# Homelable
Homelable is a self-hosted infrastructure visualization solution. It provides a network scanning feature to accelerate the identification of machines and services deployed on your local infrastructure.
Homelable also offers a healthcheck system (WIP) through multiple methods (ping/TCP, /health API, etc.) to get a global overview of online/offline services.
You can also select some pre-built design styles, or personalize each device in your diagram.
If you just like the design, you can only run the frontend and export your design as PNG.
---
## Screenshots
---
## Quick Start — Docker
```bash
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Pouzor/homelable/main/install.sh | bash
cd homelable && docker compose up -d
```
Open **http://localhost:3000** — login with `admin` / `admin`.
> Change the password before exposing to a network: edit `.env` and update `AUTH_USERNAME` / `AUTH_PASSWORD_HASH`.
>
> Generate a new hash: `docker compose exec backend python -c "from passlib.context import CryptContext; print(CryptContext(schemes=['bcrypt']).hash('yourpassword'))"`
>
> ⚠️ Keep the single quotes around the hash value in `.env` — bcrypt hashes contain `$` characters that Docker Compose would otherwise misinterpret.
## Quick Start - Front only
```bash
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Pouzor/homelable/main/install.sh | bash -s -- --standalone
cd homelable && docker compose up -d
```
### Update
Re-run the install script — it detects an existing install and only updates `docker-compose.yml`:
```bash
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Pouzor/homelable/main/install.sh | bash
cd homelable && docker compose pull && docker compose up -d
```
### Build from source
```bash
git clone https://github.com/Pouzor/homelable.git
cd homelable
cp .env.example .env
docker compose up -d
```
---
## Proxmox LXC Install
Run this **on the Proxmox host** — it creates a Debian 12 LXC container and installs Homelable inside automatically:
```bash
bash <(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Pouzor/homelable/main/scripts/install-proxmox.sh)
```
Default container settings: 2 cores, 1 GB RAM, 8 GB disk, DHCP on `vmbr0`. Override before running:
```bash
CTID=150 RAM=2048 STORAGE=local-zfs bash <(curl -fsSL .../install-proxmox.sh)
```
The backend runs as a systemd service, the frontend is served via nginx on port 80.
> To install manually inside an existing Debian/Ubuntu machine or LXC:
> ```bash
> bash <(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Pouzor/homelable/main/scripts/lxc-install.sh)
> ```
---
## Configuration
All configuration is done via `.env` (copied from `.env.example`):
```env
SECRET_KEY=change_me_in_production
# Auth — default: admin / admin
AUTH_USERNAME=admin
AUTH_PASSWORD_HASH='$2b$12$...' # bcrypt hash — keep single quotes
# CIDR ranges to scan
SCANNER_RANGES=["192.168.1.0/24"]
# How often to check node status (seconds)
STATUS_CHECKER_INTERVAL=60
```
All settings are also editable in-app via the **Scan Network** button.
---
## Network Scanner
The scanner runs `nmap -sV --open` on your configured CIDR ranges and populates a **Pending Devices** queue. From the sidebar you can then approve (adds a node to the canvas), hide, or ignore each discovered device.
### Triggering a scan
Click **Scan Network** in the sidebar. The Scan History tab opens automatically and refreshes every 3 seconds until the scan completes. Errors are shown inline and as a toast notification.
### macOS / root privileges
Some nmap scan types (SYN scan, OS detection) require root. If the scan fails with a permissions error, run it manually with sudo using the included script:
```bash
cd backend
sudo python ../scripts/run_scan.py 192.168.1.0/24
# Multiple ranges:
sudo python ../scripts/run_scan.py 192.168.1.0/24 10.0.0.0/24
```
Results are written directly to the database and appear as Pending Devices in the UI without restarting the backend.
> On Linux the backend process itself can be given the `NET_RAW` capability instead of running as root:
> ```bash
> sudo setcap cap_net_raw+ep $(which nmap)
> ```
---
## Proxmox Nested Nodes
Proxmox nodes render as a resizable group container. VM and LXC nodes can be placed inside:
1. Add a **Proxmox VE** node to the canvas
2. Add a **VM** or **LXC** node — select the Proxmox node in the **Parent Proxmox** dropdown
3. The child node appears inside the group and moves with it
4. Select the Proxmox node to reveal resize handles (drag corners to expand)
---
## Node Check Methods
| Method | Description |
|--------|-------------|
| `ping` | ICMP ping |
| `http` | GET request, success if status < 500 |
| `https` | GET with TLS verify |
| `tcp` | TCP connect (target: `host:port`) |
| `ssh` | TCP connect to port 22 |
| `prometheus` | GET `/metrics` |
| `health` | GET `/health` |
---
## MCP Server (AI Integration)
Homelable exposes a [Model Context Protocol](https://modelcontextprotocol.io) server so any MCP-compatible AI client (Claude Code, Claude Desktop, Open WebUI…) can read your homelab topology and act on it.
### What the AI can do
| | Action |
|---|---|
| **Read** | List all nodes, edges, full canvas, pending devices, scan history |
| **Write** | Add / update / delete nodes and edges, trigger a network scan, approve or hide discovered devices |
### Setup
**1. Add the keys to your `.env`:**
```env
# Authenticates AI clients (Claude Code, etc.) → MCP server
MCP_API_KEY=mcp_sk_changeme
# Authenticates MCP server → backend (internal Docker network only, never exposed)
MCP_SERVICE_KEY=svc_changeme
# Generate both with:
# python3 -c "import secrets; print(secrets.token_hex(32))"
```
No plain-text passwords involved — `AUTH_PASSWORD_HASH` is only used for the web UI login.
**2. Start the MCP service:**
```bash
docker compose up -d mcp
# MCP server is now listening on http://:8001
```
**3. Configure your AI client:**
**Claude Code** (`~/.claude/claude_desktop_config.json` or via `/mcp` in the CLI):
```json
{
"mcpServers": {
"homelable": {
"type": "sse",
"url": "http://:8001/mcp",
"headers": {
"X-API-Key": "mcp_sk_yourkey"
}
}
}
}
```
**Claude Desktop** (same config file, usually `~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json` on macOS):
```json
{
"mcpServers": {
"homelable": {
"type": "sse",
"url": "http://:8001/mcp",
"headers": {
"X-API-Key": "mcp_sk_yourkey"
}
}
}
}
```
### Example prompts
- *"What nodes are currently offline?"*
- *"Add a new LXC container named `pihole` at 192.168.1.5, connected to my switch."*
- *"Trigger a network scan on 192.168.1.0/24 and show me the pending devices."*
- *"Show me the full canvas topology."*
### Security
- The MCP server is **not** intended to be exposed to the internet — keep port 8001 firewalled to your LAN.
- Rotate the key any time by updating `MCP_API_KEY` in `.env` and restarting: `docker compose restart mcp`.
- The MCP server communicates with the backend over the internal Docker network — the backend API is never directly exposed to MCP clients.
---
## Development Mode
**Backend (Python 3.13):**
```bash
cd backend
python3.13 -m venv .venv && source .venv/bin/activate
pip install -r requirements.txt
cp ../.env.example .env # edit SECRET_KEY and review defaults
uvicorn app.main:app --reload --port 8000
```
**Frontend:**
```bash
cd frontend
npm install
npm run dev # http://localhost:5173
```
---