2026.09.04Home Server

I Set Up a NAS and Ended Up with a Home Server

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In this article, I’m sharing how I use a Synology NAS as a home server. Most of the time, it serves as storage for photos we take on our phones, while also acting as a development and self-study environment where I run Gitea.

In my case, I’ve consolidated both my photo storage and my development and testing environment on this NAS running in my home.

As Photo Storage

The most everyday role of this NAS is storing photos taken on our phones and other devices. I used to pay quite a bit each month for Google storage and iCloud, with subscription fees stacking up for everyone in the household, and honestly, it felt like a burden. I canceled them all and moved the photos to this NAS, where I can keep them long-term. Synology’s documentation says that Synology Photos can back up photos and videos from a phone to a NAS.

I also continuously record and store footage from our home security cameras on this NAS. A setup where recordings disappear after about a month made me a little uneasy from a security standpoint, since they might no longer be there when I need them. On the other hand, there’s also something a little moving about security footage preserving moments like my kids growing up over the course of one year or five years. It’s become a way to preserve life at home over the long term, not just a surveillance record.

Running Gitea and Managing Branches Locally

On that same NAS, I also run Gitea, a self-hosted Git service. I keep the repositories private, so all branch management stays within my home.

Just like GitHub, Gitea comes with a built-in CI/CD mechanism called Gitea Actions. Being able to set up a pipeline that runs automated builds and tests right after a push, all within this NAS, is something I find quite versatile.

A Testing Environment Without Paid Services

On this NAS, I can also run an AP server (application server) for development and self-study. Because I can build a testing environment without using any paid external services at all, I can test the things I develop myself entirely at home. For me, the fact that it goes beyond photo storage and gives me a place to test things at home makes it a good fit.

Summary

In my home, the Synology NAS handles both our family photo storage and my development and self-study environment, including Gitea. The biggest value for me is having a testing environment for things I build myself without using paid external services.