this post was submitted on 07 Mar 2025
224 points (100.0% liked)

Selfhosted

44718 readers
2196 users here now

A place to share alternatives to popular online services that can be self-hosted without giving up privacy or locking you into a service you don't control.

Rules:

  1. Be civil: we're here to support and learn from one another. Insults won't be tolerated. Flame wars are frowned upon.

  2. No spam posting.

  3. Posts have to be centered around self-hosting. There are other communities for discussing hardware or home computing. If it's not obvious why your post topic revolves around selfhosting, please include details to make it clear.

  4. Don't duplicate the full text of your blog or github here. Just post the link for folks to click.

  5. Submission headline should match the article title (don’t cherry-pick information from the title to fit your agenda).

  6. No trolling.

Resources:

Any issues on the community? Report it using the report flag.

Questions? DM the mods!

founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
 

Hi fellow selfhosters!

What hostnames do you use for your systems and services?
And maybe why if it's an interesting story.

I'll start:
Steam Deck: krax
Smartphone: krix (once I get LineageOS installed again)
MiniPC: krux
Reserved for future use: krex & krox

Creative, I know. πŸ˜… The names have no deeper meaning. The x comes from Linux. That's it.

I know some of you use god names of certain pantheons, such as Thor. But I find that boring as a lot of people are doing that. Β 
Β 
Β 

Now let your pants down and tell me all about

your embarrassing host names!

top 50 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] [email protected] 2 points 6 days ago

Hello!

Well I'm having the following hostnames on my LAN:

  • betelgeuse (Beelink server with Proxmox)
  • altair (an another Beelink server with Proxmox)
  • eudora (outgoing SMTP server)
  • polaris (my laptop)
  • epsilon (my desktop)

Have fun!

[–] [email protected] 45 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

I name my devices after greek gods based on what I'm going in life at the time or after what their purpose is.

I named my first gaming PC "Poseidon" when I was doing ship related work. Now it's my server.

My gaming PC is "Asclepius", the Greek god of healing. Built when I got into healthcare.

Hermes, god of messeges, is my lil pi that helps with routing (pihole, pivpn, nginx).

My HTPC is Dionysus, Greek god of wine and parties.

My thinkpad is Persephone cus it looks good but doesn't do much. I might rename it.

The services that I run on these are just named "device-service" e.g. hermes-nginx

[–] [email protected] 12 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

fuck, this is way better than my current naming scheme of "customer-<devicepurpose>, I'm stealing it for my next setup.

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] [email protected] 37 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (1 children)

Server (big iron): Bender

Desktop (main character): Fry

Laptop (for accounting): Hermes

Netbook (small and dumb): Nibbler

Phone (held to my head): BrainSlug

HTPC (one big viewport): Leela

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 week ago (1 children)

This is my scheme as well! Pretty much to the t. Except my HTPC is hypnotoad and nibbler is my NAS.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 week ago

OMG Hypnotoad HTPC is so much better! Why didn't I thnnk of that?

[–] [email protected] 34 points 2 weeks ago (5 children)

MacBook Pro: mbp.domain.com
Raspberry Pi 2: rpi2.domain.com
Raspberry Pi 3: rpi3.domain.com
Raspberry Pi 4: rpi4.domain.com
Raspberry Pi 5: rpi5.domain.com
(Yes, I have one of each.)
Synology DS415+: ds415.domain.com
Phone: iphone.domain.com
Watch: watch.domain.com
AppleTV: appletv.domain.com
Nintendo Switch: switch.domain.com

[–] [email protected] 25 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

I'm missing the rpi1 in that list. Please fix ASAP.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 2 weeks ago

That one was called just rpi.domain.com, but didn't stand the test of time...

load more comments (4 replies)
[–] [email protected] 31 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (3 children)

Three-letter words that can be typed with one hand, since I have to type them frequently.

$ egrep "^([qwertasdfgzxcvb]{3}|[yuiophjkllnm]{3})$" /usr/share/dict/words
[–] [email protected] 17 points 2 weeks ago (4 children)
load more comments (4 replies)
load more comments (2 replies)
[–] [email protected] 22 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

Fedora is called fed. Ubuntu is ubu. Laptop is laptop 🌝

load more comments (2 replies)
[–] [email protected] 21 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (3 children)

My devices are cringely named after songs in Haken's discography.

