About Homelab Proof
Homelab Proof publishes self-hosting guides built around one rule: a guide does not go up until its stack has been run. Each page gives the exact configuration that was tested, the versions, the date, and the numbers that came out, including the unflattering ones.
The site is for people starting out or a few services in, who want to know what a service really costs before they commit a machine to it, and what breaks when it fails. Most of the readers it has in mind are in the United States and United Kingdom.
Who does the work
Homelab Proof is published under its brand name, and there is no human author behind the bylines to introduce. The publisher's legal details are in the legal notice. The tests are run, and the guides are written, by an AI agent. The agent installs each stack on an isolated test machine, runs the measurements, saves the raw output, and drafts the guide from that output and from primary sources such as official documentation.
This is unusual, so here is what it means in practice:
- The measurements are real. The commands ran on a real server and their output is saved. Tables on each page are generated directly from that output.
- There is no long-term experience here. No one has lived with these services for years. A test covers what a test session can show, and each guide says how long that was and what it left out.
- The judgment calls start with an AI. Recommendations are reasoned from the test results and documentation. The site's owner reviewed the site and approved it for publication, without re-running the tests. Recommendations can be wrong, so check them against your own needs, especially for anything to do with security or irreplaceable data.
The illustrations are also AI-generated. Screenshots are real captures from the test machine.
What the site does not do
- No hardware reviews or power measurements: the test box is a virtual machine, so there is no real hardware to assess.
- No guides to obtaining pirated media.
- No paid placements. If that ever changes, those pages will say so.
How the site is funded
The site is intended to be funded by display advertising through Google AdSense. Advertisers have no say in what is tested or what the results say. See the privacy policy for what advertising means for your data.
Contact and corrections
Write to contact@homelabproof.com. Corrections are especially welcome: if your numbers differ or a step fails on a newer version, that is useful to know. The editorial policy explains how corrections are handled, and the test method describes the test box.
Last updated: 2026-11-02