As my home data storage needs grew, buying a ready-made Synology NAS was the first solution that came to mind. However, when I reviewed a Synology DS218+ model in 2018, I found its price tag to be high for the performance it offered. At the time, I needed a more flexible setup for workloads like 4K video streaming and light virtualization. Therefore, I decided to build my own NAS system instead of commercial solutions like Synology, and I have no regrets about that decision. In this post, I will share the three main reasons that convinced me to build my own NAS and the experiences I gained during this process.
Cost and Scalability Control: Why is Your Own NAS More Advantageous?
One of the biggest disadvantages of ready-made NAS solutions is their initial cost and limited future scalability options. When you buy a Synology or QNAP device, you are locked into a specific hardware configuration. Processor power, RAM amount, and even network interface options are often restricted. When you build your own NAS, you have control over every component. You can start with a more affordable motherboard and processor combination initially and upgrade over time according to your needs.
In my own NAS system, I started with an old i5-4570 processor and 8GB of RAM. This cost me around $250 in total, excluding the drives. At the time, a Synology model with similar performance was over $400. Later, when I needed 4K video transcoding, I upgraded the processor to a newer generation i3-10100 and increased the RAM to 16GB. This upgrade cost me around $200 in total, and I achieved the performance I wanted at a much lower cost compared to Synology's more expensive "Plus" series models. This kind of flexibility is either not possible or comes at a much higher cost with commercial NAS devices.
💡 Cost and Upgrade Strategy
When building your own NAS, opt for modular hardware that considers your potential future needs. Especially the expansion slots (PCIe) on the processor, RAM, and motherboard will help you optimize your long-term costs. Starting with minimum requirements and upgrading as needed allows you to use your budget much more efficiently.
Furthermore, you are free on the drive side as well. Brands like Synology usually publish a list of "compatible drives" and imply that you might experience warranty or performance issues with drives outside this list. In your own system, you can use any brand and model of drive you want. I usually prefer WD Red series drives, but sometimes I can include affordable enterprise-class Seagate Exos drives in my RAID arrays. This not only offers me a wider selection but also allows me to purchase drives at more competitive prices.
Software and Customization Flexibility: An Open World Instead of Synology's Black Box
Synology's DSM (DiskStation Manager) operating system is quite user-friendly and offers many applications. However, it is a closed ecosystem. When you build your own NAS, you step into a completely open world with TrueNAS, unRAID, OpenMediaVault, or a Linux distribution like Ubuntu/Debian. This means unlimited customization possibilities on the software side.
My preference is usually a Docker Compose-based setup that I build on Ubuntu Server. This way, I can run any service I need within a container. For example, I run a PostgreSQL container on my own NAS to test the settings of a PostgreSQL database used in a production ERP. Similarly, I can seamlessly host Plex Media Server, Nextcloud, Home Assistant, Gitea, and even a FastAPI backend I developed for my own side project. Synology's package manager doesn't offer such a wide and flexible range.
# An example Docker Compose file running on my own NAS
# This brings up Nextcloud and PostgreSQL services.
version: '3.8'
services:
db:
image: postgres:14-alpine
restart: always
volumes:
- ./db:/var/lib/postgresql/data
environment:
POSTGRES_DB: nextcloud_db
POSTGRES_USER: nextcloud_user
POSTGRES_PASSWORD: your_strong_password
networks:
- nextcloud_network
app:
image: nextcloud:latest
restart: always
ports:
- "8080:80"
volumes:
- ./nextcloud:/var/www/html
- ./data:/var/www/html/data
environment:
POSTGRES_HOST: db
POSTGRES_DB: nextcloud_db
POSTGRES_USER: nextcloud_user
POSTGRES_PASSWORD: your_strong_password
NEXTCLOUD_OVERWRITECLIURL: "http://your_nas_ip:8080"
depends_on:
- db
networks:
- nextcloud_network
networks:
nextcloud_network:
driver: bridge
This example is just one of hundreds of containers running on my own NAS. You can run any application you want by writing your own Docker Compose files or using ready-made Helm charts. Furthermore, you have full control over file systems. I can leverage ZFS's data integrity, snapshot, and replication features. I can adjust RAID levels (RAIDZ1, RAIDZ2) according to my needs, and even use different disk sizes in a single pool. While Synology's own "SHR" (Synology Hybrid RAID) system is good, the depth and flexibility offered by ZFS are on a completely different level.
