From Zero to Running Homelab in One Weekend: A Case Study

The Challenge

Can you really build a functional homelab in a weekend? Let's find out. This is a real timeline of building a homelab from unboxing to running services.

The Hardware

• Beelink Mini S12 Pro (Intel N100, 16GB RAM, 500GB SSD)
• 4TB external USB HDD
• Cat6 ethernet cable
• Total cost: $240

Saturday Morning (3 hours)

Hour 1: OS Installation

• Downloaded Ubuntu Server 24.04 LTS
• Created bootable USB with Balena Etcher
• Installed Ubuntu with default settings
• Set static IP in router DHCP settings

Hour 2: Docker Setup

# Installed Docker
curl -fsSL https://get.docker.com | sh
sudo usermod -aG docker $USER

# Installed Docker Compose plugin
sudo apt install docker-compose-plugin

Hour 3: Basic Infrastructure

• Deployed Portainer for container management
• Deployed Pi-hole for DNS and ad blocking
• Configured router to use Pi-hole as DNS

Saturday Afternoon (4 hours)

Hours 4-5: Reverse Proxy & Domain

• Registered domain with Cloudflare ($10/year)
• Set up Cloudflare Tunnel for external access
• Deployed Traefik for internal routing
• Configured automatic SSL with Let's Encrypt

Hours 6-7: Core Services

• Deployed Vaultwarden for password management
• Migrated family from LastPass to Vaultwarden
• Deployed Nextcloud for file storage
• Set up mobile app sync

Sunday Morning (3 hours)

Hours 8-9: Media Server

• Mounted external HDD for media storage
• Deployed Jellyfin
• Organized existing media library
• Installed Jellyfin apps on family devices

Hour 10: Photo Backup

• Deployed Immich
• Installed mobile apps
• Started initial phone backup

Sunday Afternoon (3 hours)

Hours 11-12: Monitoring & Backup

• Deployed Uptime Kuma
• Set up Telegram notifications
• Configured backup script for Docker volumes
• Set up Backblaze B2 for offsite backup

Hour 13: Final Touches

• Created documentation in README files
• Set up Watchtower for automatic updates
• Ran full backup test
• Shared access with family members

Final Result

After 13 hours of work over the weekend:

• 8 services running: Portainer, Pi-hole, Traefik, Vaultwarden, Nextcloud, Jellyfin, Immich, Uptime Kuma
• Family onboarded: Password manager and file sync working
• External access: Secure HTTPS access from anywhere
• Monitoring: Alerts configured for all services
• Backups: Automated local and cloud backups

Lessons Learned

• Start simple, add complexity later
• Cloudflare Tunnel saved hours vs port forwarding
• Test backups before you need them
• Document everything as you go
• It's really possible in a weekend!

Your Turn

A weekend is all you need to start your homelab journey. Don't aim for perfection - aim for functional. You can always improve and expand later.