H8s (Homernetes)

H8s is an innovative home infrastructure solution that seamlessly integrates Kubernetes with the security-oriented Talos OS, specifically designed for home labs and personal cloud environments. This project showcases a setup that uses two N100 CPU-based mini PCs, each equipped with 32GB of RAM and 1TB NVME SSDs, providing a robust platform for hosting services right at home.

Project Motivation

Building a homelab Kubernetes cluster has been a rewarding experience, aimed at enhancing skills in various areas:

• Mastering DevOps and Software Engineering practices.
• Deepening knowledge and expertise in Kubernetes, which is heavily utilized in professional environments.
• Gaining control over a private technology stack.
• Self-hosting various useful applications.
  The primary drive behind this project is a passion for continuous learning and exploration, which inspires both professional and personal development.

Key Features

H8s incorporates a range of powerful features designed to streamline home infrastructure management:

• Automated Bootstrap: A comprehensive 8-stage declarative pipeline to provision a full cluster from bare metal in under 10 minutes.
• Container Registry: Facilitate efficient management and storage of container images.
• Home-wide Ad Blocker and DNS: Enhance browsing experience across the home network.
• Internal Certificate Authority: Manage security certificates internally.
• Routing for Private Services: Access to exclusive home services.
• Secrets Management: Secure handling of sensitive information.
• Comprehensive Observability: Metrics and logs can be monitored effectively.
• CI/CD Capabilities: Full integration for continuous integration and delivery.
• External Service Access via Cloudflare: Experience external access to prioritized services, including:
  • Excalidraw
  • Grafana
  • Harbor
• PostgreSQL Databases: Facilitates internal service management for tools like Terraform and Harbor.
• Advanced Networking with Cilium: Provides network encryption, observability, IP address management, kube-proxy replacement, and L2 announcements.

Repository Structure

The structure of the repository is organized to enhance navigation and usability:

├── applications
│   ├── excalidraw                  | Self-hosted Excalidraw.
│   └── searxng                     | Privacy-focused metasearch engine.
├── ci-cd
│   ├── argo-workflows              | CI/CD pipelines (WIP).
│   ├── argocd                      | GitOps CD for Kubernetes resources.
│   └── renovate                    | Automated dependency updates.
├── images
│   ├── coredns
│   ├── terraform
│   └── image-buildah
├── infrastructure                  | Complete bootstrapping of the cluster with Proxmox and Talos + platform configuration.
├── namespaces                      | Holds all namespaces for the cluster.
├── networking
│   ├── cert-manager                | Certificate controller for the self-hosted certificate authority.
│   ├── cilium                      | The cluster's eBPF CNI.
│   ├── cloudflared                 | Facilitates Cloudflare ingress.
│   ├── coredns                     | Home-wide DNS services and ad-blocking.
│   └── gateways                    | Ingress and networking routing management.
├── observability
│   ├── grafana                     | Metrics and log observability.
│   ├── loki                        | Log collection.
│   ├── prometheus                  | Metrics collection.
│   └── promtail                    | Log shipping agent.
├── security
│   ├── cosign                      | Container and binary signing for Harbor.
│   ├── external-secrets-operator   | Manages secrets inside the cluster.
│   ├── keycloak                    | (WIP) Cluster single sign-on.
│   └── vault                       | Secrets storage and certificate authority.
└── storage
    ├── cloudnative-pg              | PostgreSQL database management for various applications.
    ├── harbor                       | Container and binary registry.
    └── longhorn                     | Cluster CSI.

This project exemplifies a modern approach to home infrastructure and Kubernetes management, offering features that enhance productivity and security, making it ideal for enthusiasts and professionals alike.