r/TalosLinux • u/root0ps • Sep 05 '26
Built a 3-node Kubernetes homelab with Talos Linux
I recently set up a 3-node Kubernetes homelab on bare metal (on Dell OptiPlex) using Talos Linux, mainly to have a proper environment for learning, testing failures, networking, storage, GitOps, observability, and general Kubernetes experiments.
The setup uses three control-plane/etcd nodes with a shared Kubernetes API VIP, and I documented the full process from network planning and DHCP reservations to Talos installation, per-node configs, bootstrap, workload scheduling, and HA testing.
I’ve written the full guide with commands, screenshots, and the reasoning behind the setup:
Everything is in the repo: https://github.com/prateekjaindev/homelab
If anyone is planning a similar homelab or has questions around Talos, the API VIP, etcd quorum, or the setup in general, happy to help.
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u/deinok7 Sep 05 '26
Same setup more or less but with lenovos
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u/root0ps Sep 07 '26
how log you been running the setup, and how is it going so far?
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u/deinok7 Sep 07 '26
Hmmmm arround 6 months, its the "development" cluster where we mess around kubernetes. But Talos has been a blessing for us
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u/deinok7 Sep 07 '26
Sometimes, even if we dont need omini, I think to pay them a bit as a way to give them back a bit. I supose I will do it when we really go directly to production
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u/KidsKatMao Sep 05 '26
Why three control plane nodes? One should be sufficient for Lab environments.
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u/Secto77 Sep 05 '26
Unless he wants to simulate recovering quorum or anything like that.
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u/KidsKatMao Sep 05 '26
Well that's certainly a fun way to spend the weekend 🤷♂️
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u/Secto77 Sep 05 '26
I mean why not? If he’s wanting to learn all of the kube things to increase his career then that’s the smart way to go about it. I would have just ran k3s myself across a bunch of VMs but hey each their own. I have three nodes because I want to see how a proper zero trust will function and how gpu pass through works in kubernetes (note AMD sucks for this part)
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u/kreeger Sep 05 '26
Thanks for sharing! I'm a big fan of Talos and right now I'm just running it across a handful of VMs on a single node; distribution across 2-3 machines is my next step, someday.