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Home server and self-hosting 8 min read

UmbrelOS for a home server on a mini PC

Installing umbrelOS on a mini PC, exploring its interface and App Store, then weighing its strengths and limits on DIY hardware.

Hello everyone. In this article I present umbrelOS, a system meant for home servers. Its interface and its application catalogue make it particularly pleasant on a mini PC, but you should understand its limits before making it the heart of a multi-disk NAS.

UmbrelOS in a few words

umbrelOS, previously called simply Umbrel, is a self-hosting system whose source code is public under the PolyForm Noncommercial 1.0.0 licence. Its principle is simple: install containerised applications from an App Store, then launch them from a Web desktop close to that of a personal computer.

The system can be installed free of charge on a Raspberry Pi 5, on a compatible x86-64 machine or in a virtual machine. Umbrel does point out, however, that the functions available on DIY hardware depend on drivers and do not receive the same level of validation as on its own servers.

Installing umbrelOS on a mini PC

For an x86-64 installation, plan for at least a dual-core 64-bit Intel or AMD processor, 4 GB of memory and 32 GB of storage. In practice, 8 GB of memory and a roomier SSD leave more headroom for applications.

  1. Download the official umbrelOS installation image.
  2. Write it to a USB stick of at least 4 GB with Balena Etcher.
  3. Boot the mini PC from that stick and select the internal disk.
  4. After the installation, remove the stick, plug in the Ethernet network and restart.
  5. Wait about five minutes, then open http://umbrel.local.
The umbrelOS 1.5 desktop shown in English in a browser
The desktop gathers the files, the system indicators and every installed application.

A simple and pleasant interface

The desktop offers widgets, an overview of processor, memory and storage activity, a file manager, the settings and the App Store. An installed application appears automatically on the desktop and launches like a local application.

Selecting widgets on the umbrelOS desktop
The desktop accepts up to three widgets for the files and the system resources.
The live view of processor, memory and storage usage in umbrelOS
The Live Usage view details the resources consumed by the applications.
The file manager built into umbrelOS
The file manager brings together the local folders and the network locations.
The umbrelOS App Store with its categories and applications
The App Store sorts the applications by purpose and installs them in one click.

Installing and configuring the applications

Before installing, read the full description of the application. Some images require a specific port, default credentials or a dependency. A forgotten setting can prevent the application from opening or cause a conflict with another service.

The AdGuard Home page in the umbrelOS App Store with the configuration instructions highlighted
The instructions on each page state the required ports and settings.

On my first attempt I had not found a simple way to manually add an application missing from the catalogue. The current documentation now offers three options: add a community App Store, install Portainer to launch a Docker container, or contribute an umbrelOS package. That evolution fixes an important part of the limit noted in the original article.

The umbrelOS settings showing storage, memory, backup and two-factor authentication
The settings bring together the resources, the account, 2FA, the backups and the language.

Strengths and limits

Strengths

  • Fast installation of the system and of the applications.
  • A modern, clear and very approachable interface.
  • A large catalogue of self-hosted applications.
  • Simple resource monitoring and a built-in file manager.
  • 2FA, encrypted backups and private remote access are possible.

Limits on DIY hardware

  • No RAID management as complete as a real NAS system.
  • Wi-Fi and external media compatibility depends on the hardware.
  • Deliberately few system settings.
  • The interface of the tested installation was only available in English.
  • Community support and “best effort” availability of the functions.

Security, backup and remote access

Contrary to the first impression given by the older version, umbrelOS now offers two-factor authentication. Most applications in the official catalogue can also be protected by the Umbrel session and 2FA. Check each third-party application all the same, since some handle their own authentication.

For access from the internet, avoid exposing the server directly on a public port. The documentation recommends Tailscale to create a private network between your devices. Backups can be encrypted towards another Umbrel, a NAS or a compatible USB drive.

My verdict

umbrelOS suits a mini PC with an SSD very well, to discover self-hosting, quickly launch Docker applications or build a small media server. Its interface makes the experience far more pleasant than a Docker stack administered purely on the command line.

For a main multi-disk NAS, with RAID, detailed monitoring of the drives and an advanced storage strategy, I would choose a platform more focused on storage. ZimaOS, for instance, is a more NAS-oriented alternative, with RAID and disk management. The right choice therefore depends less on looks than on the real role of the machine.

References

About the author

Jeremy Kraft runs the infrastructure and the self-hosted services of the IBCSC. These guides describe configurations that were actually deployed and re-checked before publication.

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