080:8080"
    environment:
      - APP_NAME=My App
      - APP_VERSION=1.0.0

This file defines a Docker service for my-app. Replace the image name and ports with your desired application details.

Step 2: Initializing Kubernetes Resources

Create a YAML manifest for your Kubernetes deployment:

apiVersion: apps/v1
kind: Deployment
metadata:
  name: my-app-deployment
spec:
  replicas: 3
  selector:
    matchLabels:
      app: my-app
  template:
    metadata:
      labels:
        app: my-app
    spec:
      containers:
      - name: my-app
        image: my-app:latest
        ports:
        - containerPort: 8080

This YAML file defines a Kubernetes deployment for my-app. Save this as my-app-deployment.yaml.

Step 3: Deploying to Kubernetes

Deploy your application using kubectl:

kubectl apply -f my-app-deployment.yaml

Verify the deployment by checking the pods:

kubectl get pods

Troubleshooting

If you encounter issues, ensure that your Docker and Kubernetes versions are compatible and that configuration files are correctly formatted. You can find more detailed documentation on Docker Compose and Kubernetes.

Conclusion

By setting up a self-hosted infrastructure, you gain invaluable hands-on experience with automation tools like Docker and Kubernetes, essential for a modern DevOps workflow. Remember to prioritize security by keeping software updated, using strong credentials, and isolating networks where possible.

As your homelab grows, consider performance optimization techniques such as resource pooling, load balancing, and caching mechanisms. Avoid common pitfalls like overprovisioning resources or neglecting backup strategies.

Happy homelabbing!