davestephens/ansible-nas

Ansible-NAS is a configuration playbook that turns a plain Ubuntu machine into a full-featured home server. The author created it after dealing with repeated breakage from FreeNAS updates, and the approach is different: start with a standard Ubuntu install, then use Ansible (a configuration automation tool) and Docker containers to set up whichever services you want. You pick what to enable, run the playbook, and the software installs and configures itself. The list of available applications is very long. On the media side it includes Jellyfin, Emby, Plex, Navidrome, Airsonic, and Booksonic for streaming video, music, and audiobooks. For file storage and sync there is Nextcloud. For home automation there is Home Assistant, openHAB, and Homebridge. For personal finance there is Firefly III. For recipe planning there is Mealie. For 3D printing there is Octoprint. The list also covers download tools, wiki software, password managers, a Minecraft server, code editors accessible in a browser, monitoring dashboards, and more. Each application is defined as an Ansible role that can be toggled on or off. If you have a spare domain name, the playbook can configure applications to be reachable from outside your home network. It also handles dynamic DNS updates automatically when your home IP address changes, using Cloudflare DDNS or a similar provider. Sensible hostnames are set up for each service. The project is aimed at people comfortable with Linux who want a self-hosted alternative to buying a ready-made NAS appliance. You need an Ubuntu server (physical or virtual), a working knowledge of running commands, and some familiarity with editing configuration files. The setup process is documented and a community chat is available for questions. The project is open source under a permissive license.