Just like in 2021 and 2024, I’m once again sharing a list of my favorite software products of the year. I always enjoy reading posts like this because you can often discover a few hidden gems. Usually – let’s be honest – these lists are filled with the usual suspects. Nevertheless, this year’s list includes three selfhosted projects that you might not have heard of before.

#10: Wanderer

Let’s start withWanderer (external link) , an app for collecting your hiking routes – basically a selfhosted Komoot. The app itself doesn’t record routes, but you can easily import GPX files or data from Strava or Komoot and enrich them with additional details.

Since one of the latest updates, you can even share your new activities in the Fediverse, making it easy to discover hiking routes from people all over the world.

I like this software because after Komoot’s acquisition and price hikes, I lost interest in using it and went looking for alternatives. Now, when I go hiking, I track the route with Strava and then import it into Wanderer.

9: Nextcloud

Nextcloud (external link) really needs no introduction. For me, it’s a bit of a love-hate relationship. On one hand, it’s completely overpowered for simple file storage; on the other hand, it’s incredibly versatile and extensible with lots of small apps. I’ve tried several alternatives, but I always end up coming back to Nextcloud.

In myHomelab (external link) , I’m currently running the All-in-one installation, which has proven to be more stable than the usual Docker Compose or manual setups. To be honest, I mainly use Nextcloud for calendars and file syncing; I don’t run additional apps permanently at the moment.

8: Jellyfin

Jellyfin (external link) , the well-known media player. I’ve already written a separate post comparing it to Plex, the market leader. Personally, I’m very happy with Jellyfin – it does exactly what I need. And since there’s no cloud component, I don’t have to worry about hacks or data leaks.

Jellyfin runs as an LXC container on my Proxmox host. This allows me to use the iGPU of my thin client instead of a dedicated GPU for transcoding. However, I also make sure that all my media files are stored in a format that doesn’t require any transcoding in the first place.

7: FreshRSS

I’ve written aboutFreshRSS (external link) a few times before. It’s still the software for me when it comes to selfhosted RSS readers. FreshRSS aggregates all my feeds (which are a bit empty at the moment), but I don’t actually read them there. On my Apple devices, I use the Reeder app, which integrates flawlessly with my FreshRSS instance – as it always has.

6: Mealie

Anyone who enjoys cooking probably knows the struggle: recipes scattered everywhere, and modern recipe sites overloaded with ads and trackers. That’s why I rely onMealie (external link) – I collect all my favorite recipes there.

Mealie does an excellent job extracting recipe data from websites and presenting it in a clean, structured way. I often tweak steps and ingredients manually, but overall, it works great. As my collection grows, I’ve started organizing everything properly – otherwise, finding things becomes a mess over time.

Mealie runs as a Docker container using SQLite (no separate database). I’ve learned that smaller apps often don’t need a full-fledged database. Just make sure never to host SQLite databases on NFS shares – trust me on that one.

5: Immich

Immich (external link) is one of the rising stars in the selfhosted world. It’s a photo management app that just works incredibly well. Of course, like any complex software, it has the occasional hiccup, but the developer team fixes issues quickly. I chose Immich because more and more apps are integrating with it – allowing you to display albums or photos directly in other software.

One of my favorite features is “Memories” – similar to Facebook’s flashbacks (for those still on there). It shows photos taken on the same date in previous years, letting you revisit old moments – like the thousandth cat picture from two years ago.

Immich is important enough to me that it runs in its own VM, though still as a Docker container. That way, I have all data in one place, and backup or restoration is super simple using snapshots.

4: Adventure Log

Adventure Log (external link) was a lucky find on the r/selfhosted subreddit. The developer shared it there, and I’ve been a fan ever since.

It lets you plan and track your adventures (trips, vacations, etc.). You can now even import routes from Wanderer, though other import options are still missing. For people who love to travel, it’s a great tool.

Adventure Log also integrates nicely with Immich: you can link albums from your Immich instance directly to your travel entries and view them in context.

It’s currently the only app I run using Proxmox Helper Scripts, mainly because of its more complex setup. I might switch to the Docker version later, though.

3: Statistics for Strava

I started running regularly again a few months ago. I’ve been using Strava for years, andStatistics for Strava (external link) extends its standard functionality with additional analytics. The developer notes that, due to API restrictions, they can’t offer features that directly compete with Strava Premium.

Still, the app provides tons of useful data – personal records, heart rate analysis, and more. It originally focused on cycling but now supports many endurance sports.

The app runs as a Docker container, though you’ll need a separate cron job to import data and generate HTML reports.

2: Mastodon

Mastodon (external link) has been my main social network since Musk’s takeover of Twitter. Over the past few years, many new ActivityPub- and Fediverse-based apps have appeared, all of which integrate nicely with Mastodon. There are still some technical quirks (as I mentioned in aprevious post ), but overall, it’s been great.

Despite having an account on Bluesky, Mastodon remains my main platform. One of its downsides – which might also be an advantage – is that there are no algorithms. You don’t get suggestions or “people you might like,” which makes discovery harder but keeps the feed authentic.

I host Mastodon as a Docker container on my VPS, which also powers this blog. The containerized setup makes updating much easier.

1: Proxmox

The most important piece of software in my Homelab is definitelyProxmox (external link) . The virtualization platform keeps all my virtual machines running smoothly and has done so for years without major issues. Its built-in backup tools let me restore files or even just single configuration files when something goes wrong.

With that, my Top 10 list for this year is complete. As always, it wasn’t easy to decide which apps to include – there are plenty of smaller tools running in my setup that could easily have made the list too. But at some point, you have to draw a line. 😊

It’s fascinating to see how my Homelab has evolved over the years – and that brings me to the conclusion.

