Tech News
← Back to articles

This Linux distro turned my spare PC into a personal cloud powerhouse - for free

read original related products more articles

Jack Wallen / Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNET

Follow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google.

ZDNET key takeaways

umbrelOS simplifies deploying an in-house cloud.

You can install more than 200 apps with umbrelOS.

umbrelOS is user-friendly and free.

I've been using Linux for countless purposes for decades -- from desktop computing, laptops, handhelds, IoT, development, servers, and everything in between. To meet those needs, I've used just about every distribution imaginable and have been seriously impressed with what I can get done.

But recently, I reviewed a home-server OS that blew me away. That OS is umbrelOS 1.5.0. This Debian-based Linux distribution is created by Umbrel, Inc. and is available for both 64-bit and Raspberry Pi computers.

Also: My go-to LLM tool just dropped a super simple Mac and PC app for local AI - why you should try it

umbrelOS can be used for things like web hosting, productivity, finance, media streaming, networking, automation, artificial intelligence, development, and Bitcoin mining. You can even use umbrelOS as an online app store.

... continue reading