Umbrel
free · open sourceUmbrel is a friendly operating system for a home server that runs a Bitcoin node, a Lightning node, and dozens of other self-hosted apps from an app-store interface. It turns "I should run a node" into an afternoon project on a Raspberry Pi or spare machine. The polish costs some transparency: parts of the project are source-available rather than fully open.
Trust shape
Trust-minimized
Everything runs on your hardware, but Umbrel's curated app store and update channel keep the vendor in the loop.
Facts
- Website: umbrel.com
- Source: github.com/getumbrel/umbrel
- Platforms: server, linux
- Self-hostable: yes
- Last updated: 2026-06-12
Editor's note
The lowest-friction path from "I should run a node" to actually running one.
Build or maintain Umbrel? Claim this listing to keep its facts current.
Frequently asked questions
- Do I need a Bitcoin node to use Umbrel?
- No. Umbrel runs a Bitcoin node and a Lightning node for you, but it's also a general home-server OS for dozens of self-hosted apps. You don't start with a node and add Umbrel on top; Umbrel is what turns "I should run a node" into an afternoon project on a Raspberry Pi or a spare machine. The node is one app among many on the box.
- Is Umbrel fully open source?
- Not entirely. Everything runs on your own hardware, but parts of Umbrel are source-available rather than fully open, and its curated app store and update channel keep the vendor in the loop. That's the honest tradeoff: you get the lowest-friction onboarding in exchange for less transparency than a fully open stack. If you want code you can fully verify, StartOS leans more open.
- What hardware do I need to run Umbrel?
- A Raspberry Pi 4 or 5 with an SSD, or any spare x86 machine running Linux. Budget several hundred gigabytes of disk for the Bitcoin node's full chain, plus headroom for whatever apps you install. The machine stays powered on. None of this is exotic, but the storage and always-on requirement are real costs people underestimate before the initial blockchain sync.
- Is self-hosting with Umbrel better for privacy than cloud services?
- For data control, yes. Your node, your apps, and your data live on hardware in your house instead of a third party's servers, so you stop leaking queries to an exchange or a SaaS provider. The honest caveat: trust doesn't vanish, it moves. You still rely on Umbrel's curated app store and update channel, and your privacy is only as good as your own setup and home network.
- Umbrel vs StartOS — which self-hosted node OS should I pick?
- Both turn a home server into a node-plus-apps box you control, installed from an app-store interface. Umbrel optimizes for the lowest-friction onboarding, but some components are source-available rather than fully open. StartOS, from Start9, leans more fully open-source. Pick on the open-source-versus-polish tradeoff: choose Umbrel if you want the easiest start, StartOS if verifiable code matters more to you than smoothness.
Related in Nodes & Verification
Bitcoin Core
Bitcoin Core is the reference full-node software for Bitcoin. It downloads and independently verifies the entire blockchain on your own hardware, so you never have to ask an exchange or block explorer what the ledger says — you check it yourself. It needs several hundred gigabytes of disk and patience for the initial sync, but every other rung builds on it.
Mempool.space
Mempool.space is an open-source Bitcoin block explorer and fee estimator. The hosted site is the easy way to check a transaction; self-hosting it against your own node means you can verify any payment without trusting a third-party website or API. For a business accepting Bitcoin, a self-hosted instance turns "did the payment confirm?" into a question you answer yourself.
StartOS
StartOS, from Start9, is an open-source operating system for running your own server: a Bitcoin node, Lightning, password managers, and other personal infrastructure, installed and updated from a simple app-store interface. Compared to renting cloud services, your data and your node live on hardware in your house. You provide the machine and accept light maintenance duties in exchange.