Top 10 Docker Containers Every Homelab Should Run in 2026

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docker homelab self-hosting containers

You already have Docker running. Now fill it with something useful.

These are the containers I actually keep running — no "install 47 things" lists, just the ones that earn their CPU cycles.

1. Portainer

Manage all your containers from a browser. Portainer gives you a clean UI for starting, stopping, inspecting and updating containers without touching a terminal every time.

docker run -d -p 9000:9000 --restart always \
  -v /var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock \
  portainer/portainer-ce

2. Nginx Proxy Manager

Reverse proxy with a GUI and automatic Let's Encrypt certificates. Point your domain subdomains at internal services without editing nginx config files by hand.

3. Uptime Kuma

Self-hosted status monitoring for all your services. You get ping checks, HTTP checks, port checks and push notifications to Telegram, Discord or email when something goes down.

4. Vaultwarden

An unofficial Bitwarden-compatible server written in Rust. Runs on a Raspberry Pi. Sync passwords across every device without sending your vault to someone else's cloud.

5. Jellyfin

Open-source media server. Stream your own movies, TV shows and music to any device on your network — or outside it with a reverse proxy. No licensing fees, no tracking.

6. Netdata

Real-time performance monitoring with 1-second granularity. CPU, RAM, disk I/O, network throughput — all in a browser dashboard that updates live.

7. Wireguard Easy (wg-easy)

WireGuard VPN with a web UI. Set up a VPN back into your homelab in about ten minutes. The UI lets you add and revoke peers without touching wg-quick configs.

8. Immich

Self-hosted photo and video backup — Google Photos without the Google. Your phone uploads automatically, faces get recognized, and you search by location or date. Runs well on a mini PC with a decent GPU.

9. Heimdall

Application dashboard for your homelab. One page with links and live status for every service you run. Beats bookmarks.

10. Semaphore (AWX alternative)

A clean UI for running Ansible playbooks. If you manage more than two machines, you want this instead of running playbooks from the terminal every time.

The Hardware Under All This

If you're shopping for a mini PC or SSD to run these on, these are the two I use:

Start with Portainer, Nginx Proxy Manager, and Uptime Kuma. You'll add the rest once you see how little resources they actually use.

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