I’ve long needed to set up some kind of file storage system that I can easily access from all devices on my network. I bought an external SSD and tried to share access to it via SMB, but that turned out to be complicated and very inefficient. So I came up with the idea of setting up storage on my Raspberry Pi.
CasaOS is an open-source solution that lets you set up a full-fledged cloud storage system on your RPI or a Debian- or Ubuntu Server-based OS with literally just one command.
Home Page
You can deploy CasaOS on a Raspberry Pi with one simple command: wget -qO- https://get.casaos.io | sudo bashAfter running this command, you’ll gain access to the file storage management via a web interface.
The home page displays summary information about the device’s status (CPU and RAM usage), storage capacity, and network traffic. From here, you can also search the storage, add apps, or disable widgets.
By default, all widgets are displayed, so you won’t be able to add anything else to the information panel.
You can change the interface language to one of a dozen supported options, switch the search engine, and customize the visual style.
App Store
The app store, on the other hand, is quite interesting. It’s a full-fledged catalog, just like the App Store or Google Play, with a wide selection of apps for any task.
You can install both apps available in the store and third-party apps using the “Custom Install” button.
Notable apps include Nextcloud, HomeAssistant, AdGuard, and Jellyfin.
File Storage and Data Synchronization
Of course, you can sync data between devices in any way that’s convenient for you. But “out of the box,” CasaOS supports Syncthing, which, for me, isn’t the most convenient option.
There’s nothing unusual about the file browser. If you’ve used Dropbox or Google Drive, you’ll find everything here just the same.
You can add your own file locations, such as other drives, Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, or even network storage. Then, in the file browser, you’ll be able to access data from these storage locations and upload and download files to them via the web.
You can transfer data from your smartphone using the built-in AirDrop-like feature or share a folder via SMB. You won’t be able to send files to external sources.
To be honest, I wasn’t able to install CasaOS with a single command. But Cursor helped me solve this problem, after which I was able to manage the cloud through the familiar web interface without having to log into the RPI.
I liked the clean and very simple interface, which will be more than enough for beginners. Advanced users, on the other hand, will have no trouble sharing access to folders via SMB or connecting additional apps to expand CasaOS’s functionality.