I was thinking about changing my server’s OS (currently using Ubuntu server)
Which would be the best in the case of only using docker and ZFS?
I thought that Debian would be more debloated and efficient but I need a Web UI and from what I have seen TrueNAS is very complete and is not absurdly slow, let me know your thoughts!
Maybe have a look at Proxmox. It’s a Debian-based hypervisor with a web UI and ZFS support. However, while many people host Docker on it, it’s not shipped with it by default.
TrueNAS is a propose built solution.
You’ll need to use it the way it’s designed, which is extremely capable, but reading the manual is mandatory or you’ll do it wrong and then it will suck. I know this.
There’s TN Core, and Scale. Ones based on FreeBSD, one’s Linux. You can compare for your needs.
TN can be an enterprise solution if that tells you the capability.
Edit, it’s meant to be a storage solution. Scale adds containers. It’s not great IMO as a general purpose server OS .
What do you need the webUI for? What’s the use case? Here are a couple for you:
For simple file management and sharing, you may use FileBrowser. It’s a single binary written in Go, just download and run.
If you’re looking for a more advanced and generic server management solution, then Cockpit is a good option. It’s available from Debian’s repositories and provides a UI to manage users, storage (including RAID), firewall, system services and even virtual machines. Can also manage Samba shares.
Cockpit uses the same system tooling you would use from the command line. You can switch back and forth between Cockpit and whatever else you like. It wont pollute your system like other solutions and there are dozens of extensions for it.
I’ve beem using cockpit for years but it does not work with docker and some plugins (like the zfs one) have some assets missing, also the Navigator works really slow when moving files (it should be instantaneously) and leaves the empty folders in the old directory, making me always end up using ssh for that things.
I was thinking about using FileBrowser in a docker container but I would also like a UI for ZFS and basic graphics for system load. Htop and btop are some options but I don’t feel comfortable using them
some plugins (like the zfs one) have some assets missing, also the Navigator works really slow when moving files (it should be instantaneously) and leaves the empty folders in the old directory
I believe there’s something wrong with your setup then.
I was thinking about using FileBrowser in a docker container
Filebrowser is a SINGLE binary, no need to run it in a container and deal with all the mapping stuff when it would be an essential part of the NAS.
OpenMediaVault is a Debian server with a Web UI.
TrueNas scale is a little heavier because it is a kubernetes implementation, but it is amazing.
The capabilities and possibilities are spectacular, and the maintenance required to keep all of your applications up-to-date is so easy that I no longer think about it.
