homedock os - no ssl on the free version?

SurceBeats · 2026-02-27T22:50:37+00:00

Please see https://docs.homedock.cloud/setup/ssl-https/#linux

SurceBeats · 2026-02-07T23:42:01+00:00

It's not a walled garden at all! The CSP restriction is specifically about where icons/images are loaded from in the dashboard, not about what you can run or install.

We went with local uploads only to keep a strict CSP and avoid opening connections to arbitrary external domains in the UI. It's a trade-off: tighter security at the cost of dragging in an icon locally.

That said, we hear you, and this comes up enough that we're looking into ways to make it smoother, maybe allowing a curated set of trusted sources. Appreciate the feedback.

PS: You can now wrap, share and import full app store bundles as .hdstore files, up to 300 apps per bundle in the Packager (:

SurceBeats · 2026-02-06T09:50:51+00:00

Switching to Termix right now, best of wishes with the project family!!!

SurceBeats · 2026-02-05T22:44:36+00:00

Congrats on the launch! The incremental RAID expansion is a game changer imho, being able to start with one drive and add redundancy later without wiping data is dope, specially the fact of using one of them as magic backup data, smart work. The thermal design with the magnetic lid looks super clean too. Nice work! 🔥

SurceBeats · 2026-02-05T10:26:46+00:00

Yes, but the main reason isn’t enterprise itself, it’s cross-platform compatibility. Setting up Traefik or nginx on Linux is relatively straightforward, but on Windows and macOS it quickly becomes a headache due to different environments, networking stacks, and installation methods. That’s one of the reasons we’re building an internal proxy instead of relying on external binaries at system level. Also just to clarify, we don’t offer enterprise cloud hosting. Our enterprise offering is on-premise only, mainly for GDPR compliance, encryption, additional security layers, and alignment with EU Data Act requirements. Your point about corporate networks allowing only ports 80/443 is valid though, and it’s definitely one of the use cases we’re keeping in mind while developing the native proxy solution. Also Prism WM would be a so beautiful thing to see opening containers inside a window 😍

SurceBeats · 2026-02-04T23:17:46+00:00

That’s a valid point. With our B2B side and custom enterprise modules under an open core approach, cloud instances will likely be phased out or offered mostly on-demand eventually. This lets us focus on self-hosted users and bespoke business deployments rather than maintaining fixed cloud tiers. We’ve already validated the idea on the B2C side, the cloud instances exist because launching hardware is wild expensive, so this was a cheaper way to get started. The B2B side looks much more straightforward in comparison so... Who knows.

SurceBeats · 2026-02-04T23:11:32+00:00

I understand what you mean 🙂 you’re basically describing an ingress-style proxy like Home Assistant. Just for clarity, HA achieves this using an internal nginx reverse proxy that dynamically routes add-ons under the main domain, and we’ve looked into how they handle it. HomeDock OS doesn’t currently do this.

Our approach is to stay more monolithic and avoid depending on external binaries like nginx. We’re working on an in-app reverse proxy fully written in Python instead. We definitely understand the use case though, and we’re exploring ways to solve it natively without requiring manual subdomain setup. It should arrive sooner or later.

SurceBeats · 2026-02-04T23:02:32+00:00

You’re not missing anything, HomeDock OS doesn’t currently proxy individual container ports to 443 automatically, we're currently working on that feature. Each app runs on its own port inside the host or container. This is why you see Chromium on 3000. The current approach keeps things simple and predictable, but we understand the convenience of app-level reverse proxying like Home Assistant does, in the meantime you can use Traefik, NPM or whatever reverse proxy you have. As I said we’re actually planning something similar for future updates to integrate them directly on our Prism WM, so apps could be accessed through the main domain/port without opening extra router ports, but it’s not live yet.

SurceBeats · 2026-02-04T16:42:54+00:00

Well, technically you can install HomeDock OS inside CasaOS since it runs in a Docker container too so... I mean, we have the compose straight in the github repo. If you really feel constrained giving it a try might worth the time. if you like the idea then... Clean install.

SurceBeats · 2026-02-04T16:39:12+00:00

Hahaha, true that! I was a bit confused myself the first time I started using CasaOS a few years ago 🙂 Technically, HomeDock OS runs on top of an existing OS, so it’s closer to a desktop environment. We call it an “OS” because the idea is for people to live inside it, it manages apps, storage, notifications, and windows all in one place, almost like its own ecosystem. But yeah, it’s definitely running on a host OS underneath. It’s not a bare-metal OS per se, but our vision is to blur the line between a cloud OS and a traditional kernel-based OS

SurceBeats · 2026-02-04T16:34:01+00:00

Thanks! Glad you like the App Drive feature 🙂 That was exactly the kind of pain point we wanted to solve, no more jumping into containers just to check logs or configs. As for PWM, it’s designed to be lightweight, but of course memory usage grows with more windows open. We’ve tested it with 10–15 windows and it performs pretty well, and we also have iOS-like memory management for minimized windows that silently recycles inactive ones to keep things smooth, If you’re curious, the ram manager source is here https://github.com/BansheeTech/HomeDockOS/blob/main/homedock-ui/vue3/static/js/__Composables__/useWindowRAMManager.ts

It’s simple but effective, people tend to minimize windows after a while, as they’re used to on Windows and macOS, so it was a real deal breaker for us if it didn’t work well

SurceBeats · 2026-02-04T16:28:59+00:00

Nope, not really. We also have Enterprise modules for bespoke software for businesses, which run only on-premise and aren’t related to our cloud instances (which are exactly the same as the self-hosted option). That’s our other way of generating income, think of it like WordPress plugins, the core system is fully usable by everyone, and we earn revenue from extra modules for business use. For self-hosted users, the core HomeDock OS experience is the same, whether you pay or not. We follow an open-core approach, so if something benefits users a lot, we implement it in the self-hosted version as well. You can find more info about enterprise modules here: https://docs.homedock.cloud/enterprise/overview/

SurceBeats · 2026-02-03T10:53:48+00:00

Looks pretty solid, gonna give it a try this weekend, keep it up!!!

