Share Your Homelab. Shape What's Next.

Share your real homelab setup, exchange ideas, and help guide future ZimaBoard & ZimaOS development.

This challenge is for everyone

This isn't a contest for experts only.

If you've ever built, tweaked, or experimented with your homelab or self-hosted setup, this challenge is for you.

Share your real-world setup, learn from others, and be part of a community that values curiosity, creativity, and practical experience - not competition.

How to Join

01

Join the Reddit challenge

Visit the giveaway post on r/minilab and join the discussion.This challenge runs entirely on Reddit - no extra sign-ups required.

02

Share your thoughts or setup

Leave at least one valid comment sharing your homelab setup, use case, or feedback on ZimaBoard 2 / ZimaOS. Photos, ideas, and real experiences are all welcome.

03

Stay tuned for results

Winners are selected randomly from eligible comments and announced after the challenge ends.Make sure your Reddit DMs are open so we can contact you.

Rewards & Community Perks

We believe sharing knowledge should feel rewarding - whether you win a prize or not.

Rewards
Community Perks
  • Run Plex, Pi-hole, Proxmox, or even Minecraft - 24/7, cool and silent.
    ZimaBoard 2 handles media streaming, firewalls, homelabs, and AI containers with ease. Low power, high reliability.
  • Native SATA & PCIe - no hats, no hassles.
    Plug in 2.5" HDDs/SSDs, install a 10G NIC, GPU, or NVMe adapter. It's ready for your personal storage or expansion needs.
  • Dual 2.5G Ethernet built-in.
    Ideal for fast local NAS, low-latency remote access, or routing multiple network services at home.
  • Run what works for you - ZimaOS, TrueNAS, Proxmox, Debian, pfSense…
    Users love testing different OS setups for backups, Plex servers, Docker labs, or cluster builds.
  • Small, hackable, and kind of cute. Many call it's a mini server that looks like a toy but runs like a beast." Perfect for creative DIYers and tech lovers.

ZimaOS - A Powerful & Flexible Home Server Operating System

  • Basic Benefits Built‑In
    ZimaOS gives you remote access, shared storage (Samba), LAN/cloud mounts, photo & data backup workflows, and flexible custom app support - everything you need to centralize and manage your data securely.
  • 3‑2‑1 Backup Strategy Support
    Built‑in tools make it easy to follow best practices for data protection - local copy, remote copy, and offline backup. So your important files are continually protected.
  • Custom Apps & Virtual Machines
    Install from our app store, run your own containers, or launch full VMs using ZVM - ideal for developers, home labs, or business use cases.
  • Advanced Network & System Controls
    Fine‑grained network settings, user management, and system administration tools give you full control over your home cloud environment.
  • Plus Version - Unlock Unlimited Core Features
    With ZimaOS Plus, all limits are removed. Unlimited Users, unlimited Apps, unlimited Disks, unlimited Devices.
  • Works With What You Know
    Support for popular storage and server technologies (Samba, containers, virtualization) means you can integrate ZimaOS into existing workflows or learn as you grow.
  • Designed for Real Use Cases
    Whether you're building a backup server, media hub, NAS, virtualization host, or developer sandbox, ZimaOS adapts to your needs - from beginner setups to advanced homelab labs.
  • Powerful Single‑Board Server for DIY Labs & NAS
    A compact x86 platform built for home servers, network storage, media streaming, virtualization, and developer projects - low power, high reliability.
  • Flexible PCIe Expansion
    Plug in NVMe SSDs, 10G NICs, GPUs, or other PCIe cards with no "hats" or add‑on boards required - perfect for custom storage, networking, and custom workloads.
  • Silent & Rugged Design
    Passive cooling keeps temperatures low with no fans, making ZimaBlade ideal for 24/7 operation in living rooms, home offices, or lab racks.
  • Modular NAS & Storage Capability
    Combine with SATA adapters, HDD trays, or NVMe devices to build powerful NAS solutions, Plex servers, backup arrays, or container hosts.
  • Supports Your OS of Choice
    Works with a wide range of operating systems including ZimaOS, TrueNAS SCALE, Debian, Ubuntu, Proxmox, and more - great for both beginners and advanced users.
  • Highly Rated by the Community
    Users praise its performance, ease of use, and value: "excellent power efficiency," "very good performance for the price," "great community support".

Stay in the loop

New challenges, winner updates, and fresh build ideas - straight to your inbox.

From the community, for the community.

Community Showcase

Real builds and ideas shared by our community.

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@community_member
@community_member
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Frequently Asked Questions

  • Anyone!

    Whether you're new to homelab, self-hosting, or already running your own setup - this challenge is open to everyone. No experience level required.

  • You can share your setup or experience in the format you prefer, such as:

    • Text comment
    • Photos
    • Short videos
    • Build stories or use cases

    As long as it's related to your homelab or self-hosting setup, it counts.

  • No.

    You don't need to own any Zima products to participate. We welcome all homelab and self-hosting setups.

  • Hardware prizes are randomly selected from all valid entries.

    We care more about participation and sharing than competition.

  • Winners will be announced on March 6, 2026 (UTC).

    Selected winners will be contacted via Reddit private message, so please make sure your DMs are enabled.

    • Winners will be announced
    • Rewards will be distributed
    • Selected community submissions may be featured in future showcases or highlights

    Your shared setup might inspire others even after the challenge ends.

  • Please submit one valid entry per person to keep things fair for everyone.

  • You can:

    • Follow updates on this page
    • Join our Discord community channels
    • Subscribe to community updates at the bottom of this page