Desktop is MESSIAH. Laptop is AFFINITY. Phone is NIGHTINGALE. Steam Deck is SHAPESHIFTER. Router (and its WAP) is PORTALS. My NAS is the only one that falls outside of this, it's generically (last name)NetNAS. I should rename it, but I don't want to break anything πŸ˜…

Eta: changed my NAS' hostname is ARCHITECT. Nothing broke! Yay for me.

load more comments (3 replies)
[–] [email protected] 17 points 1 week ago (1 children)

My phone's name is "Samsung Smart Fridgeβ„’" because I think it's hilarious if someone is looking at hotspots or network info and go "what the hell is a fridge doing here-"

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] [email protected] 16 points 2 weeks ago (4 children)

Huh. I thought for sure someone else would be using my scheme.

LAN computers are all Tolkien swords: sting, orcrist, gurthang, glamdring, etc. If I run out of swords, I'll start adding other weapons: aeglost, the spear; dailir, the arrow. We don't get a lot of named battle axes, which I always thought weird; I'd think dwarves of all people would forge legendary axes, and certainly name them.

My WiFi and VPN networks are forests in Middle Earth: fangorn, bindbole, dimholt, lothlorien, etc. The only exception is my LAN itself which is... "lan". Because short.

My cloud VPSes are named after Greek Titans: hyperion, phaethusa, tethys, etc.

Mobile devices have whatever names they come with, because they're so ephemeral.

load more comments (4 replies)
[–] [email protected] 14 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (2 children)

Desktop: HAL9000

laptop: HALjr

Phone: HALnano

Then HALserver, HALprinter (octoprint), HALhome (home assistant) and so on... Big fan of Stanley Kubrick haha

Tried to get the hal9.ooo domain name but it was taken...

Edit: I use Dave as the username, so that in the terminal it is dave@hal9000, which just seems appropriate

load more comments (2 replies)
[–] [email protected] 12 points 2 weeks ago

All swearwords, all the time. Generally puns on the servers purpose.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

I'm in the name after location and function fraction. All but my printer, he's named Cthulhu because printers are a menace to humanity and it supports wake-on-LAN.

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] [email protected] 11 points 2 weeks ago

I am a simple person.

My PC: Panda
My wifes PC: notpanda
Docker VM: dockerhost.home

[–] [email protected] 10 points 2 weeks ago (3 children)

@Krik devnull, devzero, devrandom
obv, devnull runs fileserver

load more comments (3 replies)
[–] [email protected] 10 points 2 weeks ago

All of mine are animals, chosen similar to their functions (ie my 2-in-1 is "weasel", my Chimera VM buildhost is a busy/hard-working "beaver" (busy "bumblebee" was taken by my old Gentoo binhost VM), "orca" is my media server (big black PC case), "bluejay" is my rpi (tiny, in a blue TARDIS case), etc.

It's fun! (I have too many computers.)

[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

My home network is called The IT Clowd with these devices:

  • Moss - physical server
  • Roy - physical server
  • Jen - vm - main docker host
  • Richmond - vm - *arr stack
  • Denholm - vm - management, monitoring
  • Douglas - vm - Home Assistant stack
  • Basement - vm - development server
load more comments (1 replies)
[–] [email protected] 9 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Fictional planet names (mostly early Star Wars because I’m old): Dantooine, Naboo, Tatooine, Jabba (not a planet, but server for β€œdata storage” hence smuggler reference), Bespin and odd one out Arrakis (laptop).

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] [email protected] 9 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

I use Roman gods. Juno, Jupiter, Pluto, etc. I have a beelink minipc that I named Mellona, the Roman goddess of honey πŸ˜†

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] [email protected] 9 points 2 weeks ago

You had me digging through old hosts files and ssh configs to find some of these.

I try to name them something that resembles what they do or has something to do with what their purpose is.

Short is good, and if it can match more than one of the machine's purpose/os/software/look, the better.

If it's some sort of personal machine, it gets a personal name

Phones

  • traveller
  • pawn
  • rook
  • bishop

Virtual Workstations

  • boxy

  • moxy

  • sandbox

  • cloud

  • ship lxc container host

  • dock docker host

Laptops

  • ciel Razer blade stealth with a rainbow LED keyboard
  • arc runs arch.
  • lled is a dell

Desktops

  • bench
  • citadel
  • bastion
[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

Uhg y'all actually have creative names, here are mine:

My homelab - Pero-base
My main PC - Pero-main
My laptop - Pero-portable
My other server - Pero-web

I swear I'm not a narcissist.

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 week ago

The printer's name is Marvin, from HHGTTG.

It never wants to work and always complains.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (2 children)

I use zerg units.

