RAM and SSD prices have skyrocket in late 2025 and will probably continue this trend in 2026 and maybe even beyond. I would like to build a homelab for learning Kubernetes and hosting a few small services (such as PiHole, etc.). Ideally, the homelab is pretty quiet / can run in a low power state as to not contribute significantly to my energy bill. What are some good hardware recommendations (ideally "budget"). Also, do you need multiple devices to run Kubernetes, if so, how many (2, 3, 5, ...)? NOTE: I'm not sure if learning Kubernetes means that I first have to build a homelab, or can I install Kubernetes on my local desktop machine locally to start learning?

Wishing everyone in KubeCraft community a strong, focused and supportive 2026. Every small win you share pushes the whole group forward 💪 Let’s kick it off with this week’s KubeQuest. ⚔️ 𝗞𝘂𝗯𝗲𝗤𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗠𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘆 New week. New focus. New progress. We keep it simple 👇 𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗣 𝟭: 𝗪𝗲𝗲𝗸𝗹𝘆 𝗚𝗼𝗮𝗹𝘀 (𝗠𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘆) Post your 1–3 DevOps goals for the week in the comments under this post 𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗣 𝟮: 𝗨𝗽𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲 & 𝗪𝗶𝗻 (𝗙𝗿𝗶/𝗦𝘂𝗻) Before the week ends, reply to your own comment with: - Your status update - Your biggest win Whether everything is completed or not, showing up and reporting back is what matters. 🗓️ 𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲: Weeks run from Monday to Sunday 👉 𝗘𝘅𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗦𝘂𝗯𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻: See the example below. Each week we'll create a fresh new post to keep the momentum going. 🏆 𝗪𝗲𝗲𝗸𝗹𝘆 𝘄𝗶𝗻: Each week one member who posted and returned gets a community shoutout. Post your goals today and come back this weekend with proof. Good luck this week 🔥

Good afternoon Crafters! As we’re closing 2025, this is what finishing strong looks like. Last week @Adeyemi Ojo executed KubeQuest exactly as intended. Three goals set. Three goals completed. Proof delivered. He moved from testing things to running a real setup. That’s exactly how KubeQuest is meant to be used. Nice work @Adeyemi Ojo and thanks for setting the example 🙌 ⚔️ 𝗞𝘂𝗯𝗲𝗤𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗠𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗶𝘀 𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲 New week. New focus. New progress. We keep it simple 👇 𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗣 𝟭: 𝗪𝗲𝗲𝗸𝗹𝘆 𝗚𝗼𝗮𝗹𝘀 (𝗠𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘆) Post your 1–3 DevOps goals for the week in the comments under this post 𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗣 𝟮: 𝗨𝗽𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲 & 𝗪𝗶𝗻 (𝗙𝗿𝗶/𝗦𝘂𝗻) Before the week ends, reply to your own comment with: - Your status update - Your biggest win Whether everything is completed or not, showing up and reporting back is what counts. 🗓️ 𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲: Weeks run from Monday to Sunday 👉 𝗘𝘅𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗦𝘂𝗯𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻: See the example below. Each week we'll create a fresh new post to keep the momentum going 🏆 𝗪𝗲𝗲𝗸𝗹𝘆 𝘄𝗶𝗻: Each week we select one member who posted their goals and returned with an update. They receive a community shoutout 🌟 Post your goals today, then return on Saturday or Sunday to share your proof 🔥 Good luck this week!! PS: Use this week to build and learn. Reach out to someone in the comments and show some support.

Good afternoon Crafters! Last week @Pragalva Sapkota showed exactly what happens when you use KubeQuest the way it’s meant to be used. You can check his post here He set three clear goals, stayed focused, and made more progress in one week than he normally would in a month 🌟 This is the power of direction and consistency. Thanks for the example and commitment, @Pragalva Sapkota . This is the standard we are trying to build here 🙌 ⚔️ 𝗞𝘂𝗯𝗲𝗤𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗠𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗶𝘀 𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲 New week. New chances. New progress. We keep it simple 👇 𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗣 𝟭: 𝗪𝗲𝗲𝗸𝗹𝘆 𝗚𝗼𝗮𝗹𝘀 (𝗠𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘆) Post your 1–3 DevOps goals for the week in the comments under this post 𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗣 𝟮: 𝗨𝗽𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲 & 𝗪𝗶𝗻 (𝗙𝗿𝗶/𝗦𝘂𝗻) Before the week ends, reply to your own comment with your status update and your biggest win Whether you completed every goal or not, accountability is what matters 🗓️ 𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲: Weeks run from Monday to Sunday 👉 𝗘𝘅𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗦𝘂𝗯𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻: See the example below. Each week we'll create a fresh new post to keep the momentum going 🏆 𝗪𝗲𝗲𝗸𝗹𝘆 𝘄𝗶𝗻: Each week we select a member who submitted both their goals and their update. They will receive a shoutout in the community 🌟 Use this week to connect, build, and help others. Post your goals today, then return on Saturday or Sunday to share your proof 🔥 Good luck this week!!

In my learning journey, I never used to place much emphasis on setting weekly goals. This time I did, and it changed the trajectory of how I learned. For the week of December 1 to December 7, I defined three goals that I wanted to complete. Having a clear structure kept me organized and significantly improved my efficiency. 1. Finish the Ansible series I had started 2. Extend my homelab by repairing a laptop last booted in 2020 3. Install Talos on the newly fixed laptop These focused goals prevented me from jumping between unrelated tasks and helped me make more progress in one week than I would typically make in a month. I achieved all three goals and even went further. I set up a multi node Kubernetes cluster in my homelab, enabled secure remote access to my Talos cluster from any network using Tailscale, and documented the process in a blog while exploring how Tailscale functions underneath. I encourage everyone in this community to take part in KubeQuest and experience how much your productivity improves when you commit to specific weekly objectives. Thank you @Mischa van den Burg , @Stefan Van den berg and the entire KubeCraft community for this initiative.