The Home Lab Second Brain: My Documentation System

If you’ve ever spent hours setting up a project in your home lab, only to realize months later you can’t remember half of what you did — you’re not alone. That’s why I believe good documentation isn’t optional, it’s essential. In this video, I’ll show you the exact system I use to keep track of everything in my home lab, from the first research link I save all the way to a finished step‑by‑step guide. I call it my Home Lab Second Brain, and honestly, it’s been a lifesaver.

Here’s the thing: home labbing is fun, but it’s also complex. Between Docker containers, firewall rules, Linux commands, and custom networks, there are just too many moving parts to rely on memory alone. I learned the hard way that without a system, you’ll spend more time troubleshooting old problems than building new projects. That’s why I set up a workflow that keeps my notes, diagrams, and references organized and easy to find.

Chapters
00:00 – Why Documentation is a Must for Home Labs
00:50 – My End-to-End Documentation Workflow
01:06 – Phase 1: Research & Discovery with KaraKeep
01:23 – Optional Visual Mapping with Excalidraw
01:35 – Phase 2: In-Project Notes (My Custom Lab Notebook)
02:47 - Phase 3 - Final Debrief Phase (Personal Wiki)
03:18 - An End to End Notes Solution
03:53 - Karakeep for your links (Phase 1)
06:28 – Optional Step Diagramming with Excalidraw AI
07:00 – My Custom Lab Notebook In Project Notes (Phase 2)
10:00 – Final Debrief in Wiki.js (Phase 3)
10:51 – Why “Second Brain” for Home Lab


Here’s how I break it down:

🔗 KaraKeep (formerly Hoarder)
https://karakeep.app/
This is where I start — the discovery phase. KaraKeep is my go‑to app for saving research links. It’s self‑hosted, fast, and has a Chrome extension that uses AI to scan pages and automatically create tags. What used to take me ages by hand now takes seconds. I can organize everything into lists or categories, and later on I can actually find what I’m looking for instead of digging through bookmarks.

🗂 Excalidraw
https://excalidraw.com/
Once I’ve got my research, I like to sketch things out visually. Excalidraw is a simple, self‑hosted diagramming tool I use for mapping networks, Docker stacks, or just brainstorming layouts. Having a picture of the project before I build it helps me catch problems early and gives me a clear roadmap.

📝 My Lab Notebook
https://firebase.google.com/
During the actual build, I document everything in a lab notebook I built using Firebase. You could just as easily use Notion, Obsidian, or plain old Notepad. The important part is writing things down as you go. Mine happens to use AI to clean up my notes, tag them automatically, and even let me ask questions later. It’s kind of like having a personal assistant that remembers every command I’ve ever run.

📖 Wiki.js
https://js.wiki/
The final step is taking all those raw notes and turning them into a polished guide inside Wiki.js. This is my “debrief” phase — where messy project notes get transformed into clean, easy‑to‑follow instructions. So when I revisit a project later, I’m not stuck piecing things together.

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At the end of the day, no one can remember everything. Having a solid documentation workflow means less time stuck on old problems and more time exploring new projects. Whether you use the same tools I do or find your own, I highly recommend setting up a system you can trust.

If you found this video helpful, hit that Like button, subscribe, and share how you keep your own home lab organized. Thanks for watching — I’m HillPhantom, and I’ll see you next time.

#homelab #techprojects #selfhosted #hillphantom #diy