Best Self-Hosted Dashboard
A self-hosted dashboard is the start page for your homelab: one URL that lists every service and, wired up, shows live status and stats for each one. Two tools lead. Homarr, which you configure entirely in the browser with drag-and-drop tiles and built-in logins, and Homepage, which you configure in YAML and which pulls the richest live data from your apps. Homarr is the one I hand most people. Dashy, Heimdall, Glance, and Flame each win a narrower case.
Updated 2026-07-06 · by Jonathan Caruso
Top pick
Homarr
Homarr is the friendliest of the bunch without giving up capability. The 1.0 rewrite moved everything into the web UI, so you build the board by dragging tiles, pasting a service URL, and picking an icon, with no config file to edit and reload. It has real integrations, not just links: point it at Sonarr, Radarr, Pi-hole, qBittorrent, or Docker and the tile shows live counts and controls. It ships its own user management and login, so you can put it behind auth without bolting on a separate layer. For a homelab dashboard that looks good and stays editable from your phone, start here.
The options
Homarr
Apache 2.0, freeA drag-and-drop dashboard you build in the browser, with live service integrations and built-in logins.
Visit Homarr site- Runs on
- Docker, ~256 MB RAM. Bundles its own database.
- Pick it if
- You want integrations and a good-looking board without editing config files.
Homepage
GPL-3.0, freeA static, YAML-configured dashboard with 100+ service widgets and Docker service discovery.
Visit Homepage site- Runs on
- Docker, ~64 MB RAM. Very light and fast.
- Pick it if
- You like declarative config in Git and want the deepest live widgets.
Dashy
MIT, freeA customizable dashboard with per-service status checks, themes, and an optional UI config editor.
Visit Dashy site- Runs on
- Docker, ~128-256 MB RAM.
- Pick it if
- You want up/down indicators and heavy theming, set in YAML or the built-in editor.
Heimdall
MIT, freeA simple application launcher from LinuxServer.io, with a few enhanced apps that show basic stats.
Visit Heimdall site- Runs on
- Docker, ~128 MB RAM. Container listens on 80 and 443.
- Pick it if
- You want the fastest possible setup and mostly need clean links.
Glance
AGPL-3.0, freeA YAML-configured, feed-style dashboard for RSS, weather, markets, monitors, and Docker containers on one page.
Visit Glance site- Runs on
- Docker, a single small Go binary, tens of MB of RAM.
- Pick it if
- You want a glanceable info page, not just an app launcher.
Flame
MIT, freeA minimal app and bookmark launcher with a built-in editor and no external dependencies.
Visit Flame site- Runs on
- Docker, very light.
- Pick it if
- You want the simplest possible launcher and nothing else.
How to choose
Pick by how you like to configure things. If you would rather click than edit text files, Homarr and Dashy both configure from the browser, and Homarr's integrations go further. If you keep your homelab in Git and want config you can diff and redeploy, Homepage and Glance are plain YAML, which fits an infrastructure-as-code setup. Heimdall and Flame sit at the simple end: they are launchers first, so reach for them when you just want tidy links and a search box. All six run as a single Docker container; if containers are new to you, the Docker vs Podman rundown covers the runtime, and Dockge vs Portainer covers managing the stack once it grows.
Then decide how much live data you want on the page. Homepage and Homarr are the two that pull real status from your services (download queues, container state, Pi-hole blocks) through API keys, so they double as a light monitoring board. Glance leans into feeds and system stats rather than app control. Dashy adds up/down checks for each tile. If you plan to reach the dashboard from outside the house, do not expose it directly: put it behind a reverse proxy with TLS, covered in Nginx Proxy Manager vs Traefik, or reach it over a VPN. And remember the dashboard is a front end only; the box under it still needs a solid base, which is where the best Linux OS for a home server roundup comes in.
The verdict
Run Homarr for most homelab dashboards. You build it in the browser, it integrates with the apps you already run, and it handles its own logins, so it is the least fussy way to get a good-looking, useful board. Switch to Homepage if you want declarative YAML config in Git and the deepest live widgets, Dashy if you want status checks and themes, Glance if you want a feed-and-stats page rather than a launcher, and Heimdall or Flame if you just want clean links up fast. Whichever you pick, keep it off the open internet without a reverse proxy or VPN in front, and build it on a stable base from the best Linux OS for a home server roundup.
FAQ
What is the best self-hosted dashboard?
For most homelabs, Homarr: you build it in the browser, it has live integrations with common apps, and it ships its own login. Choose Homepage instead if you prefer YAML config in Git and want the widest set of live widgets, or Dashy if you want per-service status checks and heavy theming.
What is a self-hosted dashboard for?
It is the single start page for a homelab. Instead of remembering a dozen IP-and-port combinations, you open one URL that lists every service with an icon, a search box, and often a live status or stat for each. It replaces a browser bookmarks folder or a hosted start page like start.me with something that lives on your own server.
Is there a free open source self-hosted dashboard?
All of the ones here are free and open source: Homarr (Apache 2.0), Homepage (GPL-3.0), Dashy (MIT), Heimdall (MIT), Flame (MIT), and Glance (AGPL-3.0). None of them keep features behind a paywall; you supply the hardware and the container does the rest.
Homarr or Homepage: which should I use?
Homarr if you want to configure everything in the web UI and get drag-and-drop tiles plus built-in auth. Homepage if you are comfortable editing YAML, want it in version control, and want the largest catalog of live service widgets. Both are excellent; the split is really UI-driven versus file-driven.
What port does Heimdall run on?
The LinuxServer.io Heimdall container listens on port 80 for HTTP and 443 for HTTPS inside the container. You map those to whatever host ports you like in your Docker run command or compose file, for example 8080:80. Nothing about the app forces a specific external port.
Do self-hosted dashboards need Docker?
Not strictly, but Docker is how nearly everyone runs them, and the official docs assume it. Homepage, Glance, and Flame can also run from a binary or source, and Heimdall ships as a PHP app, but a single container is the path of least resistance for all six.
Can a dashboard show live stats like CPU, disk, and download queues?
Yes, if you pick one built for it. Homepage and Homarr read live data from services through API keys (Sonarr queue, qBittorrent speeds, Pi-hole blocks, Docker container state), and both can show host CPU, memory, and disk. Glance is strong on system and feed widgets. Heimdall and Flame are launchers, so they show links, not live metrics.