Conclusion – What’s Changed Since 2024

Comparing this year’s list to last year’s shows how much both my Homelab and my priorities have evolved. In 2024, many of my top picks were more “classic” infrastructure tools: Home Assistant, Paperless, Minio, EVCC – the backbone of any functional smart home or Homelab.

This year, the focus shifted slightly – away from automation and more toward tools that add fun and personal value. With apps like Wanderer, Adventure Log, and Statistics for Strava, several of my favorites are now tied to hobbies and everyday life. My Homelab isn’t just supposed to run efficiently anymore; it’s supposed to accompany me through daily routines – whether I’m hiking, cooking, or exercising.

Some old friends stayed on the list: Nextcloud, Immich, and Mastodon are still going strong. Others, like Home Assistant or Paperless-NGX, didn’t make the list this time – not because they’ve become worse, but because they’ve become invisible workhorses. They’re no longer highlights, but foundational parts of my setup.

Another interesting shift is that many of my 2025 favorites are more social. Through the Fediverse, shared photo albums, or activity feeds, my Homelab now connects me with others who share the same passions.

Who knows what 2026 will bring – maybe it’ll get more technical again, maybe not. But one thing’s for sure: life in the Homelab is never boring.

Proxmox: Reducing Power Consumption with 4 Practical Tips

In times of rising energy costs and increasing environmental awareness, many of us are looking for ways to reduce electricity usage in our IT infrastructure. Especially in home networks and small servers that run around the clock, energy demands can quickly become a non-negligible cost factor.

If you, like me, useProxmox — an open-source tool for virtualization — there are fortunately several effective ways to optimize your setup’s power consumption without sacrificing performance.

In this blog post I share four proven tips to make your Proxmox installation more energy efficient. It’s not just about hardware adjustments, but also about smart software optimizations that make your VMs and containers more power-friendly. Whether you’re an experienced Proxmox user or just starting out with the platform, these tips will help you reduce your electricity bill and at the same time make a small contribution to environmental protection.

Let’s get started right away and see how you can pull more efficiency out of your Proxmox server!

Beforehand: Measure Power Consumption

To even know how much electricity your devices are using, you should measure it. It’s not about perfect accuracy here, but rather getting a feeling for how much power each device consumes. For this you can purchase acheap power meter. Note please that cheaper devices naturally don’t always have high accuracy.
If you have a smart home setup, you can plug a smart-power-plug with measurement function in front of your homelab. That way you can monitor the real-time power consumption via software.

Pay Attention to the Right Hardware

Of course everything ultimately stands and falls with the right hardware. Old enterprise hardware naturally uses a lot of power. By contrast, so-called thin clients are a very good solution for building a power-efficient server. I have once presented them in a video.
Additionally, you can build a good server yourself with the right components. In the Hardwareluxx forum there’s a linked Google Sheets file listing systems that idle at under 30 Watts.
It is also important, in a self-assembled PC / server, to pay attention to all components. It starts with an efficient power supply, goes through a good motherboard, up to the right choice of CPU. Especially the latter: Intel still has a slight edge when it comes to lower idle power consumption. It is also important that Intel CPUs with a “T” in the designation only have a lower TDP.

TDP itself does not directly equate to power consumption, but is the maximum heat output. A “T” CPU is thus suitable for systems that are intended to run fully passively. Components that tend to speak for higher power consumption would be:

• Graphics cards
• RAID controllers / HBAs
• Network cards with more than 10 Gbit speed

Further down in the article I discuss ASPM status. ASPM (Active State Power Management) means that a component can or cannot support certain power-saving functions. Roughly put, enterprise hardware often is not equipped with these functions.

Set BIOS Settings Correctly

Disable Unnecessary Hardware

In most BIOS settings you can disable various devices. For a virtualization host, for example, audio is often not needed. So it would be advisable to disable the sound card in BIOS. The same applies to COM or serial ports.
If you do not have a graphics card or other add-in card requiring a high PCI-Express standard installed, you could also reduce the PCIe slots from version 4 to version 3, for example. This too saves some watts.

Enable ASPM

ASPM stands for Active State Power Management and is a technology used in computers to improve the energy efficiency of PCIe connections. PCIe is a high-speed interface used in computers to attach various hardware components such as graphics cards, network cards, or SSDs. ASPM aims to reduce the power consumption of PCIe devices by dynamically adjusting power usage in connection lines between the CPU (or chipset) and connected PCIe devices. This is done by automatically switching between different performance states depending on utilization and current requirements.

Enable CPU Power-Saving Functions

In BIOS always enable C-States. Depending on manufacturer and version you should be able to enable up to C10. But don’t worry if your BIOS only allows e.g. up to C6 — you’re not missing out on much potential.

C-States

What Are C-States

C-States, or CPU sleep states, are states into which a CPU (Central Processing Unit) can enter when it’s not being actively used. They are part of modern CPUs’ performance control functions and serve to reduce power consumption when full CPU performance is not needed.

There are different C-states, from C0 up to Cn (depending on the processor). Here are some of the most common:

• C0: Active, executing tasks.
• C1: Light sleep, can quickly return to active.
• C3: Deeper sleep, more energy saved, slower wake.
• C6: Very deep sleep, almost completely off, longest wake time.

The switch between these states is automatically handled by the operating system and hardware based on current CPU load and energy settings.

You should always aim forC10 status. In a Proxmox server you likely won’t achieve that — after all the system is typically designed to run continuously, especially if you’re running many virtual machines or LXCs.

Check C-States withpowertop

powertop is a great Linux command that allows you to check the C-states of your server. If they only go up to e.g. C3, you are still wasting energy “unnecessarily”.

Often it’s PCI-Express devices that don’t allow further C-states. With the command:

lspci -vv | awk'/ASPM/{print $0}'RS= | grep --color -P'(^[a-z0-9:.]+|ASPM )'