Labby is a self-hosted homelab inventory, rack and topology tool. It helps you document your hardware, virtual machines, LXCs, apps, networks, IP addresses, rack layouts and relationships in one place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You can try the demo here:<\/p>\n\n\n\n The demo saves everything in your browser only. The self-hosted version uses persistent backend storage, so all devices and browsers can access the same data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Like many homelab users, I reached a point where my setup had grown beyond \u201cI remember where everything is.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n At first, a few notes were enough. Then came more servers, VMs, containers, services, VLANs, IP addresses, ports, reverse proxies and backup systems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At some point, you start asking yourself:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhere is this app running?\u201d I wanted one simple tool that answers these questions without becoming complicated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That is how Labby started.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Labby lets you map your homelab in a structured way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You can add:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Each resource can have metadata like manufacturer, operating system, CPU, RAM, disks, notes, IP addresses, ports and URLs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But Labby is not only an inventory list. The important part is the relationship between everything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For example:<\/p>\n\n\n\n An app can run on a VM. Labby tries to make this visible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One of the most useful features is the relationship view.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Tree View<\/strong> shows your infrastructure in a classic structured way. This is useful when you want to see which VMs or LXCs belong to which hardware host, and which apps belong to which VM or container.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Graph View<\/strong> gives a more visual overview. Resources are shown as connected bubbles, and Labby tries to center and zoom the graph so the most important part of the topology is visible immediately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Names are shown directly under the bubbles, and clicking a node opens the resource for editing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This was one of the more difficult parts to get right because a real homelab graph is rarely clean. Some nodes have many children, some relationships are wide, and some connections create long branches. Making the graph useful by default took a lot of iteration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Another feature I wanted from the beginning was a proper IP View<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Instead of searching through cards manually, Labby can show all used IP addresses grouped by subnet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This makes it easy to see:<\/p>\n\n\n\n You can also search by hostname, IP address or port.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This is especially useful when dealing with apps like:<\/p>\n\n\n\n The newest big feature is Rack View<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This was important to me because many homelab diagrams stop at the logical level. They show services and hosts, but not where things physically live.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With Rack View, you can create locations and racks, then place equipment into front and rear rack layouts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Labby supports rack components like:<\/p>\n\n\n\n You can also link rack components to existing Labby resources. So the server in your rack is not just a drawing. It can be connected to the actual hardware entry in your inventory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Labby also includes a theme system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There are multiple built-in themes, and you can create your own custom themes inside the UI. Custom themes are saved and included when exporting your config.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The active theme is also exported and restored on import.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This sounds like a small feature, but for a tool you might keep open often, appearance matters. A homelab dashboard should feel like your own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The self-hosted version stores data server-side in a Docker volume.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That means your data is not tied to one browser. You can open Labby from another device and still see the same homelab map.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Labby also supports JSON export and import. The export includes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n This makes backup and migration simple.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Older localStorage exports from earlier versions can also still be imported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I also created a demo version at:<\/p>\n\n\n\n The demo is intentionally different from the self-hosted version. It stores data only in the browser and automatically loads demo entries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This lets people try Labby without installing anything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The demo includes example networks, hardware, apps and racks, so visitors can immediately see what Labby is meant to do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One thing I want to be transparent about: Labby is a vibe-coded project built mainly with help from Codex by OpenAI and Claude by Anthropic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I used AI heavily during development, but the project direction, testing, feature decisions and iteration came from my own needs and ideas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This workflow helped me move much faster than I could have alone. At the same time, it also meant I had to test a lot, fix many small issues and continuously refine the UI until it worked the way I wanted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Labby can be self-hosted with Docker.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Then open:<\/p>\n\n\n\n To stop it:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Data is stored in a Docker volume and survives container restarts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Labby has a clean architecture: Frontend-first with optional backend.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n When you add a resource, the frontend displays it instantly. Changes sync to the backend, which stores your data permanently as JSON. This means you can access the same homelab map from any device.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Live Monitoring<\/strong> is one of the unique features. You can set a resource\u2019s status to \u201cLive\u201d and Labby automatically pings IPs and checks URLs every 5 seconds. Status updates appear on your cards in real-time-\ud83d\udfe2 online, \ud83d\udd34 offline.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Everything connects.<\/strong> An app runs on a VM. The VM runs on a Proxmox host. The host connects to a switch. The switch belongs to a network. This relationship data powers Tree View, Graph View, and IP tracking. One array stores all connections, and the UI visualizes them automatically.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The self-hosted version stores data in Docker, so your homelab map persists and syncs across devices. The demo version uses browser storage only\u2014no installation needed to try it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Labby started as a simple idea: I wanted a better way to map my homelab.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It has now grown into my biggest project so far, with inventory management, topology views, IP tracking, rack layouts, themes, mobile support and persistent storage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There is still more I want to improve, but I am proud of how far it has come.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you run a homelab and want a clean way to document it, give Labby a try:<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/techbygiusi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Labby-1-1024x576.png\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nWhy I Built Labby<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhich VM hosts this service?\u201d
\u201cWhat IP did I give this device?\u201d
\u201cWhich server is in which rack?\u201d
\u201cIs this service still online?\u201d
\u201cWhere did I write down that URL?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\nWhat Labby Does<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n
A VM can run on a Proxmox host.
A Proxmox host can be connected to a switch.
The switch can be connected to a router.
The router belongs to a network.
And the device can also be placed inside a rack.<\/p>\n\n\n\nTree View and Graph View<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/techbygiusi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Screenshot-2026-06-04-121546-1024x576.png\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nIP View<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n
192.168.20.21:9000\n192.168.20.22:8096\n192.168.10.40:3000<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nRack View<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Themes and Customization<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/techbygiusi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Screenshot-2026-06-04-121533-1024x576.png\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nImport, Export and Persistent Storage<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/techbygiusi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Screenshot-2026-06-04-121528-1024x576.png\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nDemo Version<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Built With AI Assistance<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Installation<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
docker compose up --build -d<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nhttp:\/\/localhost:8080<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\ndocker compose down<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nHow Labby Works<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/techbygiusi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/image-1024x594.png\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nFinal Thoughts<\/h2>\n\n\n\n