---
title: "Homelab: a three-server rack at home | Nathan Gamache"
description: "The server rack I run at home: a web server, a game server and a TrueNAS SCALE NAS on two UPSs, with daily backups. This website runs from it."
url: https://www.nathangamache.com/projects/homelab/
---

# Homelab

I run a server rack at home in Michigan, with three machines on two UPSs: a web server, a game server and a NAS. This website runs from it, and so does GamJo Cloud, the app I built for my family’s vacations.

[All projects](https://www.nathangamache.com/projects/)

- Role: **Admin, with my brother**
- Where: **At home, in Michigan**
- Machines: **Three, on two UPSs**
- Storage: **Two 4 TB drives in RAID 1**
- Backups: **Every day**
- Serves: **This website · GamJo Cloud**
- Stack: **Linux · TrueNAS SCALE · RAID 1 · Tailscale**

![A drawing of the rack: the web server and proxy, a second machine for the game servers and apps, and the NAS, which runs TrueNAS SCALE with two 4 TB drives in RAID 1, above two UPSs, one for the three machines and one for the internet connection and critical services. Access is guarded by a Tailscale VPN, SSH keys and a firewall, and website traffic comes through Cloudflare’s proxy and cache. The rack runs this website, GamJo Cloud and game servers. Backups run every day to the NAS, and Better Stack watches uptime and sends alerts.](https://www.nathangamache.com/assets/img/p-homelab.svg)

A drawing of the rack, not a photo of it.

## What it is

The homelab is one rack with three machines in it, each with its own job:

- The **web server** runs Nginx with CloudPanel, serves this website and proxies the apps that run on the second machine.
- The **game and app server** runs the game servers I host for friends, and apps such as GamJo Cloud.
- The **NAS** runs TrueNAS SCALE, has two 4 TB drives and is where the daily backups go.

This website runs from the rack, with Cloudflare in front of it as a proxy and cache. So does [GamJo Cloud](https://www.nathangamache.com/projects/gamjo-cloud/), the app my family used for our summer vacation in 2026 and will use again in 2027. My brother helps me run and maintain the rack.

It’s a low-stakes way to practice the infra stuff I don’t get to do much in WordPress land: Linux administration, networking, automation and keeping services up without babysitting them.

Operations

## How it is looked after

- **Power** comes from two UPSs. One is for the internet connection and critical services, and the other powers the three machines.
- **Storage** is on the NAS, which mirrors its two 4 TB drives in RAID 1, so one drive can fail without losing data. A mirror is not a backup, though: a file deleted or corrupted on one drive is gone from both.
- **Backups** run every day to the NAS, and we’ve done restores from them.
- **Uptime** is watched by Better Stack, which sends alerts to my phone and email, including when the power goes out.
- **Security** rests on SSH keys, a firewall and a Tailscale VPN.

## Related projects

### [GamJo Cloud: Family Vacation App](https://www.nathangamache.com/projects/gamjo-cloud/)

The vacation app I built for my family, which runs on this rack. It keeps our plans, shared expenses and photos in one place, and installs on our phones.

Technologies: Python, FastAPI, Postgres, React, PWA

[View project: GamJo Cloud: Family Vacation App](https://www.nathangamache.com/projects/gamjo-cloud/)

### [Security, Performance & Site Health](https://www.nathangamache.com/projects/security-stack/)

Security on the web side: Wordfence on nine client rebuilds, a Content-Security-Policy at Cloudflare, and console errors traced to their cause.

Technologies: Security, Performance, Analytics, Cloudflare

[View project: Security, Performance & Site Health](https://www.nathangamache.com/projects/security-stack/)

[View all 16 projects](https://www.nathangamache.com/projects/)

## Want to talk infrastructure?

I am always happy to compare setups. [nathanpaulgamache@gmail.com](mailto:nathanpaulgamache@gmail.com)

[Get in touch](https://www.nathangamache.com/contact/)

---

Nathan Gamache · [nathanpaulgamache@gmail.com](mailto:nathanpaulgamache@gmail.com) · [GitHub](https://github.com/nathangamache) · [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathan-p-gamache/) · [nathangamache.com](https://www.nathangamache.com/)