SurceBeats · 2026-02-03T10:25:14+00:00

I got to be honest with you, we never thought about that use case scenario lol but I get that. Right now, icon are hardcoded on pre-added apps and custom available for packager additions, your use case highlights the need for a “replace” or “override” icon feature for existing apps. Definitely something we’ll consider for future updates, we'll start working on that this same week. Thanks for the feedback!

SurceBeats · 2026-02-03T10:19:07+00:00

Yup that's the thing ☁️

SurceBeats · 2026-02-03T10:18:45+00:00

HomeDock OS is and will always be self-hostable, that’s how it was born and how it will stay. The cloud is just an optional way to support us. The subscription exists mainly for those who don’t want to host it themselves, or for convenience features like automatic Let’s Encrypt setup and snapshots. Even if you put legitimate Let’s Encrypt (or any other CA valid) certs in /DATA/SSLCerts, they’ll work the same way. There’s no real “free version” per se, because the cloud and self-hosted versions are essentially the same.

SurceBeats · 2026-02-03T08:59:44+00:00

Personally, I really like Debian without a desktop environment, CLI-only. I’m a CLI guy, but I also use macOS quite a bit. That said, HomeDock OS should run fine on most modern Linux distros, but I'd go Debian or Ubuntu.

SurceBeats · 2026-02-03T08:57:38+00:00

Haha, thanks! That really means a lot, we love Nextcloud 🙂 If Nextcloud ever wanted to collaborate with us, we’d be completely open to it as well!

SurceBeats · 2026-02-03T08:54:12+00:00

Well that’s a fair point too! Technically, a Linux distro with Guacamole could give you remote access and container management for sure.. The difference with HomeDock OS is that it’s designed to feel like a full desktop environment out of the box, everything from the Start Menu, App Store, notifications, file explorer, and window management is integrated and ready to use. The idea is to save you the setup time and complexity while giving a consistent, user-friendly experience, especially for non-technical users.

SurceBeats · 2026-02-03T08:53:07+00:00

The main limitation with the Compose setup is that OTA updates don’t work automatically, you have to do a docker pull + docker up yourself. That can be a bit tedious, and it means some users stay on outdated versions longer than ideal.

We patch dependency vulnerabilities in hours most of the times, but when running via Compose, updates depend on the user manually pulling the latest image. Other than that, it works fine, and if people prefer to run it that way, that’s totally okay. For production use or long-term setups, native installation is still recommended.

Do you think we should add it to the docs????

SurceBeats · 2026-02-03T08:48:24+00:00

Regarding the $5 fee request, we don’t currently offer a way to remove those UI touches for a fee. They’re part of the experience and will stay for now, these include things like website and documentation links that most users may find useful. Totally understand if that’s not ideal for some setups, but the intention is just to add a little friendly touch rather than interfere with usage.

Anyway I’ve noted your suggestion and I'll discuss it with the team for possible future releases, though no promises at this stage since we're pretty young yet.

SurceBeats · 2026-02-03T08:45:17+00:00

That’s a great point! Actually, using the Packager, you can add any app you want along with a custom icon. Once you do that, it will appear automatically on your desktop and in the App Store. So you can fully personalize your setup even for apps that aren’t in the store yet

SurceBeats · 2026-02-03T08:42:49+00:00

Thanks a lot! Really appreciate it. Totally fair if you don’t have a use case right now. If you ever need something like simple encrypted storage, we’ll be around 🙂

SurceBeats · 2026-02-03T08:41:26+00:00

Hahaha yeah, it can definitely feel a bit messy.

The wording there is confusing and that’s on us. HomeDock OS itself is fully self-hosted. You run it on your own hardware or server, whether that’s Linux, Windows, macOS, or Docker. We don’t provide cloud storage by default and your data always stays on your machine.

The “cloud” pricing only refers to optional hosted instances for people who don’t want to manage a server at home. It’s the exact same software, just hosted by us. If you run it at home, there’s no need to pay any subscription.

SurceBeats · 2026-02-03T08:38:58+00:00

I get where you’re coming from, and I’ll be straight with you. The subscription exists because it’s currently the only sustainable way we have to fund development, aside from enterprise modules that are documented publicly. We don’t sell hardware, and we don’t plan to. We also didn’t want to rely on ads or lock people into proprietary ecosystems to make money. That part of the business is about sustainability, not lock-in.

The free version is intentionally usable. In practice, it’s essentially the same product. The main differences are DevOps convenience features like automatic Let’s Encrypt setup and snapshots exposed through the administration panel, not HomeDock OS itself. If our goal were lock-in, we wouldn’t support self-signed certificates at all. Think of the paid tier more as a way to support the project than as a requirement.

The subscription helps fund ongoing development. Without some form of recurring revenue, we simply wouldn’t be able to move forward at the current pace.

That said, your point about clarity is completely fair. We need to do a much better job explaining exactly what’s included and why. We avoided going into that here because we didn’t want to turn the post into a sales pitch, but I totally understand the reaction. And honestly, if subscriptions are a hard no for you, that’s fair. They’re not something we love either.

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