Installation & configuration changes with time, so we’ll jump onto the apps. Chuck along a coffee with this information dense article.
Immich: Your Media Gallery
An amazing alternative to Google Photos, heck even better than it.
Key features include:
- Face detection and object detection for smart organization
- Timeline view for nostalgic browsing
- Semantic-like search for intuitive photo searching
- Advanced filtering options based on Location (City/State/Country), Phone Model, Face etc.
- Deduplication to optimize storage
- Map view for location-based browsing
- Link sharing for easy photo distribution
- Pro tip: Use Immich’s partner app for automatic photo backup from your smartphone.
See for yourself at https://demo.immich.app/
Home Assistant: Heart of Smart Home Automation
This platform revolutionizes your smart home.
- Works offline, ensuring your smart home functions without internet or third party services
- Centralized management of lighting, energy, climate, entertainment systems, and security
- Supports 1000+ integrations with popular smart home devices and services
- Create complex automation routines (e.g., adjust lighting and temperature based on time, occupancy, and weather)
- Design custom dashboards for at-a-glance control
Explore various user dashboards at https://demo.home-assistant.io/
LocalSend: Local File Sharing Made Simple
- Works locally without internet dependency, local
- Alternative to Quick Share/ Xender/ Apple Only AirDrop
- Truely cross-platform (Android, iOS, Windows, MacOS, Linux)
- Ensures privacy by avoiding cloud storage or third-party servers
Check it out at https://localsend.org/
Jellyfin: Your Personal Media Server
A free, and feature-rich alternative to Plex, It offers:
- Comprehensive media organization and streaming capabilities
- On-the-fly transcoding for smooth playback on any device
- LiveTV and DVR support
- Plugins for subtitle downloads, metadata scraping, and more
- Robust user management with parental controls
Try the demo at https://demo.jellyfin.org (use “demo” as UserID and leave the password blank)
NextCloud: Your Private Cloud Swiss Army Knife.
An all-in-one solution for file sync, collaboration, and more
- End-to-end encryption
- File sync across devices with selective sync options
- Online office suite for document collaboration
- Built-in calendar, contacts, and email client
- Integrated apps for document editing, video conferencing, and project management
- Extensible with hundreds of apps from the Nextcloud app store
Learn more at https://nextcloud.com/
Readeck: Nice Read-It-Later App with Spaced Repetition
- Spaced repetition system for better information retention
- Extension-based highlighting for easy content saving
- Support for YouTube videos and their transcripts
- Organize and revisit your saved content effectively
Explore its features at https://readeck.org/en/
Hoarder: AI-Powered Internet Archiving
A must-have Personal Knowledge Management System (PKMS) tool:
- AI-powered tagging, OCR, and recognition
- Browser extension for seamless content saving
- Local content backup to preserve offline availability
- Ideal for power users looking to organize vast amounts of information
Try it out at https://try.hoarder.app
qBittorrent: Advanced Torrent Management
A feature-rich BitTorrent client offering:
- Integrated search engine for convenient torrent discovery
- RSS feed support for automatic downloads
- IP filtering for enhanced privacy and security
- Remote control capabilities for managing downloads from anywhere
- Advanced tip: Set up qBittorrent with a VPN kill switch for maximum privacy protection
Download at https://www.qbittorrent.org/
Frigate NVR: Intelligent Video Surveillance
- Real-time object detection (people, cars, animals, etc.) and sound detection (baby crying, glass break, dog barking etc.)
- Designed to work with IP cameras
- Zone-based detection to monitor specific areas
- Integration with Home Assistant
- Requires technical expertise to setup but offers a free efficient NVR system
- Pro tip: Use Frigate with coral.ai TPU for fast object detection
- Those looking for an easier setup can check Scrypted NVR (Paid)
Learn more at https://frigate.video/
endleSSH: SSH Honeypot
A clever tool to frustrate script kiddies:
- Simulates an SSH server to detect and log unauthorized access attempts
- Provides insights into attack patterns and frequencies
- Explore the project at https://github.com/skeeto/endlessh
Uptime Kuma: Comprehensive Service Monitoring
A great tool for tracking the reliability of your services:
- Support for various check types (HTTP, TCP, DNS, etc.)
- Beautiful, responsive status page for public or private use
- Flexible notifications via email, Telegram, Discord, and more
- Detailed incident reports and downtime tracking
- Check it out at https://github.com/louislam/uptime-kuma
Romm: Retro Gaming Reimagined
A platform that brings classic gaming to your modern setup:
- Supports emulation for a wide range of classic gaming consoles
- Offers a streamlined interface for managing game libraries
- Enables multiplayer gaming for shared nostalgia
- Integrates with gamepad controllers for an authentic retro experience
- Discover more at https://romm.app/
Portrainer: Managing your homelab
A great tool extensively used by fellow self-hosters.
- Simplifies container management with an intuitive web UI
- Supports both Docker and Kubernetes
- Easy deployment of new containers and stacks
- Built-in template library for quick app deployment
And there you have it – 13 apps for your homelab that improve your quality of life.
Last Pro Tip – If you are a beginner, don’t expose this to internet. Use a private VPN like Tailscale (Also open-source)
