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Deploy your first homelab stack with our quick start guide

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What is kombify?

kombify is the first platform that guides you through the entire lifecycle of modern self-hosted infrastructure. We transform fragmented, organically-grown homelab setups into professional, documented, and maintainable systems.
Our promise: The path from “I want a private cloud” to a secure, running system takes weeks today. kombify shortens this to hours.

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The kombify flow

Every deployment follows a clear, intent-driven process:
  1. Intent capture — You describe your goal (e.g., “Secure photo cloud for my family”)
  2. Spec generation — A wizard creates a versioned kombination.yaml specification file
  3. Simulation — kombify Simulate tests your configuration before touching real hardware
  4. Rollout — Validated blueprints (StackKits) are deployed to your infrastructure
  5. Operation — Continuous drift detection keeps your system aligned with its desired state
kombination.yaml
# Your entire homelab in one file
stackkit: base-kit
nodes:
  - name: main-server
    type: local
    connection:
      host: 192.168.1.100
services:
  - traefik    # Reverse proxy with auto-SSL
  - authelia   # Single sign-on
  - immich     # Photo management
  - homepage   # Dashboard
kombify validates your configuration, resolves dependencies automatically, and deploys using battle-tested Infrastructure as Code patterns.

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The “Glass Box” approach

kombify follows the Glass Box principle: maximum guidance for beginners, full transparency and root access for experts.

For beginners

Easy Wizard — Answer simple questions like “What do you want to build?” and get a working configuration

For experts

Full control — Every setting is exposed in YAML. You own your infrastructure and can take your config anywhere

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Choose your path

I want a private cloud

New to homelabs? Start with the Easy Wizard — answer a few questions and get a working setup in minutes

I have existing infrastructure

Already running servers? Use kombify TechStack to bring structure to your existing setup without destroying it

I want to test first

Prefer to experiment? Use kombify Simulate to simulate configurations in Docker before committing to real hardware

I need team features

Working with a team? Use kombify Cloud for SSO, billing, and collaboration features

I want intelligent automation

Want AI-powered ops? Use kombify AI for conversational assistants and 24/7 autonomous monitoring

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Core tools

kombify TechStack

Orchestration engine — The control plane for your homelab. Translates your intent into validated plans and operates your infrastructure.

kombify Simulate

Simulation engine — Test your configuration in realistic virtual environments before deploying to real hardware.

StackKits

Infrastructure blueprints — Pre-validated templates for common homelab scenarios. Start from battle-tested configurations.

kombify Cloud

SaaS platform — Central portal with identity, billing, and multi-tenant management for teams and organizations.

kombify AI

Intelligent automation — Conversational assistants and autonomous agents that monitor, troubleshoot, and maintain your homelab 24/7.

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How it works

Describe your intent

Tell kombify what you want: “A private photo cloud for my family” or “A development environment with CI/CD”

Generate your spec

The wizard creates a versioned kombination.yaml — your entire infrastructure in one file

Simulate safely

Test your configuration in Docker containers that behave like real servers

Deploy with confidence

Apply to your infrastructure with OpenTofu and gRPC agents

Operate continuously

kombify monitors for drift between your desired state and reality, proposing fixes automatically

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The kombify ecosystem

The core orchestration engine that manages your homelab nodes. It reads your kombination.yaml, validates it with CUE schemas, and deploys using OpenTofu.Key capabilities:
  • Dual wizard approach — Easy Wizard for beginners, Technical Wizard for experts
  • Multi-node management via lightweight gRPC agents
  • Spec-driven infrastructure with CUE validation
  • Drift detection between desired state and reality
  • One login = one homelab with support for multiple workers
License: Apache 2.0 (Open Source)

Learn more about Stack

Test your homelab configuration before deploying to real hardware. Sim creates containers that behave like real servers and can discover existing devices on your network.Key capabilities:
  • Network discovery — Scan your network to find homelab-capable devices
  • Docker-based lightweight VMs for realistic testing
  • Real SSH access (ports 2222-2322)
  • Hybrid simulations — Mix local, cloud, and external engines
  • Promotion path — Move validated simulations to production
License: Apache 2.0 (Open Source)

Learn more about Sim

Pre-validated infrastructure blueprints with CUE schemas. Start from battle-tested configurations instead of building from scratch.Three-layer architecture:
  • OS layer — Ubuntu baseline, networking, storage, security hardening
  • Platform layer — Docker Compose, standardized networks and volumes
  • Application layer — Modular services (photos, AI, monitoring, backup)
Available kits:
  • Base Kit — Single node, 4-6 essential services
  • High Availability Kit — 3+ nodes with Docker Swarm, high availability
  • Modern Homelab Kit — Cutting-edge services for power users
License: Apache 2.0 (Open Source)

Browse StackKits

The central cloud portal for the kombify product family. Combines marketing site, signup, identity, billing, and a unified tool launcher.Key capabilities:
  • Single Sign-On with Zitadel (OIDC, passkeys)
  • Multi-tenant organization and team management
  • Subscription management with Stripe
  • Tool launcher with seamless authentication
  • Entitlements engine — Plans unlock features, quotas, and rate limits
License: Proprietary (SaaS)

Try Cloud

AI-powered assistants and autonomous agents for your homelab. Conversational Companions help you configure and troubleshoot, while autonomous Managers monitor and maintain your infrastructure 24/7.Key capabilities:
  • Companions — Conversational assistants with persistent memory (Smart Home, Personal, Work)
  • Guard — 24/7 autonomous watchdog with trust progression (Observer → Advisor → Autonomous)
  • Server Manager — AI-powered sysadmin for package, user, and network management
  • Multi-provider support — OpenAI, Anthropic, Google AI, Ollama, and more
  • BYOK — Bring your own API keys for self-hosted deployments
  • Voice interaction — Text-to-speech and speech-to-text for hands-free control
License: Proprietary (SaaS) / BYOK (Self-hosted)

Explore AI

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Why kombify?

Spec-driven

Your entire infrastructure in one YAML file — version-controlled, shareable, reproducible

Simulate first

Test configurations in Docker before deploying to real hardware

Zero-trust security

Passkey-first authentication, mTLS for services, no exposed passwords by default

Brownfield-friendly

Respects existing setups — discover, visualize, and gradually adopt without destroying what works

Self-host or SaaS

Run on your infrastructure or use the managed platform — your choice

Open source core

Apache 2.0 licensed tools with full code access and active community

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Golden states

These are the core beliefs that guide every kombify decision:
It must not matter whether someone is a techie or not — we design paths for both. kombify exists to make self-hosted infrastructure understandable, operable, and evolvable.
Our defaults are professional, opinionated, and safety-first. But we do not put hard walls around our curated standard. We expose escape hatches and extension points.
We use intelligence (rules, models, agents) to make trade-offs transparent instead of hiding them. We look for third ways where others see “either/or”.
Desired state is always explicit, versioned, and explainable. The system detects drift, proposes fixes, and converges back without manual heroics.
Discovery, simulation, and planning come before changes. Existing setups are read, understood, and translated into the Spec — not blindly overwritten.

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Next steps

Quick start (SaaS)

Get started with kombify Cloud in 5 minutes — no installation required

Quick start (self-hosted)

Deploy kombify TechStack on your own infrastructure with full control

Core concepts

Understand the spec-driven architecture and how components work together

kombify AI

Intelligent assistants and autonomous agents for your homelab

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Getting help

Discord community

Chat with the community and get real-time support

GitHub issues

Report bugs or request features

Documentation

Browse guides and tutorials