Self-Hosted Kubernetes Homelab with GitOps

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Overview

I built a self-hosted Kubernetes homelab to experiment with DevOps best practices, automate infrastructure management, and self-host personal applications. This setup allows me to test new technologies in a controlled environment while maintaining full control over my data.

Goals

🔹 Running Kubernetes on low-power, low-cost hardware.
🔹 Automating deployments using GitOps.
🔹 Managing secrets and configurations securely.
🔹 Balancing cost-efficiency and high availability.

Solution & Implementation

 

Set up two Kubernetes clusters:

  1. – Production Cluster on physical hardware (HP 635, MacMini)
  2. – Staging cluster on Hyper-V virtual machines
  • Deployed applications using FluxCD GitOps workflows.
  • Automated infrastructure provisioning with Ansible.
  • Managed secrets securely using AWS Systems Manager Parameter Store.
  • Used AWS Route 53 for DNS management.
  • Implemented NGINX Ingress & MetalLB for traffic routing.
  • Adopted best practices in security, backups, and maintenance.

 

Tech Stack

K3s (Kubernetes) | FluxCD | Ansible | AWS Route 53 | AWS Parameter Store | NGINX Ingress | MetalLB | Ubuntu Linux | Let’s Encrypt | Cloudflare Tunnels

Outcome

  • Fully automated deployments via GitOps.
  • Reliable and cost-effective self-hosted infrastructure.
  • Secure secret management using AWS Parameter Store.
  • Ability to experiment freely without cloud costs.

Code

🔗 GitHub Repo: github.com/terrameijar/homelab-infrastructure

Lessons Learned

🔹 Optimizing Kubernetes for low-resource hardware.
🔹 Using GitOps workflows with FluxCD for automated deployments.
🔹 Using Ansible for infrastructure automation.
🔹 Managing multi-cluster setups effectively.