Home Server which known as HomeLabs for hobbyist

My Journey into Home Servers and Unraid

My 1st Server

I remember when I first set up my home server back in 2011. What was my objective? Why did it come about? Initially, my plan was simple: to store files, music, and documents using Windows OS as a basic file server. Those were the days when digital media was becoming increasingly popular.

It was a very tight casing

As a geeky person, I wanted more. I began exploring ways to set up a NAS or more advanced file server. That’s when I discovered Windows Home Server—which, by the way, has since reached end-of-life (EOL), as Microsoft discontinued it due to limited market demand. I used it until around 2013, then transitioned to Windows Server 2013 Essentials. Eventually, I discovered Unraid—and fell in love with it.

My 2nd Server become bigger

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Why Unraid?

Unraid is a flexible Linux-based operating system packed with powerful features:

• 🗄️ NAS storage capabilities
• 🐳 Docker support
• 🖥️ Ability to host multiple virtual machines (VMs)
• 🌐 Web-based management interface
• 👥 Strong community support
• ⚡ Energy efficiency, with control over hard disk spin-up and redundancy

Over the years, Unraid has evolved into what many now call a "HomeLab"—a personal tech playground built with affordable hardware and accessible software, often deployed via Docker containers.

My 3rd server and even bigger than before

It’s like having your own mini server setup, where you can tinker with technology in a sandbox environment and experiment with new software without disrupting your main services. You could call it tech DIY for grown-ups 😄.

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Building My Network

When I first started, I wanted all services to run from a single server. I bought a gigabit Ethernet 4-port NIC and set up an enterprise-grade software router using pfSense. The performance was unmatched, especially with ad-blocking plugins.

However, there was one major issue: whenever my Unraid server went down, my entire local network went down with it. Not ideal—especially when you’re sharing a household!

Eventually, I separated the router component and replaced it with a lightweight but powerful hardware router running OpenWRT. This way, even if I need to restart Unraid, my network stays up. I’m pretty happy with this setup—it only consumes about 5 watts via USB-A and runs AdGuard for ad blocking.

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Current Setup

Instead of running a reverse proxy server, I now use:

• 🌐 Cloudflare Tunnel for apps that needs to exposure to public
• 🔒 Tailscale for apps that I will only use internally and not exposing to public

My Unraid server has grown into a multi-purpose powerhouse:

• 🎮 Game server
• 🎬 Media server
• 📦 App server
• 🏠 Smart home server
• 🤖 AI-related services

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Looking Ahead

AI technology has been exploding lately. New tools and frameworks are making it easier than ever to integrate AI into everyday workflows. I’ve started experimenting with automation using platforms like n8n and MCP. I just wish I had more time to dive deeper!

In future articles, I plan to share more about the specific tools and setups I use with my Unraid server. Stay tuned!

Keep code clean

Take a look at this follow if else conditional statement.

-- conditional statement

if (a==0)

    ans = 1

else

    ans = 2;

-- ternary operator

ans = a == 0 ? 1 : 2 ;

Ternary Operator is a compact way of writing conditional expression and also achieve the same result.

It is used for shortening the if else statement and makes the code cleaner.

Live Caption + Translate available now for Windows 11

Can you recall a Teams meeting where you were in a group with people of different nationalities and had difficulty understanding them—either because of their accents or because they spoke too fast? Thanks to Windows' new Live Captions feature, I can now keep up with what they're saying.

This is truly a godsend. Windows now supports live captions and even real-time translation*.

*Note: The live translation feature is currently available only on Copilot+ PCs. That means it requires a Snapdragon X processor with an NPU capable of more than 40 TOPS. AMD and Intel are expected to roll out compatible chips soon.

For more details you can refer to the official page

The Impact of Copilot+ PC Live Captions | Microsoft Windows

Rebooting My Blog: A 4-Year Journey and What's New?

Ah, the sweet relief of hitting the refresh button on a dusty blog that's been collecting virtual cobwebs since 2021. It’s been a whirlwind four years ("last blog post was in 2021" now reads like ancient history!).

After clocking in countless hours at work, I finally took a minute to breath (and reminded myself that my keyboard isn’t the only thing that needs a break). During this time, the world didn't just keep spinning, it did so on the axis of technological innovation. AI, the prodigal child of tech, returned with a bang, seemingly having a sleepover with every product under the sun. They forgot to invite us, but we follow keenly! It's hip to hop on the AI bandwagon if you want to play in today’s market.

Here I am, back at the keyboard, not necessarily excited but more relieved to share the tech treasures I’ve been amassing. It might've been work and life throwing curveballs, but never the desire to share thoughts on everything tech and AI from this little nook on the internet.

In the coming weeks, expect some musings about my beloved home server (or shall I say, my new-age digital tree house?). Home labs are the rage now, and frankly, who could resist the allure of DIY server adventures in your very own homestead?

Stay tuned, and here's hoping my next hiatus isn't quite as extended as the last!

My very first home server mobo back in 2012