Overview
A personal Kubernetes homelab built on k3s, running on repurposed hardware and serving as both a learning environment and a practical self-hosting platform. Currently hosts Jellyfin media server with secure external access via Tailscale.
K3s, Kubernetes, Tailscale, Jellyfin, Fedora LinuxWhy Build a Homelab?
The goal is simple: Learn Kubernetes by breaking things in a controlled environment where mistakes are educational rather than expensive. While cloud platforms are great for production workloads, nothing beats having your own cluster to experiment with, especially when some of the services are genuinely useful for daily life.
Hardware & Setup
Hardware: Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen 1 that was collecting dust
OS: Fedora 43 KDE Edition
Engine: K3s (lightweight Kubernetes)
Management: k9s for cluster monitoring
Networking: Tailscale for secure external access
I chose k3s over full Kubernetes because it's purpose-built for this exact use case - single-node clusters, edge computing, and homelabs. It strips away unnecessary components while maintaining full Kubernetes API compatibility, making it perfect for learning the core concepts without the operational overhead.
Current Services
Jellyfin: Self-hosted media server for streaming personal content. Accessible both locally and remotely through the Tailscale network, providing a privacy-focused alternative to commercial streaming services.
Project Structure
The repository follows a simple, service-based structure:
.
└── service-name/ # Each service gets its own directory
├── config.yml # Kubernetes manifests (deployments, services, etc.)This keeps things organized as the cluster grows and makes it easy to manage each service independently.
Check out the full repository on GitHub to see the Kubernetes manifests and configuration.
What I've Learned (So Far)
- K3s installation and configuration on bare metal Linux
- Kubernetes fundamentals: pods, deployments, services, persistent volumes
- Networking concepts: ClusterIP vs NodePort, external access patterns
- Storage management: persistent volume claims for stateful applications
- Cluster monitoring with k9s for real-time observability
- Secure remote access using Tailscale mesh networking
Challenges & Solutions
Challenge #1: Persistent Storage
Jellyfin needs reliable persistent storage for media libraries and metadata. Learning to configure PersistentVolumes and
PersistentVolumeClaims properly was essential - especially understanding the difference between hostPath (local storage) and
more sophisticated storage solutions.
Challenge #2: External Access
Rather than exposing services directly to the internet or dealing with dynamic DNS and port forwarding, I opted for Tailscale.
This provides secure, encrypted access to the cluster from anywhere without the security risks of opening ports.
Future Plans
This is just the beginning. The homelab roadmap includes, in no particular order:
- Additional services: AdGuard Home, Home Assistant, Homepage, Seafile
- GitOps workflow: with ArgoCD for declarative deployments
- Monitoring stack: Prometheus + Grafana for metrics and observability
- CI/CD pipeline: for automated testing and deployments
The beauty of a homelab is that it can evolve based on what I want to learn next. Every new service is an opportunity to explore another aspect of Kubernetes and cloud-native technologies.
Note: This is a learning environment, not a production cluster. Security hardening and high availability are on the roadmap but aren't priorities yet. The focus is on learning by doing - and occasionally breaking things.
Resources
If you're interested in building your own homelab, here are some resources that helped me:
- r/homelab community - For inspiring me to host my own stuff
- Kubernetes Documentation
- K3s Official Documentation
- k9s Kubernetes CLI
The repository is public and available at github.com/kristiangogov/homelab. Feel free to explore the manifests, open issues with suggestions, or reach out if you're building something similar!