This is a record of practical choices in my own setup, not a catalogue of every available project. I prefer software that is understandable, documented, exportable and possible to restore. The shelf is grouped by where I run it; it deliberately does not document or recommend the Arr stack.
Last reviewed: 27 September 2026.
Main PC — Fedora and KDE#
| Need | App | Experience and notes |
|---|---|---|
| Desktop operating system | Fedora Linux | My main Linux desktop and the base for daily work. |
| Desktop environment | KDE Plasma | The desktop environment I use on the PC. |
| AI-assisted maintenance | Hermes Agent | Used from the terminal to inspect, document and safely maintain the workstation and homelab. |
| Device synchronisation | Syncthing | Direct synchronisation between devices. |
| Hosted file synchronisation | Nextcloud | The desktop client keeps selected folders synchronised with storage I control. |
| Notes | Simplenote | The notes service I use. |
Always-on Docker host#
| Need | App | Experience and notes |
|---|---|---|
| Local HTTPS and reverse proxy | Caddy | Provides the friendly HTTPS routes used by the local services. |
| Local DNS | CoreDNS | Maps the homelab service names to the local services. |
| Photos and phone backups | Immich | The main photo and video library; the live data is stored on the primary NAS. |
| Films and television playback | Jellyfin | Personal media access without depending on one streaming service. |
| Music | Navidrome | Streams the music collection I control. |
| Audiobooks and podcasts | Audiobookshelf | Provides access to audiobooks and podcasts. |
| Book and document reading | Kavita | Used for reading material and library access. |
| Personal document management | Papra | The document application I currently use. |
| Bookmarks and saved web content | Karakeep | A project I actively use and rate positively for keeping bookmarks, notes and saved material. |
| Service monitoring | Uptime Kuma | Used in the lab for service monitoring. |
| RSS reader | FreshRSS | Current RSS reader on my stack. |
| Container and server monitoring | Beszel | Used for server and PC information with a useful lightweight interface. |
| Network device monitoring | NetAlertX | Used to see what is connected and active on the homelab network. |
| Container update visibility | What’s Up Docker | Checks container images and sends update notifications without taking over Compose management. |
| Notifications | Gotify | Receives local health and update notifications. |
| Container API isolation | Docker Socket Proxy | Keeps monitoring access to Docker’s socket narrower than exposing the raw socket directly. |
| Homelab dashboard | Glance | Provides a single local dashboard for the services and useful links. |
| PDF tools | BentoPDF | A lightweight PDF tool I prefer over heavier platforms. |
| Ebook library | Calibre-Web | Testing whether a Kindle can download books directly; separate from the audiobook workflow. |
| Authorised web-media downloads | MeTube | A simple web interface around yt-dlp for material I am authorised to download or archive. |
| Network access | Tailscale | Used for private access between trusted devices; it is not treated as a replacement for local DNS or backups. |
The Docker host also runs other media-management components. They are intentionally not listed here as recommendations; this shelf is about the services I use and the roles they fill, not about promoting an Arr-based workflow.
Primary storage server#
| Need | App or service | Experience and notes |
|---|---|---|
| Storage platform | TrueNAS | The primary NAS is the live storage system. |
| Photo-library storage | Immich data and PostgreSQL data | The live Immich library is stored on the primary NAS. |
| Network file storage | SMB and NFS | Used to make storage available to the PC and Docker services; permissions and identity mapping are part of the design. |
| Local replication target | TrueNAS replication | The primary NAS holds the live copy; a separate NAS holds a recovery copy. |
| Encrypted backup workflow | Restic | Used for encrypted, verifiable backups of important configuration and service data. |
Tested, but not current choices#
- Forgejo — tested, but not something I personally use; still useful to understand as a self-hosted Git option.
- Mealie — tested and works well. Adding food and recipes can be tedious, which is an important practical limitation.
This list records experience, not endorsements. Check the review method before treating any project as a recommendation.