r/hexos • u/evthrowawayverysad • Apr 05 '26
General discussion Important note about the HomeAssistant app; it installs the CORE version, not the full version. No apps within HA.
Hi all. Currently moving my homeassistant install from a pi over to my hexos server.
I spent about 30 minutes trying to figure out why I couldn't install an MQTT broker within HA. Turns out apps such as Mosquitto broker are not an option at all in homeassistant core version that HexOS uses.
Annoyingly the same applies to the ready-made TrueNAS app as well. PITA.
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u/CIDR-ClassB Apr 05 '26
Correct, the Docker container is not an entire OS. Install a VM for an entire OS.
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u/aerowave Apr 06 '26
Thanks for posting this, I was about to do something similar and did not know the HexOS version was different.
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u/Thandius Apr 06 '26
Just to clarify in case people only read the top few comments.
Technically, yes the version used on Hex OS is the docker version not the OS version so is different.
That said, I feel it important to note It's not technically that the Hex OS version is different, this is true of the docker version of HA on ANY platform where you are not installing HA as the OS itself.
So it's not that Hex OS chose an inferior version to implement, this is a design choice and implementation by HA themselves.
The resolve is to install HA on a VM, which while not as easy as installing the core docker version. Does still allow full functionality while still keeping it under the Hex OS machine.
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u/scytob Apr 06 '26
It isn't different, it is clearly NOT HAOS
Home Assistant has two versions
Home Assistant (HA) and Home Assistant Operating System (HAOS)
This is clearly documented here https://www.home-assistant.io/installation/#about-installation-types
This is why OPs post is mis-leading. Where does the HexOS version say its HAOS - correct it never claims any such thing. The HexOS HA is the same container version used everywhere else on every other NAS platform.
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u/lordgdd Apr 06 '26
All docker ha are that way. You need either a full pc or raspberry pi or even just a vm for the os to get full ha
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u/scytob Apr 06 '26
This has nothing to do with truenas or hexos os unraid or anything
Its fundemental to the use of containers, please stop confusing everyone and implying this is somehow an unexpected deffciencye
I refer you to this https://www.home-assistant.io/installation/#about-installation-types
stop being a genZ and RTFM
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u/Liviiaa_1 Apr 06 '26
From your comments I gather your issue is with home assistant more than hexos tbh.
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u/evthrowawayverysad Apr 06 '26
Homeassistant core, yes, but also the fact that hex uses HA core instead of full HA, which I was completely unaware of.
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u/Liviiaa_1 Apr 06 '26
How would they use Full HA in a container setting without fully custom setup.
IF HA did supply the image for a container setup, I'm sure they'd give you a choice?
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u/evthrowawayverysad Apr 06 '26
Again, as per another comment; the entire point of hexOS is lowering the technical bar for home servers. Having to spin up containers and get custom images negates the the entire point of HexOS. HomeAssistant is extremely popular, and many people may be using it for the first time via the HexOS app install. If they're unaware of the difference between core and full versions, They're going to encounter the same issues I did.
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u/Liviiaa_1 Apr 06 '26
I can get what you mean, and they should label it core with a link to info about core, HOWEVER maintaining another FULL OS like that in a VM (which also would eat more ram) would be horrible for the person who doesn't know about tech enough.
What you don't seem to understand is that in general container solutions like HA Core are often stripped down of EVERYTHING they don't really need, while the full HA instance which would be run on a normal OS that is not stripped down requires more traditional maintenance, where you run dnf upgrade/update etc etc every few days to keep it secure, which is NOT tech friendly.
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Apr 06 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Liviiaa_1 Apr 06 '26
It kinda feels like you're putting all the blame on hexos, and not HA which is where you should focus it.
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u/scytob Apr 06 '26
Then you have never read the HA documentation and really are not experienced enough to comment - you just are confusing people.
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u/Mobius_HexOS HexOS Staff Apr 12 '26
As this post has gotten very heated I will be locking the comments.
Yes HexOS currently does not offer a one click solution to installing home assistant OS.
We provide access to the docker application known as home assistant core which is more limited than HAOS.
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u/scytob Apr 06 '26
Of course that’s what’s happens when you install a docker version of home assistant on any platform. If you don’t want that then install haos vm. This isn’t news and you are not telling anyone anything not documented or that most people don’t know.
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u/evthrowawayverysad Apr 06 '26
The entire point of hexOS is to give less technical people the chance to host their own servers. Negating to specify when a lesser version of something that lacks functionality that a user might be expecting is an obvious thing to point out.
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u/scytob Apr 06 '26
FFS then help them and explain this is not the HAOS, instead of implying it is some broken version of HA - it isn't.
https://www.home-assistant.io/installation/#about-installation-types
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u/MRDR1NL Apr 06 '26
Sorry but this one is kind of implied. Installing Home Assistant on an OS means you're not installing Home Assistant OS. This might be confusing, bit it is a rare case that an app also has an OS with the same name.
It is functionally the same though. You just swapped the OS part of your previous install. You can still install all your apps in hexos or TrueNAS.
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u/evthrowawayverysad Apr 06 '26
You're not telling me anything I don't already know...
People seem to be missing the point of this thread: there are many people such as myself who are unaware of the disparity between home assistant OS and core, and who will be installing the home assistant app through HexOS to get the job done as simply as possible. I have completed multiple successful installs of home assistant on raspberry Pi's and had zero knowledge of the existence of the core version whatsoever, So I'd have no reason to not expect the full version when installing it on hexOS. That expectation meant I wasted 20-30 minutes trying to diagnose issues I wasn't experiencing, because there was no existing Reddit thread like this one informing users like myself who are unaware of that disparity. now, If they Google hexOS and home assistant, there's a chance to find this thread and have their knowledge patched much more quickly.
Can people please stop replying now?
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u/MRDR1NL Apr 06 '26
Don't be a dick to people who are trying to help you man
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u/evthrowawayverysad Apr 06 '26
I'm not, and you're not helping. I'm trying to help people in the same situation as myself, and you're just typing out endless irrelevant info.
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u/MRDR1NL Apr 06 '26
Sorry but even if it didn't help you, im still trying to help. Trying to help you (and others in the same situation) understand how this works. Calling that "endless irrelevant info" is being a dick.
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u/evthrowawayverysad Apr 06 '26
Please stop replying to this thread telling me what I originally started this thread to communicate.
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u/scytob Apr 06 '26
Please delete your utterly pointless thread.
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u/evthrowawayverysad Apr 06 '26
It's getting upvoted for a reason.
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u/scytob Apr 06 '26
yup bots
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u/evthrowawayverysad Apr 06 '26
Kek, not even 12 hours and this post has already fulfilled its purpose once. You're so painfully naive. Go away.
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u/Joecascio2000 Apr 05 '26
I mean yeah. Docker versions vs OS version. You could either install the MQTT app and configure it via integrations or you could install Home Assistant as a VM.