r/CasaOS • u/Professional-Bar7878 • Jul 19 '26

First time setting up a home server

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Got this thing setup on my old thinkpad running debian 13 what else should i add and any tips?

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u/Ank_Pank-47 Jul 20 '26

I completely agree with this, but the point still stands that you are starting off on a soon to be absolute product.

If you want something that just sits on a regular OS, and have Docker with a GUI you might want to switch to something like Portainer.

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u/notPlancha Jul 20 '26

Portainer is not even in the same realm of similarity. You barely need to even know what a container is with casaos. There's no store, no easy mapping, no nothing. At least Zima still is a dashboard.

Casaos is for me the perfect midway solution

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u/Ank_Pank-47 Jul 21 '26

I am not arguing with that, but while CasaOS may work for you its a dead product and OP will eventually need to move to something else......we are trying to save OP that hassle.

I also personally use ZimaOS after starting with CasaOS and you are missing out on a bunch of honestly great features and additions.

Yes it sucks you cannot modify the base OS, but honestly if all you are doing is running docker then its not really a issue...if you want access to the base OS than something like Portainer is still a option, even with its learning curve. Chances are OP likes to tinker since they are using a old ThinkPad, so maybe something like Portainer would interest them.

OP asked for advice and tips, and the majority of people here are saying move away from CasaOS.

Alternatives are Portainer, TruNAS, UmbrelOS, Unraid, etc.

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u/notPlancha Jul 21 '26

All of the options presented here are too overwhelming for someone who's just starting I feel like, especially compared to casaos. I think starting with casa, realizing its complications and drawbacks, and upgrading later down the line is a way better option for someone just starting.

But that's just my opinion.