Question: What are some alternatives to a Raspberry Pi good for a small home server?

2026-06-02 06:42 UTC

Hi all, I want to spin up a small home server. Nothing crazy, maybe 4 or 8GB ram at most. 1 Docker instance running a few privacy frontends (Invidious, Redlib, Xcancel, SearxNG, etc.) and split tunneling VPN connections for each one. Obviously, a Raspberry Pi 4 or higher is the internet’s favorite choice, but I don’t need wireless connectivity, I just need a single HDMI and 2 USB ports to get everything set up, one ethernet port, and a dream in my heart. Has anyone use alternatives like Le Potato or Orange Pi? I’m curious what their community support is like, and if there’s a FOSS-friendly standard. Thanks!

Replies (8)

@Strit@lemmy.linuxuserspace.show 2026-06-02 06:45

I’ve used a RockPro64 and a Rock Pi 4 for that purpose before. They do it quite well. The main reason people recommend Raspberry Pi’s when talking SBCs is the software support (OS choices) and comminity size. No one in the SBC industry beats Raspberry Pi at those things, and they can be quite important ones.

Open ##3240965
@monotux@hachyderm.io 2026-06-02 06:51

@GreenShimada@lemmy.world old thin clients or similar (google Project TinyMiniMicro for a decent guide!) are perfect for this use case. x86, most of them have intel quicksync for transcoding, they are energy efficient and quiet.

Open ##3241949
@pro_user@lemmy.world 2026-06-02 06:55

Have a look at DietPi. That is a single-board-computer optimized Linux distribution that, in contradiction to what the name might suggest, runs on (almost) all of the SBC’s out there. It has stripped away all the things you don’t need and only installs and loads what is needed to run the software you choose, resulting in a very lightweight but powerful operating system for these kinds of devices. It has its own software catalog with a broad selection of optimized software, but you can of course install anything you want. Ive been running this on a Raxda Rock4 without any problems, and would definitely suggest this even on a Raspberry over the regular Pi image.

Open ##3242213
@Andonome@lemmy.world 2026-06-03 03:05

I run a RockPro64 with Arch Arm. No need for a monitor - you just connect over SSH.

Open ##3244421
@opavader@lemmy.world 2026-06-03 03:20

radxa has very good sbc’s at the most economical pricing and great software support. only thing is they get sold out pretty quickly. something like X4 or rock 5B will be best for your needs. dragon q6a is also extremely efficient but they get sold out almost immediately after stock comes. they sell through arace.tech so subscribe to them if for back in stock alerts

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@Telodzrum@lemmy.world 2026-06-02 11:30

Used micro PC is often the best deal. Companies offload old SFF i5 and lower machines all the time. They’re all over eBay.

Open ##3252182
@Professorozone@lemmy.world 2026-06-04 03:05

A larger sized used motherboard or even a new cheap one often has more capability if you can deal with something that is larger…

Open ##3278124
@zebidiah@lemmy.ca 2026-06-03 11:12

Unless you specifically need ultra low power draw, a minipc is always a better bang for your buck, the cheapest solution is the dusty old laptop sitting on the shelf at the back of your closet…

Open ##3299202