People running servers at home usually split between hardware/lab setup questions and “what should I self-host?” app questions. r/homelab covers labs, projects and builds. r/selfhosted focuses on self-hosted alternatives to cloud apps. Neither is a piracy help desk.
Where to ask
Best for: Sharing or asking about home lab hardware, builds and lab projects with real detail.
Why it fits: Its public description: “Welcome to your friendly /r/homelab, where techies and sysadmin from everywhere are welcome to share their labs, projects, builds, etc.”
Members in our directory: 1.1M
Rules to know before posting:
- Don’t be an asshole — negativity can bring bans.
- Post details about the lab and what you use it for — picture dumps with no context are removed.
- Stay homelab-related.
- No shitposts or low-effort “what should I do with this box” / bare speed-test flex posts.
- No piracy discussion or recommendations.
- No referral links, product advertising or company ads without prior mod approval.
- Sales and price checks belong in r/homelabsales.
- No pandering “humble lab” / age-for-karma titles.
- Giveaways and AMAs need mod vetting first.
Read r/homelab’s current rules on Reddit
Best for: Finding, discussing and troubleshooting self-hosted apps and services.
Why it fits: Its public description: “A place to share, discuss, discover, assist with, gain assistance for, and critique self-hosted alternatives to our favorite web apps, web services, and online tools.”
Rules to know before posting:
- Follow Reddit’s self-promotion guidelines.
- No underhanded shilling — be upfront if you are tied to a product.
- No hate speech or harassment.
- Posts must relate to self-hosting (including clearly related tooling).
- Show minimum effort — share what you already researched when asking for help.
- Blog links belong in a text post body with substance, not as bare link posts.
- Dashboard show-and-tell is limited to Wednesdays with proper flair.
- Reddit’s sitewide rules apply.
Read r/selfhosted’s current rules on Reddit
Before you post
- Say your hypervisor, OS, goals (media, backups, DNS) and constraints — vague “homelab ideas?” posts struggle.
- Home Wi-Fi client issues still fit the home-networking where-to-post page.
- Linux OS troubleshooting that is not lab-specific can fit the Linux where-to-post page.
Related on SubMouse
Rule summaries are paraphrased from each community’s published rules (public archive copy retrieved 7 November 2026; original snapshot date unavailable). Current rules may differ — check the community’s rules before posting. A good fit does not guarantee a reply.