Hello guys i have been running my servers for the past year i started with a pi then migrated to a nuc with debian 13 then to ZimaOS and i also have a secondary server that is deticated to run pihole and unbound. but im mainly talking about my intel nuc. I mainly use docker on it and i run crafty so my lil sis and me can play mc together, jellyfin to watch movies, navidrome for music and tailscale so i can use my server ANYWHERE. Im just looking for a good nas os that supports all the stuff I use.
Did you run into issues with Debian that caused you to switch? Generally Debian is a good choice for a server as it’s a stable distribution.
My subjective opinion:
The most used dedicated NAS OS (like, for instance, what runs on SYNOLOGY® devices) is Debian.
Ofcourse you don’t use a graphical frontend on it.
A graphical frontend on a server is completely useless, eats RAM without returning anything useful and is deadly for performance, stability and uptime. Just don’t.
If you really need GUI assistance, setup a small (lighttpd) webinterface instead but don’t overdo it.
If you can permit yourself to forgo the containerization, do it.
Keep it rock solid by keeping it simple (KISS principle).
Welcome to our community @Koylerlowtier, nice to meet you! ![]()
What server operating system should i switch to?
I am convinced, that in Linux world you choose according to your personal experience, educated advices, etc. Neither obligations nor enforcement.
My personal preference is Ubuntu server as OS and NFS as NAS.
Personally for home lab / personal projects I like Ubuntu LTS + free Pro registration of system for the ESM (Expanded Security Maintenance).
I like the set-it-and-forget-it systems for projects. So for example, I have 2 servers with Ubuntu 18.04 LTS installed ~ 2020, still rock solid and supported until 2028 for free. I won’t upgrade until then. ![]()
Hi @Koylerlowtier and welcome to the community!
I love your setup! I also run a Minecraft server for my family, Navidrome for music, and Jellyfin for movies and TV shows! I don’t use Tailscale at the moment. I have considered it but just don’t have a good use case for it right now.
I have two older Intel NUCs as well, both running the i5-3427U CPU: Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-3427U CPU @ 1.80GHz. On both of them I use Debian 12 (will be upgrading to Debian 13 shortly).
I absolutely love Debian as a server OS, it’s minimal and stable, both of which are my top priorities when doing self-hosting. I use docker for (almost) all of my self-hosted services and Debian supports this just fine.
I’m curious if you ran into any issues/problems with Debian that would cause you to look for an alternative? If you are dead-set on a “NAS OS”, then I’d say TrueNAS OS would be my recommendation, albeit based on very limited experience.
Another user running Debian on my servers because of it’s stability. They’re headless (no DE). I use ssh to manage from my desktop system and, when needed, an ipkvm. Running Nextcloud, Home Assistant, Immitch, Plex (planning a move to jellyfin), caddy, pihole. Zero issues, rock solid.
