Run HomeDash on Linux: a Lightweight HomeLab Dashboard

HomeDash is a Java dashboard for collecting information about HomeLab services and servers. This article keeps the complete command sequence from the i12bretro tutorial while resolving the latest release through the GitHub API instead of committing a binary to the repository.

Source reference: i12bretro – Run HomeDash on Linux . The original video belongs to i12bretro on YouTube .

Install Java and Maven

1. Log into the Linux device.
2. Update the package list:

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sudo apt update

3. Install available updates:

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sudo apt upgrade -y

4. Install the default JDK and Maven:

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sudo apt install default-jdk maven -y

5. Check Java:

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java --version

6. Check Maven:

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mvn -version

Download and run HomeDash

1. Create the working directory:

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sudo mkdir /opt/homedash2 -p

2. Assign the directory to the current user:

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sudo chown $USER:$USER /opt/homedash2 -R

3. Change into the directory:

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cd /opt/homedash2

4. Resolve the latest JAR release URL through the GitHub API:

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regex='"browser_download_url": "(https:\/\/github.com\/lamarios\/Homedash2\/releases\/download\/[^/]*\/Homedash-[^/]*\.jar)"'
response=$(curl -H "Accept: application/vnd.github.v3+json" https://api.github.com/repos/lamarios/Homedash2/releases/latest)
[[ $response =~ $regex ]] && downloadURL="${BASH_REMATCH[1]}"

5. Download the JAR to a fixed local filename:

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wget -O ./homedash.jar $downloadURL

6. Generate the configuration file:

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java -jar ./homedash.jar -create-config

7. Run HomeDash with the generated configuration:

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java -Dconfig.file=/opt/homedash2/homedash.properties -jar homedash.jar

8. Open http://DNSorIP:4567 in a browser.
9. Confirm that the HomeDash page is available.

Operations note: Do not expose port 4567 directly to the Internet. Use a VPN or an authenticated reverse proxy for remote access. Protect homedash.properties, inspect logs, and create a systemd unit only after confirming the Java/JAR versions work together.

Source and video

• Original tutorial: i12bretro 0904
• Original video: Run HomeDash on Linux
• HomeDash documentation/repository: lamarios/HomeDash2