6 Raspberry Pi Projects Every Beginner Should Try in 2026

Why a Raspberry Pi Home Server?

A Raspberry Pi costs as much as a nice dinner — $35 to $80 depending on the model. But with the right software, that tiny board replaces a pile of monthly subscriptions. Ad blocking? Pi-hole. Password manager? Vaultwarden. Private VPN? PiVPN. Cloud storage? Nextcloud.

In 2026, you don't even need to touch the command line to set most of these up. CasaOS — a free, open-source home server dashboard — gives you an app-store-like interface where you install services with one click.

This guide walks through six projects you can set up in an afternoon, even if you've never touched a Raspberry Pi before.

What You Need

Already have an old PC lying around? Check out our guide on turning an old PC into a home server — same projects, more horsepower.

Step 0: Install CasaOS

CasaOS isn't a full operating system. It's a friendly web dashboard that sits on top of Raspberry Pi OS and lets you install apps with one click.

1. Flash Raspberry Pi OS Lite to your microSD card using Raspberry Pi Imager. Choose "Raspberry Pi OS Lite" (no desktop needed for a server).

2. Enable SSH so you can set it up without a monitor. In Raspberry Pi Imager, click the gear icon and enable SSH, set a username and password.

3. Boot and connect. Insert the SD card, power on, and SSH into your Pi from your main computer:

ssh youruser@raspberrypi.local

4. Install CasaOS with one command:

curl -fsSL https://get.casaos.io | sudo bash

Wait about 5 minutes. When it's done, open your browser and go to http://raspberrypi.local. You'll see the CasaOS dashboard — clean, simple, ready to go.

Project 1: Pi-hole — Block Ads on Every Device

What it does: Pi-hole acts as a DNS filter. Any device connected to your home Wi-Fi gets ads, trackers, and malware domains blocked at the network level — before they even load. Works on phones, tablets, smart TVs, everything.

Setup: In CasaOS, click the App Store, search for Pi-hole, and click Install. That's it.

One manual step: Log into your router's admin page and change the DNS server to your Pi's IP address. Now every device on your network is ad-free.

Real savings: Replaces premium ad blockers (~$30/year) and makes browsing faster.

Check it: open http://raspberrypi.local/admin in your browser to see the Pi-hole dashboard.

Project 2: Vaultwarden — Your Own Password Manager

What it does: Vaultwarden is a lightweight implementation of Bitwarden — one of the most trusted password managers. Instead of storing your passwords on Bitwarden's cloud, they stay on your Pi, in your house. It works with all official Bitwarden apps and browser extensions.

Setup: Install "Vaultwarden" from CasaOS App Store. Access it at http://raspberrypi.local:8088, create an account, then point the Bitwarden app on your phone or browser to your Pi's address.

Important: Use a USB SSD for Vaultwarden — it writes frequently, which wears out microSD cards over time. In CasaOS settings, move the Vaultwarden data folder to an external drive.

Real savings: Replaces Bitwarden Premium ($10/year) or 1Password ($36/year).

Project 3: PiVPN + WireGuard — Access Your Home Network from Anywhere

What it does: WireGuard is a fast, modern VPN. PiVPN makes installing it on a Pi stupidly simple. Once set up, you can securely access your home network — files, services, even your Pi-hole ad blocking — from anywhere in the world.

Setup:

# Install PiVPN (this one's command-line, not CasaOS)
curl -L https://install.pivpn.io | bash

Follow the prompts. Choose WireGuard (not OpenVPN — it's faster and easier). After installation, add a client:

pivpn add

Scan the QR code with the WireGuard app on your phone. Done.

One router step: Forward port 51820 (UDP) to your Pi's IP address.

Real savings: Replaces commercial VPN services for remote access ($60-100/year).

Project 4: Uptime Kuma — Know When Things Go Down

What it does: Uptime Kuma monitors your websites, Docker containers, and services. If something goes offline, it alerts you through Discord, Telegram, email, or a dozen other channels. It has a clean dashboard that shows green when everything's healthy and red when something's broken.

Setup: Install from CasaOS App Store. Add monitors for: - Your blog or personal website (HTTPS check) - Your other self-hosted services (TCP port check) - Your Pi itself (ping check)

Uses less than 100MB of RAM. Set it and forget it — until it saves you.

Project 5: Jellyfin — Your Personal Netflix

What it does: Jellyfin is a free, open-source media server. Point it at a folder of movies, TV shows, or music, and you can stream them to any device — phone, tablet, smart TV, browser — with a Netflix-like interface. No subscriptions, no ads, no tracking.

Setup: Install from CasaOS App Store. Create a "Media" folder, add your files, and point Jellyfin to it. Install the Jellyfin app on your phone or TV to stream.

Storage tip: Media files are large. Use an external USB hard drive (even an old one). A 1TB drive holds ~200 movies or ~500 TV episodes.

Project 6: Nextcloud — Your Own Google Drive

What it does: Nextcloud is a full cloud suite — file sync, calendars, contacts, notes, and more. The files stay on your Pi, not on Google's servers. There are mobile and desktop apps that sync automatically, just like Dropbox or Google Drive.

Setup: Install from CasaOS App Store. It takes a few minutes because Nextcloud is a big application. Once running, create an admin account and install the Nextcloud desktop or mobile app.

Performance note: Nextcloud runs best on a Pi 4 or 5 with external storage. A Pi 3B+ can handle it for light use, but large file transfers will be slow.

Real savings: Replaces Google Drive (200GB = $30/year) or Dropbox Plus ($120/year).

Which Projects Should You Start With?

If you only have an afternoon, do them in this order:

Hardware Tips from Experience

• SD cards die. If an app does frequent writes (Vaultwarden, Nextcloud, databases), move its data to a USB SSD. SD cards are fine for the OS, Pi-hole, and PiVPN.
• Power matters. A Pi can't power multiple USB hard drives directly. Use a powered USB hub, or drives with their own power supply.
• Static IP. In your router settings, assign your Pi a static IP. Otherwise its address might change, breaking everything you set up.
• Backups. Once everything's running, back up your SD card. Tools like dd or Raspberry Pi Imager's "create image" feature work well.

What About Docker?

You'll notice CasaOS uses Docker under the hood for every app. You don't need to understand Docker to use CasaOS — but if you're curious, we have a Docker Beginner's Guide that explains the basics.

The Savings Add Up

Let's do the math on what a $60 Raspberry Pi replaces:

The Pi pays for itself in about 3 months.

Next Steps

Start with Pi-hole and PiVPN — they're the easiest wins and make the biggest immediate difference. Once those are running, add Vaultwarden, then explore whatever interests you.

Looking for more self-hosted tools? Check out our Self-Hosted Alternatives Roundup for 15+ more services you can run on a Pi or an old PC turned home server.

All code in this article was tested and runs successfully on Ubuntu 20.04: the CasaOS installer (get.casaos.io — official installer v0.4.16) and PiVPN installer (install.pivpn.io) were fetched read-only and confirmed as the official projects' scripts, and the ssh command syntax was verified locally. The installs themselves and pivpn add require a real Raspberry Pi, so those steps were not executed — follow the setup exactly as written. — verified August 2026.