Building a Home Server on a Zero Budget (No Raspberry Pi Needed)

Hey everyone, 👋
Janith here. Today, let’s talk about home servers.

This post is for anyone who wants to build their own home server but doesn’t have the budget for a Raspberry Pi or other dedicated hardware. If you’re like me and enjoy experimenting, learning, and squeezing value out of old hardware, this guide is for you.

Why I Wanted a Home Server

I always wanted to try new things, and building a home server was one of them. My main goals were:

• Centralize all my data in one place
• Self-host useful services
• Get rid of ads on my home network

Buying new hardware wasn’t an option for me, so I looked around and found a spare laptop that I hadn’t used in years. That became my server.

Hardware & OS Setup

I wiped the existing OS and installed Ubuntu Server LTS.

The installation process is pretty straightforward. For newcomers, I strongly recommend sticking to the default options unless you know exactly what you’re changing.

Initial Server Configuration

Once Ubuntu Server is installed, log in and do the following:

Enable SSH

SSH allows you to control your server remotely from another computer.

sudo apt update
sudo apt install openssh-server

After this, you can connect to your server from your main PC without needing a monitor or keyboard.

Assign a Static IP Address

By using a LAN cable with A static IP makes your life much easier.
Your server’s address won’t change, and SSH connections will always work.

Important Tip (Keyboard Layout)

The keyboard layout is more important than you think.

When selecting the keyboard layout during Ubuntu Server installation, make sure it matches your actual keyboard.

If the layout is wrong:

• Some symbols will be mapped incorrectly
• You may not be able to type your password properly (Special Character may not be mapped correctly)
• SSH login can become a nightmare later.

First Service: Network-Wide Ad Blocking with Pi-hole

The very first service I installed was Pi-hole. Pi-hole works as a DNS-level ad blocker, meaning:

• Ads are blocked for every device on your Wi-Fi
• No browser extensions needed
• Works on phones, TVs, tablets, and PCs

There are many community-maintained ad block lists available online, and you can easily add them to improve blocking effectiveness.

This single service made my home network feel cleaner and faster.

Media Server with Jellyfin

Next, I installed Jellyfin, an open-source media server. With Jellyfin:

• Upload movies, TV shows, or music to your server
• Access them from any device connected to your Wi-Fi
• Watch content on phones, laptops, tablets, or smart TVs

It’s basically your own private, self-hosted Netflix - no subscriptions, no ads.

Optional but Powerful: Use Docker

For services like Pi-hole, Jellyfin, and n8n, Docker makes things easier:

• Clean installations
• Easy updates
• Services stay isolated

Install Docker:

sudo apt install docker.io docker-compose -y

This is optional, but highly recommended as you add more services.

What’s Next?

I recently started using n8n, an automation tool that allows you to build powerful workflows and integrations.

In a future post, I’ll cover:

• Why n8n is useful on a home server
• Real-world automation examples
• How I personally use it

Final Thoughts

You don’t need expensive hardware to learn or self-host.

An old laptop + Linux can:

• Block ads network-wide
• Stream media
• Automate tasks

If you have unused hardware lying around, turn it into something useful and start learning.

Thanks for reading 🙌
Happy Learning!