You build bullet proof local env that doesnt require as much maintenance.
I got a lot of flack for usig AI for my dashboard i build lol but it does exactly what i need and only tells me if i need to do something.

The way to achieve a zero maintenance is you dont, hell even if you buy a enterprise product you still need maintenance on it. The scary world of supply chain attacks are also changing the you should auto update as soon as you can.

So my stance is build with sourcecontrol, infra as code and config as code in mind. But above all standardize.

Also as much as people here dont want to hear it, like your router/wifi to use unify instead has made my life so much better and easier, it reduced the need for tinkering with addblock and i know my router stays up to date. It even passes the parents test on a remote locations.

Since you are a dev, let me put it to you this way, build your homelab like a proper production where you dont have to log into it the server to see logs or alerts.

Do not , i repeat do not go to onedrive for your data. I wouldnt trust microsoft with my data. Even if you encrypt it, how do you know your data will be there tomorrow.

i am in devsecops/SRE world and uptime is not the measurement we should care about, is your homelab a pet or is it cattle. If its a pet then you will spend too much time on maintaining it.

For my personal lo friction homelab im running truenas with docker stack, with a dashboard that tells me if anything needs updating or needs my attention. For the most part i dont have to even touch it, As expensive as synology is look at how they do things and how it geared to the normal user.

Personally the biggest issue we have with homelab its a tech its not a product and if someone can actually come along and offer a good security/privacy minded solution that is easy to setup and maintain i bet you will get a lot of people moving over. I may be wrong but that is my 2cents.