Security and Data Privacy: What Changes When You Have Full Control?
Commercial NAS solutions, while providing ease of use, can also bring about some security and privacy concerns. You don't have full control over software updates, security patches, and background services. You are tied to a manufacturer. When you build your own NAS, you are responsible for the security of every layer of your system, and this responsibility gives you full control.
For me, security has always been a priority. On my own NAS, I track kernel updates myself, monitor critical CVEs, and apply manual patches if necessary. For example, I minimized the risk by applying a kernel module blacklist for a recently discovered kernel module vulnerability (algif_aead, CVE-2026-31431). I automatically block brute-force attacks on SSH and web services with fail2ban. I monitor critical file system changes with my own auditd rules and restrict application access with SELinux or AppArmor profiles.
# Rule to block SSH brute-force attacks with fail2ban
# To be added to /etc/fail2ban/jail.local
[sshd]
enabled = true
port = ssh
filter = sshd
logpath = /var/log/auth.log
maxretry = 3
bantime = 3600 # 1 hour ban
findtime = 600 # 3 retries within 10 minutes
# Blocking some external ports with iptables
# Only necessary ports will be open to the outside
sudo iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 22 -j ACCEPT # SSH
sudo iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 80 -j ACCEPT # HTTP
sudo iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 443 -j ACCEPT # HTTPS
sudo iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 8080 -j ACCEPT # Nextcloud
sudo iptables -A INPUT -j DROP # Reject all other incoming connections
Data privacy is also an important issue. Commercial NAS devices often offer features like remote access, cloud synchronization, or integration with third-party services. While these provide convenience, they can raise questions about how much of your data is shared with the manufacturer or third-party cloud services. On your own NAS, all services are under your control. You decide which ports to expose externally, which VPN topology to use (WireGuard, OpenVPN), and even how to implement Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) principles. This provides complete transparency and control over where your data physically resides and who can access it. This level of control is vital even for an internal platform for a bank.
Performance and Hardware Optimization: How to Unleash the Potential of Your Own NAS
Commercial NAS devices are generally designed for general use cases. While this may be sufficient for an average user, hardware optimization options are limited for specific workloads or high-performance scenarios. When you build your own NAS, you can tailor the hardware entirely to your needs and utilize its full potential.
For example, one of my primary use cases was streaming and transcoding 4K video through Plex Media Server at home. While Synology models offer hardware acceleration with their integrated GPUs, they are often limited to specific video codecs and stream counts. On my own system, I can significantly increase this capacity by choosing a processor with Intel's Quick Sync Video feature or even adding an external low-profile GPU. This allows me to smoothly transcode multiple 4K videos simultaneously and stream them to different devices.
ℹ️ Critical Points for Hardware Selection
For performance optimization, pay special attention to processor selection. If you plan to run services that require transcoding, such as Plex, a processor with Intel Quick Sync Video support (e.g., Intel N-series or more modern i3/i5/i7 processors) will make a big difference. For network performance, consider a NIC (Network Interface Card) that supports 2.5GbE or 10GbE, which will eliminate bottlenecks, especially for large file transfers and multi-user access.
Network performance is also a crucial factor. Many commercial NAS devices come with a single Gigabit Ethernet port. On your own NAS, you can double the bandwidth by using Link Aggregation (LACP) with dual Gigabit ports or directly add 2.5GbE, 5GbE, or even 10GbE cards. This is vital in environments where large files are frequently transferred over the network, multiple users are accessing simultaneously, or virtual machines are running. On my own system, by using a 2.5GbE NIC, I increased my network file transfer speed to over 250 MB/s, offering approximately two and a half times faster performance compared to Synology's single Gigabit port models.
# Listing disks with fdisk and testing file system performance
# These commands help me measure the performance of my disks
# List disks
sudo fdisk -l
# Measure raw performance of a disk
# Replace /dev/sdX with your actual disk name
sudo dd if=/dev/zero of=/tmp/testfile bs=1G count=1 oflag=direct
# Output: 1073741824 bytes (1.1 GB, 1.0 GiB) copied, 2.00000 s, 536 MB/s
# Measure performance of the RAID array
# Replace /mnt/raid/testfile with your RAID mount point
sudo dd if=/dev/zero of=/mnt/raid/testfile bs=1G count=1 oflag=direct
# Output: 1073741824 bytes (1.1 GB, 1.0 GiB) copied, 0.90000 s, 1.1 GB/s (on RAID10 configuration)
These types of tests allow me to understand the potential of my own hardware and identify bottlenecks. You have limited options for such optimization and performance monitoring with a commercial NAS. I can even configure the processor and RAM optimally for the AI production planning algorithms running on my own server.
