Docker Homelab RAM Planner

By LK Wood IV · Updated June 5, 2026

Worked examples

These are this calculator’s own outputs, computed with the same formula the tool runs in your browser — so you can see a real answer without touching a single input.

The minimal starter stack a first-time self-hoster builds: Nginx Proxy Manager for SSL, Portainer to manage containers, Uptime Kuma for monitoring, Vaultwarden for passwords. No media, no photos

• Inputs: Checked: Nginx Proxy Manager, Portainer CE, Uptime Kuma, Vaultwarden (4 apps)
• Result: Idle Total 240 MB, Peak Total 430 MB, minimum host RAM (peak + OS overhead) 1.6 GB. All five host sizes pass; smallest fit is 4 GB with 2.4 GB free. Recommendation (green): “This stack fits comfortably on 4 GB RAM host.”

The most common intermediate homelab: reverse proxy plus auto-updates and monitoring, Jellyfin for media, Nextcloud AIO for file sync, Immich without ML for photos, Vaultwarden for passwords. This is the typical “replace Google Photos and Dropbox” build on a mini PC

• Inputs: Checked: Nginx Proxy Manager, Portainer CE, Watchtower, Jellyfin, Nextcloud AIO, Immich (no ML), Vaultwarden, Uptime Kuma (8 apps)
• Result: Idle Total 1.5 GB, Peak Total 3.0 GB, minimum host RAM (peak + OS overhead) 4.2 GB. A 4 GB host is marked insufficient; smallest fit is 8 GB with 3.8 GB free. Recommendation (green): “This stack fits comfortably on 8 GB RAM host.”

How to use this planner

Check the apps you want to run. Idle RAM is what’s used when nothing is happening. Peak RAM is the max during active use — ML indexing, video transcoding, active Office editors. Your host needs to comfortably cover the peak total plus OS overhead.

All figures are measured or manufacturer-documented values for 2026 container versions. Details per app are in their linked tutorials.