Turn your Linux server into a private cloud, NAS, and app platform.
Home Server Interface (HSI) is an open-source control panel for a single Linux server: manage files, run Docker apps from a built-in App Store, operate real storage (S.M.A.R.T., RAID, LVM), and monitor your hardware, all from one modern dashboard, without giving up shell access to the machine underneath.
Install · Features · Screenshots · Why HSI? · Documentation · Releases
One command, on a fresh Ubuntu 24.04 server:
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/kittyruntime/home-server-interface/main/scripts/install.sh | sudo bashThat's it: the installer sets up the app user, Node.js, the message broker, the privileged worker, and the database, then starts HSI's systemd services. Full details, updates and version pinning are in Install.
Every area below is real and in daily use, but HSI is still evolving quickly, so nothing
here is labeled "Stable" yet. Beta means it works and is actively maintained; Experimental
means it's new enough that interfaces may still change. See Project status
for what that means in practice.
Files Beta: A full file manager in the browser, not an afterthought.
- Resumable, pause/resume chunked uploads with integrity checks
- Built-in code editor and expiring public share links
- "Places" with per-user and per-group permissions
Apps & Docker Beta: Run self-hosted apps and containers without touching a shell.
- Curated App Store with guided installs and pinned image versions
- Full container lifecycle: create, edit, logs, networks, mounts
- Import an existing Compose file to prefill a container
- App definitions live as standard Docker Compose files in
/opt/containers, usable with or without HSI
Storage Beta: Real disk and array management, not just a usage bar.
- S.M.A.R.T. health, partitions, and disk formatting
mdadmRAID and LVM, with guardrails against destructive actions- Mounts and
/etc/fstabmanagement
Monitoring Beta: Know what your server is doing, live and over time.
- CPU, RAM, network and storage metrics with 1h–7d history
- Background alerts for RAID degradation and failing disks
- Filterable audit trail of privileged actions
Users & Sharing Beta: Multi-user from day one.
- Groups, per-place permissions, and admin/storage delegation
- Built-in SMB/Samba sharing, synced with HSI accounts
- Rate-limited logins and redacted audit values
Backups Beta: Two layers, so config and data are both covered.
- Encrypted (AES-256-GCM) HSI configuration backup and restore
- Scheduled rsync backups, local or over SSH, push or pull
Full feature details, including the desktop/windowed mode, live in the Documentation.
| Desktop mode | App Store |
|---|---|
 |
 |
| Storage | File manager |
|---|---|
 |
 |
| Monitoring | |
|---|---|
 |
See it in motion: demo.gif
Most home-server tooling makes you choose between a friendly dashboard that hides Linux, or a raw admin panel that assumes you already know the command line. HSI aims for the middle ground:
- Built for home servers, not adapted from enterprise infra. Storage, Docker and Sharing are designed around what a home server actually does.
- A real file manager, not an afterthought. Chunked resumable uploads, an inline code editor, and shareable links are first-class features.
- Storage you can actually operate. S.M.A.R.T., partitions,
mdadmRAID and LVM are managed from the UI, with guardrails against destructive operations. - Docker and an App Store together. Run a curated app in one click, or manage any container by hand: same interface, same place.
- Backups included. Encrypted config backups and scheduled rsync jobs ship with HSI itself, not as a separate tool you have to wire up.
- Security-conscious by design. The web backend runs unprivileged; every
root-level operation goes through a separate, isolated worker process over a
message queue, not
sudocalls from a Node process. - Linux stays visible. HSI manages your server without hiding it: the Samba
shares,
/etc/fstabentries and systemd units it creates are things you can inspect and touch yourself.
If that sounds like something you'd want to run on your own hardware, a star on GitHub helps more people find the project, and it takes one click.
- Active development. New features ship regularly, and some interfaces may still change between releases.
- Tested on Ubuntu 24.04 (x86-64). Other distributions are not officially supported.
- Not security-audited. Treat it like any early-stage self-hosted project.
Warning
HSI has not undergone a formal security audit and may contain vulnerabilities, incomplete protections, or breaking changes without notice. If you run it, keep it updated, avoid exposing it directly to the internet, and consider network isolation, especially while the project is this young.
- Ubuntu 24.04 on x86-64 (other distributions are not officially supported)
curland root access to run the install command (sudo, orcurl … | bashfrom a root shell)- The installer checks the other host packages it needs (storage tools such as
mdadm,smartmontools,lvm2,parted, plusopenssl,rsync, an OpenSSH client) and installs missing ones withapt-get; see Host packages - Optional: Docker for containers and the App Store; Samba for SMB shares
- Ports 80 (nginx, optional) and 9001 (backend) reachable from clients
The documentation site is at kittyruntime.github.io/home-server-interface:
- Install: requirements, install and update, first login, services
- Features: storage, files, apps, users and shares, monitoring, maintenance
- Manage without HSI: the files and commands behind Docker, Samba, RAID, mounts and systemd, if HSI is down or gone
- Configuration: environment variables, services, install/update options, logs
- Architecture and Development: processes, privilege isolation, local setup, release process
Its sources are in website/src/content/docs.
Re-running the install command updates an existing installation and keeps its database and secrets. Version pinning, the systemd services and their logs are covered in Install.
A new installation has no default account: open the setup link the installer prints to create the administrator.
Requirements: Node.js 20.19+ or 22.12+, pnpm, Go ≥ 1.25, curl, openssl, rsync and an OpenSSH client.
git clone https://github.com/kittyruntime/home-server-interface
cd home-server-interface
sudo bash scripts/install.sh --from-sourceFor a local development environment (dev servers, hot reload, project layout, release process) see Development.
HSI is open source and still shaping its roadmap, so feedback from real usage is genuinely useful at this stage.
- Found a bug? Open an issue.
- Missing a feature? Open an issue describing the use case.
- Want to contribute code? Pull requests are welcome; see Development for local setup.
- General feedback on the interface or the direction of the project is welcome via issues too.
Please read the Code of Conduct before participating.
Home Server Interface is open-source software licensed under the Mozilla Public License 2.0.
You may use, modify, distribute and use the software commercially. Modifications to files covered by the MPL must remain available under the MPL-2.0.
© 2025–2026 kittyruntime
If you find HSI useful or want to follow its development, consider giving the project a ⭐.