mulek.cc

My homelab is a self-contained environment designed to power my personal services, test new technologies, and host private projects. It’s a mix of practical infrastructure and ongoing experimentation — blending automation, virtualization, and network management into a compact, efficient setup.

Purpose

The goal of this homelab is autonomy and learning. Every service I host — from authentication and DNS filtering to game servers and dashboards — teaches me more about system administration, networking, and automation.

It’s also a sandbox for projects like my Minecraft world (Quackshire), World of Warcraft private server (Duckcraft), and internal tools I develop or test before deploying elsewhere.

Network Diagram

Here’s a simplified view of my home network layout, showing how each component fits together:

┌──────────────────────────────┐
│           Internet           │
└──────────────┬───────────────┘
               │
           [ISP Modem]
               │
     ┌─────────┴─────────┐
     │     OPNSense      │
     │ Firewall + Router │
     └─────────┬─────────┘
               │
       ┌───────┼─────────────┐
       │       │             │
 [LAN Switch] [Wi-Fi AP] [IoT VLAN]
       │
┌──────┼────────────────────┐
│      │                    │
[Proxmox] [Pi-hole] [NAS / Backups]
│
├─── Virtual Machines:
│ • Authelia
│ • Vaultwarden
│ • Zammad
│ • Caddy
│ • Grafana
│ • Prometheus
│
├─── Game Servers:
│ • Duckcraft (AzerothCore WoW)
│ • Quackshire (PaperMC Minecraft)

Core Infrastructure

Firewall & Router:
OPNSense runs as my main gateway, handling VLANs, VPNs, and traffic shaping. It provides complete visibility and control over all network traffic.
DNS Filtering:
Pi-hole acts as a local DNS sinkhole to block ads, trackers, and telemetry. It keeps the network fast, clean, and secure.
Virtualization:
Proxmox VE powers most of the lab’s workloads, running lightweight Linux containers (LXCs) and virtual machines for isolation and resource control.

Services and Applications

Authelia
Role: Authentication Proxy
Notes: Manages SSO and secure access to all internal services
Vaultwarden
Role: Password Manager
Notes: Self-hosted Bitwarden-compatible server
Zammad
Role: Helpdesk
Notes: Used for IT-style ticket management and experimentation
Nginx Proxy Manager
Role: Reverse Proxy
Notes: Simplifies SSL management and routing for web services
Grafana + Prometheus
Role: Monitoring
Notes: Tracks uptime, system load, and resource metrics
Duckcraft
Role: WoW Server
Notes: Private AzerothCore server with playerbot integration
Quackshire
Role: Minecraft Server
Notes: Private creative world hosted on PaperMC

Backup and Maintenance

Automated snapshots and rsync-based backups run nightly to my NAS. Configuration files are version-controlled through GitHub, and critical systems are monitored via Grafana alerts.

Regular maintenance tasks include:

Updating containers and VMs weekly
Reviewing firewall and DNS logs
Testing backup restoration quarterly

Philosophy

This homelab isn’t just for convenience — it’s about understanding systems deeply. Every configuration, container, and VLAN teaches something new about networking, security, and infrastructure resilience.

It’s a living environment that evolves with my skills, providing a platform for both personal use and technical exploration.

A small, self-contained world — built for learning, reliability, and control.