Self-hosted in Guernsey · cowensjf.com

Private cloud.
Private media.

Vertex Homelab is a private self-hosted platform for media streaming, music, files, photos, notes and technical learning. Local hardware, encrypted tunnels, no public port forwarding.

Watch Movies & TV Listen to Music Request Something Open Cloud

Try Jellyfin

Browse the media library

Want to see what is available? Use the demo account to browse the movie and TV collection. Playback is disabled on the demo account.

serverjellyfin.cowensjf.com
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Browse Jellyfin

Services

Jellyfin
Private movie and TV streaming. Works through browsers, phones, tablets, smart TVs and dedicated Jellyfin clients.
Movies TV 4K HDR
...
Navidrome
Private music streaming with album art, playlists and Subsonic-compatible app support.
Music FLAC Playlists Offline
...
Seerr
Request movies and TV shows. Approved requests are passed into the automated media pipeline.
Requests Movies TV Status
...
Nextcloud
Exposed private cloud for files, documents, notes, calendars and contacts. Data is stored locally on encrypted storage.
Files Notes Calendar Contacts
...
Immich
Private photo and video backup with mobile upload, albums, timeline browsing and local ownership of the library.
Photos Videos Mobile Backup Internal Only
internal
Project NOMAD
Self-hosted knowledge and learning stack for technical notes, documentation, reference material and offline-first learning resources.
Docs Learning Reference Internal Only
internal

Media Pipeline

The media stack is automated end-to-end. Requests go in, organised media comes out. Each service has a specific job, from discovery through download, sorting and streaming.

Seerrrequest

Users search for a movie or show and submit a request. Seerr checks the existing library, then routes new requests to the correct automation service.

Sonarr & Radarrautomate

Sonarr manages TV. Radarr manages movies. They select releases against quality profiles, send downloads to the client, then rename and organise completed files.

Prowlarrindex

Prowlarr manages indexers and feeds search results into Sonarr and Radarr. It keeps the automation layer connected to available sources.

qBittorrentdownload

qBittorrent receives approved downloads, handles transfer activity and seeds back according to configured rules. Stalled or failed items are cleaned up automatically.

Gluetun VPNisolate

Download traffic is isolated through a VPN container with a kill switch. If the VPN tunnel drops, download traffic stops rather than falling back to the normal connection.

Jellyfinstream

Once files are processed, Jellyfin scans the library, pulls metadata and artwork, and makes the media available for streaming.

Private Cloud Stack

Not everything is media. Vertex Homelab also runs cloud, photo and knowledge services for day-to-day use.

Nextcloudexposed cloud

Private file sync, documents, notes, calendars and contacts. This is the exposed cloud service at cloud.cowensjf.com, backed by encrypted local storage.

Immichinternal photos

Self-hosted photo and video backup. Mobile uploads, timeline browsing and albums, kept internal rather than exposed publicly.

Project NOMADinternal knowledge

Local-first technical documentation, learning resources and reference material. Built for homelab, infrastructure and repair-business learning workflows.

Infrastructure

CF
Cloudflare Tunnel
Exposed services route through encrypted Cloudflare tunnels. No public port forwarding is used on the home network.
OMV
OpenMediaVault + Docker
Services run as Docker containers on OpenMediaVault. The stack is local, self-managed and separated by service role.
CPU i5-8500 · RAM 16 GB · OS OMV / Debian 12
ENC
Encrypted Private Storage
Business and personal cloud data are kept on encrypted storage, separate from the main media volume.
MED
Media Storage
Large local storage is used for movies, TV, music and automation downloads, separate from cloud and business data.
VPN
Download Isolation
The download client runs behind a dedicated VPN container with a kill switch, keeping download traffic isolated from normal service traffic.
LAN
Local First
The core services run on local hardware. External access is added only where useful, but the system is designed around local ownership.

FAQ

How do I watch movies and TV?
Go to jellyfin.cowensjf.com in a browser, or use the Jellyfin app on your phone, tablet, TV box or smart TV. Sign in with your account.
How do I request a movie or show?
Go to request.cowensjf.com, search for what you want, then submit the request. Approved requests are passed into the automated media pipeline.
How do I listen to music?
Go to music.cowensjf.com in a browser, or use a Subsonic-compatible app such as Substreamer on iOS or Symfonium on Android.
What is Nextcloud used for?
Nextcloud is the exposed private cloud layer at cloud.cowensjf.com. It handles files, documents, notes, calendars and contacts, separate from the media library.
What is Immich used for?
Immich is used for private photo and video backup. It is currently marked as internal and is not listed as an exposed public service.
What is Project NOMAD?
Project NOMAD is the internal knowledge and learning side of the homelab. It is used for technical reference material, documentation and self-hosted learning resources.
Does it work outside the house?
Yes, for services that are exposed externally. Public access is routed through Cloudflare Tunnel over HTTPS. Internal-only services stay private.
Is the network directly exposed?
No public port forwarding is used. Externally available services are routed through Cloudflare Tunnel, while internal services remain private.
Something is not working. What do I do?
Get in touch. Most issues are a container, tunnel route or service restart problem and can usually be checked quickly.

Access

Account-restricted services

Jellyfin, Navidrome, Seerr and Nextcloud are available externally with the correct account. Immich and Project NOMAD are currently internal-only.

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