Hi selfhosters,
I would like to expand my server storage and I am confused now. For a bit of context, I have a mini pc running several Docker containers and I am pretty happy with it.
Right now I want to expand my server storage and after going though some options, this is my current understanding:
- NAS: it is a real PC with its own chip/memory/OS and we can connect to the storage via network mount. Some are powerful enough to run docker containers on them and are generally not cheap.
- HDD enclosure/docking station: it is just some enclosure to hold a lot of HDDs together and I could just plug it into my server like an USB.
I would like to ask:
- Is my understanding above correct ?
- Since I still have some resource left in the mini pc and want to save some bucks, is it safe to go with the HDD enclosure ?
Thank you very much and have a nice day :D


Just to repeat what you’re already hearing: if I started over from the beginning, I’d skip a NAS entirely and just build a server with a ton of bays (which I just bought). Funny enough, I came here to recommend Fractal Design cases too