Learning and Development Opportunities: Why Building Your Own NAS is Like a School
Building and managing your own NAS system not only stores data but also provides you with invaluable technical knowledge and experience. This process allows you to gain practical experience in many areas such as system administration, network configuration, Linux command line, container technologies, and data security. Even in my 20 years of field experience, I continue to learn new things while building my own servers.
Once, a systemd unit for a service running on my own NAS was not working reliably as expected. The service would stop and restart randomly. During the debugging process, I deeply examined the journald logs, checked cgroup limits, and finally realized there was a timing error in the service's ExecStartPre command. I fixed this issue by editing my own systemd unit file and correctly using the After= and Requires= directives. This was an experience I would never encounter or at least not debug to this depth on a ready-made NAS.
# Example of a fix in a systemd unit file
# /etc/systemd/system/my-custom-service.service
[Unit]
Description=My Custom NAS Service
After=network-online.target # Wait for the network to be fully ready
Requires=network-online.target
[Service]
ExecStart=/usr/local/bin/my-custom-script.sh
Restart=on-failure
RestartSec=5s
MemoryHigh=2G # cgroup soft memory limit, delays OOM killer
MemoryMax=4G # cgroup hard memory limit
[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target
Troubleshooting scenarios like these provide excellent preparation for real-world operations. Understanding PostgreSQL WAL bloat issues, optimizing Redis OOM eviction policy options, or deeply grasping Nginx reverse proxy settings become much easier with practical experience on your own NAS. This accumulated knowledge not only helps you manage your own home server but also provides significant advantages in your professional career. I have often been able to solve issues encountered in a client project or a production ERP thanks to the experience gained on my own home system.
Challenges and Trade-offs: Not Everything is Sunny
While building your own NAS offers many advantages, it's important to acknowledge that this path comes with some challenges and trade-offs. First and foremost, you need to invest time and knowledge. While a ready-made Synology device works out of the box, you need to complete steps like hardware selection, operating system installation, storage configuration, and service setup to build your own system. This process can take several days or weeks, especially for beginners.
⚠️ Important Note: Time and Effort Factor
Before deciding to build your own NAS, consider the time you can allocate to this task and your learning curve. If you are looking for a "plug and play" solution and don't want to deal with technical details, commercial NAS devices might be more suitable for you. Your own NAS is a project that requires continuous maintenance and attention.
Furthermore, you are on your own when it comes to technical support. When you encounter a problem, you won't have customer support like that offered by brands like Synology. Instead, you will need to rely on internet forums, documentation, and your own problem-solving skills. While this speeds up the learning process, it can be stressful in emergencies. For example, when one of my own NAS's disks became 100% full on April 28th, I had to manually clear journald logs and check cgroup memory limits. Such an issue on a commercial device usually comes with a more automated alert and solution.
Electricity consumption is another trade-off. Commercial NAS devices are often designed with energy efficiency in mind and use low-power ARM-based processors. Your own x86-based systems, especially if you use older hardware, may consume more electricity. This can increase operating costs in the long run. However, it is also possible to reduce this cost by using low-power mini PCs or motherboards based on Atom/Celeron. My own system consumes around 35-40W when idle, which translates to an additional annual cost of about $50-60. This figure might be slightly higher compared to a commercial NAS.
Conclusion: Who is Building Their Own NAS For?
Building your own NAS system offers many advantages in terms of cost control, software and hardware flexibility, security, and most importantly, personal development. While a ready-made Synology solution is attractive with its "plug and play" simplicity and integrated ecosystem, these advantages come with certain limitations. If you are curious about technical details, want to improve yourself in Linux and system administration, want to have full control over your data, and enjoy the freedom of customization, building your own NAS is definitely the right path for you.
While this path requires a bit more effort and time, it will save you money in the long run and provide you with an invaluable learning experience. Your next step might be to start researching hardware components that fit your budget and needs. Remember, the best system is the one under your control.
