My Home Lab Setup: From Zero to Self-Hosted

Wilbert Josh Alfornon — Thu, 07 Aug 2025 17:05:21 +0000

I wanted more control over my apps. So I built a home server—no cloud, no monthly fees, and no vendor lock-in. Here's how I did it step-by-step, what gear I used, and how you can replicate it with just a weekend and some old hardware.

Step 1: Buy a compact second-hand machine

I wanted a server that runs 24/7 and uses low power. I saw a compact PC for sale on the second-hand market for only PHP 3,000, so I immediately bought it.

Specs:

2-core, 4-thread CPU
8 GB RAM
256 GB NVMe SSD

It uses low power and runs 24/7 without issue. It’s enough for basic app hosting. Any unused laptop and or computer will do if it runs x64

Step 2: Install Ubuntu Server

To install Ubuntu Server, I downloaded the ISO image from their official website and created a bootable USB using Rufus. After installing, I connected the server to my local network via LAN cable and accessed it using SSH from my main computer.

Once installed, I SSH into it over the local network.

ssh username@192.168.1.123

Step 3: Installing Docker, Docker Compose, Tmux, Nvim and Cloudflared

Here is the architecture.

Install essential packages:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install tmux cloudflared docker neovim

Follow Docker’s official guide if needed.

Step 4: Pull and build projects

I Cloned my own project from GitHub.

Use Docker Compose to build and run it on the server.

CI/CD is not set up yet. You test by accessing the local IP and port.

If it loads on the LAN, it’s ready for the web.

Step 5: Set up Cloudflare Tunnel

I bought a domain name for around PHP 140 for a year. Then, I installed Cloudflared, which allows me to expose my local server securely without port forwarding.

I pointed the DNS nameservers to Cloudflare’s, and after some propagation, it was ready.

Cloudflare now handles:

DNS records
SSL cert issuance
Tunnel security

Start tunnel setup:

cloudflared login

Open the auth link, log in, and wait for the pem key to appear.

Create a tunnel:

cloudflared tunnel create tunnel

Edit the config: ~/.cloudflared/config.yml

nvim ~/.cloudflared/config.yml or nano ~/.cloudflared/config.yml

Example config:

Route the tunnel to your domain:

cloudflared tunnel route dns my-tunnel sys-mon.wbert.xyz

Step 6: Run the tunnel

Use tmux to keep it alive in the background:

tmux new -s tunnel
cloudflared tunnel run tunnel

Detach with Ctrl+B then D.
Or, if you prefer, you can set it up as a service:

sudo cloudflared servers install
`

Final Thoughts

I now have a server running my personal projects with custom domains and HTTPS — all self-hosted and secure, without needing to expose my network to the internet directly. It’s satisfying and gives me full control over my setup.

DEV Community: Wilbert Josh Alfornon