Run Self-Hosted Apps at Your Home Office with PiBox
The PiBox is a modular storage server powered by the Raspberry Pi and allows users to add up to two SSDs for storage.
There are plenty of Raspberry Pi server projects of all sizes and makes but none more sleek, modern and modular than Dan Pastusek and Seandon Mooy's PiBox. Currently on Kickstarter, the platform is a purpose-built storage server (NAS) designed to run self-hosted applications and uses very little power. Modularity comes in the form of storage, enabling users to add up to two SATA SSDs for storage using hot-swappable sockets.
The PiBox is equipped with a Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4 and comes packed with 8GB of RAM, 8GB of storage and built-in Wi-Fi. It also includes a 1.3" LCD display with disk, memory, CPU and power usage indicators, an external Wi-Fi antenna and a Noctua 5 V PWM fan, all housed inside a small powder-coated steel enclosure. The GPIO remains accessible and allows users to add sensors and Pi HATs for increased functionality.
The PiBox makes use of KubeSail for easy installation or migration of apps and web hosting services. It also provides DNS and web-forwarding, encryption capabilities and even cloud templates. Moreover, the PiBox features a silent operation with programmable fan curves. “The PiBox emits a PWM control signal, so the fan only spins as fast as necessary,” Pastusek states on the campaign page. “This makes it quieter than even the Official Raspberry Pi Case fan and keeps the CPU from experiencing large temperature swings, which should lead to longer CPU life for your Pi.”
The PiBox is now funding on Kickstarter with pledges starting at $250, which gets you the modular storage server, complete with Compute Module 4 and 15 W USB-C wall adapter. Pastusek and Mooy also offer a Hacker Bundle, which only provides modular circuit boards and nothing else for $100.