  • NAS is named Nydus
  • Homelab with a GPU is Hydralisk
  • Jail instance that I can use for random cron jobs is Drone
load more comments (2 replies)
[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 week ago (6 children)

Y'all are too creative for me... I have:

  • poweredge-r520-0
  • poweredge-t620-0
  • poweredge-t620-1
  • pi4-0
  • pi3b-0
  • pi3b-1
  • pi3b-2
  • pi3b-3
  • vostro-3525-0
  • ideapad-c340-0
load more comments (6 replies)
[–] [email protected] 8 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

I use Alps bigger peaks for the hosts like:

  • Castore
  • Polluce
  • Lyskamm
  • Gnifetti
  • etc.

(yes, mainly from Monte Rosa) and smaller peaks for the VMs:

  • Grigna
  • Grignetta
  • Resegone
  • Cornizzolo
  • Palanzone
  • etc.
[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (4 children)

I've named my last few computers after planets, with disks named after moons.

When I worked at Microsoft they had all kinds of clusters - OurGang with Spanky, Darla, Alfalfa... Addams with Gomez etc, Disney with Mickey, etc.

load more comments (4 replies)
[–] [email protected] 8 points 2 weeks ago

AI from fiction:

HAL M.O.T.H.E.R AM Jarvis

[–] [email protected] 8 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (1 children)
  • Omnigon: refers to my network and server overall
  • Terragon: Utility desktop
  • Pyrogon: Gaming desktop
  • Aquagon: Laptop
  • Aerogon: Phone
  • Sonogon: RPi sound server
  • Minigon: Cyberdeck
load more comments (1 replies)
[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 week ago

I only have 1 box really, it's named Hal. Seems helpful, not entirely sure if it's on my side. Could murder me. I keep an analog shotgun next to it.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

I’ve always done characters from Beatles songs

  • Walrus
  • Martha
  • Her-Majesty
  • Submarine
  • MissLizzy
  • Blackbird
  • NowhereMan
  • SgtPepper
  • Jojo
[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 week ago

my local hostnames are all David Bowie related. I have: outside (my laptop) blackstar (server 1) starman (server 2) heros (desktop1)

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 week ago (1 children)

My laptop is called xontros-gatos, which in my native language means fat-cat. Similarly, my server is called server-cat, a small laptop that I have for testing stuff is called small-cat and a new laptop that I just got is called fatter-cat.

I LIKE CATS I LIKE CATS I LIKE CATS I LIKE CATS I LIKE CATS I LIKE CATS I LIKE CATS I LIKE CATS

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] [email protected] 7 points 2 weeks ago

Named mine after "objects" from Iain M. Banks' Culture Novels.

Currently I have:

  • gsv
  • hub
  • excession
  • drone

Nice and short, and map roughly to the "power level" of the hardware, so to speak.

And my Yubikeys are named after Special Circumstances agents πŸ˜„

[–] [email protected] 7 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

I do marvel weapons/artifacts:

Phone: Mjolnir

Tablet: Stormbreaker

Laptop: Darkhold

Earbuds: I.C.E.R

Backup NAS: EyeOfAgamotto

Etc, etc πŸ˜…

[–] [email protected] 7 points 2 weeks ago

My server is still called driveway because the install originated in an HP laptop a customer ran over with their car. Motherboard still worked though!

[–] [email protected] 7 points 2 weeks ago

Backup: VEEAM01
DC: DC1
VM for taxes and other stuff I don't want on my main pc: ZAHLNIX01 (tl: not paying anything)
NAS01: My NAS file share VM
TEST01: Testing VM
Appoxo-PC2: My main PC (as it's mark 2)
Proxmox host: PVE2 (I planned a cluster but have no other nuc to use in the cluster)
NAS: Current jellyfin and main docker host
PiNAS02: My Raspberry Pi 4

As you see: Very creative.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

I name mine after space! Earth, Moon, Mars, Saturn, etc...

[–] [email protected] 9 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

You're naming them out of the stuff that specifically isn't space!

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] [email protected] 7 points 2 weeks ago

Devices are named after characters from books I recently read, trying to match the name with the character of the book. But for virtual hosts for services I use their purpose (wiki, files, feed…) because I wasted too much time updating all the bookmarks last time I migrated to a new server.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

Desktop: Octiron
Laptop: Octogen
Phone: Octarine

[–] [email protected] 7 points 2 weeks ago

I went with alpha, beta, gamma ...

load more comments
view more: next β€Ί