As one of the big three NAS distributions, TrueNAS Scale has several perks that make it worth setting up on your storage server. It’s compatible with the ZFS file system, offers terrific performance in virtualization tasks, and includes superb RAID provisions – without costing you a penny (looking at you, Unraid).
Plus, it has a solid app store, where you can grab highly useful services and run them inside containers. As a long-time member of the TrueNAS Scale faction, here’s my curated list of the best applications you can set up on the OS.
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10 Paperless-ngx
To store every last receipt
In this data-driven world, keeping track of your invoices, receipts, and bills can be a major hassle. That’s where Paperless-ngx shines with its document management features. For starters, this neat tool includes a robust tagging system to help you organize your spreadsheets, text files, and several other document types.
Besides including OCR support for your scanned documents, Paperless-ngx lets you retrieve files using just their contents. You can also link your email to the app and sit back while it stores all your invoices, account statements, and bills in your NAS.
9 netboot.xyz
A PXE server for your NAS
If you love distro hopping as much as I do, you might be familiar with the pain of creating a bootable USB drive every time you want to check out a new distribution. PXE servers are a great alternative to USB flashing tools, as they let you drop your ISO files inside a folder and use them over a LAN every time you need to perform a bare-metal installation.
Since you’re already storing a lot of data on your TrueNAS Scale server, it makes sense to use it as a PXE boot repository. I typically use netboot.xyz for the job, and while it has its quirks when using UEFI BIOS, it comes in real handy every time I need to test a new NAS, SBC, or mini-PC.
8 Vaultwarden
Free up some brain cells with this password manager
Creating cryptic passwords for your accounts is one of the best ways to keep hackers and their brute-force attacks at bay. But if you’re used to setting as many Lovecraftian passwords as I do, it might be difficult to remember them all. A self-hosted password management utility is perfect for this task, with Vaultwarden being one of the best among its brethren.
Despite its lightweight nature, Vaultwarden can store a lot more than just your passwords. Thanks to its compatibility with Bitwarden’s client API, Vaultwarden can house everything from your credit/debit card details, identity documents, and TOTP codes – all while barely consuming your NAS' resources.
7 Pi-hole
Ads, begone!
Ask any self-hosting enthusiast about the first service they deploy on their home lab, and you’ll hear the name Pi-hole come up every now and again. Pi-hole can not only get rid of pesky online advertisements, but it can also filter out harmful websites by blacklisting dangerous domains.
In addition to doubling as a DNS server, Pi-hole can monitor your network traffic. Like Vaultwarden, it’s so lightweight that you can run it on the weakest NAS in your home lab.
6 Uptime Kuma
To monitor your container stack
Considering the experimental nature of self-hosted applications, it’s not uncommon for your home lab services to go offline when setting up a new application. That’s why you should always have a monitoring utility to keep an eye on your container suite – preferably one that runs on your NAS, as it will continue working even if your experiments break your home server.
While I love Grafana and Prometheus, Uptime Kuma combines solid functionality with an easy-to-deploy procedure. It can keep tabs on your application stack’s uptime, certificate expiry date, and response time. If you’re especially paranoid about breaking mission-critical containers, you can leverage the notification webhooks and APIs to connect your Uptime Kuma instance with Discord, Slack, and other apps to receive alerts every time a service goes offline.
5 Frigate
To monitor your living space
Surveillance systems and NAS devices go hand-in-hand, especially when you want to set up an NVR that records high-quality footage round the clock. Despite Motioneye and ZoneMinder bringing their own set of features to the table, Frigate remains my favorite application to manage my security camera setup from my TrueNAS Scale server.
Frigate’s clean UI and lightweight nature makes it easy to use even for beginners, and its solid motion tracking and alert features let you safeguard your living space from intruders. If you’re using a self-built TrueNAS Scale server like I do, you can enhance its AI detection capabilities by pairing a GPU with your NAS.
4 Nextcloud
A personal cloud, hosted on your NAS
While a TrueNAS Scale machine armed with multiple network shares can help out with your data archival and backup needs, there are times when you may need a simple file-sharing server to transfer your essential documents through different devices. Nextcloud is a private cloud that scratches that itch, and that’s before you throw the massive collection of add-ons and extensions at your disposal.
You see, Nextcloud has its own app store, where you can outfit the container with everything from office suite applications to automation services. With a little bit of elbow grease, you can easily turn your TrueNAS Scale-based Nextcloud server into a Microsoft 365 alternative.
3 Jellyfin
Or Plex/Emby, if that’s what you prefer
Given that your NAS is the best device for storing your media collection, it makes sense to arm it with a container that can play your movie collection at the press of a button. As someone who has cycled between multiple media server apps, Jellyfin remains my favorite of the bunch.
Unlike Plex, Jellyfin has an uncluttered UI and you don’t have to rely on an external firm’s servers just to log into your self-hosted media server. Not to mention, there are plenty of community plugins that let you turn your Jellyfin instance into a full-on entertainment system.
2 Home Assistant
Manage your smart devices like a pro
With most manufacturers using their own applications, controlling your smart home paraphernalia involves switching between multiple platforms. That is, unless you leverage the unified interface of Home Assistant in your TrueNAS Scale setup. By default, Home Assistant works with the majority of smart gizmos you’d find on the market, and you can use the add-ons and integrations to boost their functionality even further.
If you want even more convenience, you can utilize the trigger-action automation provisions offered by Home Assistant. Throw in support for Zigbee products, MQTT devices, and microcontrollers, and you’ve got a cutting-edge smart home management console on top of your TrueNAS Scale server.
1 Tailscale
Or WireGuard for folks who want a fully self-hosted service
Most home lab devices, including your NAS, can’t be accessed from external networks unless you dabble into the port-forwarding rabbit hole. Since my network setup is afflicted by the curse of CGNAT, it’s a real hassle to expose my services to other networks besides my home LAN.
This makes Tailscale my favorite companion application for my TrueNAS Scale workstation. If you haven’t heard of it, Tailscale is a VPN service that lets you remotely access your NAS from external networks. Although the reliance on Tailscale’s servers can be a major buzzkill, it’s a secure way of using your NAS when you’re away from your home server.
Build an imposing TrueNAS Scale application stack
If you’re still on the prowl for other services, I’ve got a couple of recommendations. Immich is an amazing utility for folks who want to appreciate their image and screenshot albums. If you’re a fan of retro gaming and own a fleet of ROM files, I recommend setting up RomM to manage your game collection. For AI enthusiasts, you’ve got Ollama and its vast collection of LLMs, though you’ll need a decent GPU to avoid running into performance issues.
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