Raspberry Pi Cluster
This is a 3-node Raspberry Pi cluster I built to explore self-hosted services, automation, and network infrastructure in a hands-on way. Originally designed as a Docker Swarm to experiment with container orchestration, the project has since evolved into a more streamlined and practical toolset tailored to my personal needs and learning goals.
The cluster consists of three Raspberry Pi 4 units (4GB RAM), all housed in a custom 3D-printed modular case. While the main enclosure design was sourced from the community, I engineered and printed a custom network switch mount to better integrate with my space and cable management needs. Each Pi connects via Ethernet to a mesh Wi-Fi hub in my room, creating a stable and responsive local network backbone.
All nodes run Raspberry Pi OS Lite, keeping the system lean and efficient. I previously ran Docker and Swarm for orchestration, but transitioned away from it once I streamlined the services to lightweight, bare-metal installations better suited to my use case.
Services Running:
- Pi-hole for local DNS-based ad and tracker blocking
- Cloudflare Tunnel for securely exposing self-hosted services without port forwarding
- Personal NAS using external storage and Samba/NFS for file access
- Self-hosted websites (served through Cloudflare Tunnel) for testing and showcasing my web development projects
This cluster acts as a reliable, always-on environment for my personal tools and automations. It’s also a sandbox where I experiment with networking concepts, system configuration, and custom automation workflows. The hands-on process of setting up, troubleshooting, and adapting this cluster has been a great learning platform — especially as I plan for future projects in home automation, local DSP/audio processing, and potential embedded system integrations.
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