Hello,
I’m considering adopting HA and just found out there seems to be several ways to have HA running. I’m on a Rpi3 with Raspbian and was hoping yo install it via apt-get install.
Can anybody please point me to an earlier discussion where this topic has been covered, or simply state what the pros/cons benefits/disadvantages of the different approaches are?
Many many thanks
There is no apt-get install 
There are basically 3 choices -
Hassbian is just a standard linux raspbian install with HA added to it + some scripts to easily add some standard components (ssh, etc)
See here for installation methods…
There is a 4th:
Just a plain Docker install
True, I’m not a fan tho’
Why? It offers the best of both worlds.
You have zero dependencies once your Docker environment is up. Upgrading or downgrading takes seconds to resolve. You can use any version you like with that method with ease of use.
The downside? You have to understand Docker a bit…
You hit my head on the nail
lol. once you deploy your first docker container, and walk through the configuration of binding volumes, it will click, and you will say “Dammit, why didn’t I do this earlier?”
Ha! maybe ;), but I have enuff to deal with, what with automations, yaml, python, hw, sw, appdeamon, and multiple instances of HA on different platforms
Thank you for taking the time flamingm0e and keith666!!
So far I understand there are two different approaches:
a. Unattended environment: Hass.io
b. HA running as a package (with the needed dependencies) on Raspbian (#2 above) or on any other OS (#3 above).
a. looks pretty appealing as one does not need to pay further attention to OS updates, updates to dependencies, etc. I have some basic Linux knowledge and enjoy accessing to my servers over SSH, defining the backup strategy, etc., but at the same time Hass.io resonates with what I had in mind for my home automation. I will certainly consider this option.
I have a few concerns though: how does one back the configuration up? Can I still install ssh and rsync? Thing is, I have a QNAP NAS and I already have in place a backup script which backs up one other raspberry that is currently providing DHCP, DNS and OpenVPN for my home network. How do I extend this to Hass.io?
Another aspect that concerns me is security/confidentiality. I’m currently under the assumption that when a Linux contributor publishes a new product for he different distros, people will review the code and approve it before placing it in an official report. The fact that HA does not go through that process is something that usually puts me off a bit. I see HA has a large community and that is a big relief. What is your opinion on that?
Many thanks in advance again for your time!!
/kitus
With Hass.io you can either do snapshots or back-up your config files with a script or manually. SSH is an add-on but you can’t do most of the normal linux commands as you are running on resin os not raspbian and you don’t have access anyway. You can’t install things like rsync only the addons that have been provided, tho’ that’s not to say you can’t write your own or ask for someone to add another 
I think you can install Hass.io on a ubuntu distro but I have no clue how to do that.
HA does go thru’ the review process with peer reviews and unit tests. However with such a large number of components and user base things can and do go wrong - it is still in beta effectively - so expect things to break when/if you upgrade. Of course if you find a stable build for what devices and capabilities you have/need then you don’t need to upgrade until something comes along that you need/want, it’s entirely up to you. I don’t tend to upgrade to the first release and just wait to see how it runs for others before making a decision.
The HA community is great and you will always find people to help with whatever is going wrong 
Hope that helps.
One of the advantages of running Python, is that the code is delivered as source, so you can see the code that is running, rather than running pre-compiled binaries. However, since it is still unrealistic to review every line of code yourself, it is a matter of who you trust.
The developers seem to have a good review process before anything gets inserted into the released code base. I suppose it is still possible for there to be a conspiracy among some of them to add something to compromise confidentiality, but they would also have to monitor the forums to stop reports getting out. In the end, you have to decide what level of paranoia you want to live with.
use the snapshots feature of hassio?
personally, I have a syncthing docker (available as an addon too), that syncs my configuration up with my desktop, laptop, and NAS, and allows me to edit the configuration on my desktop or laptop where I can use a proper text editor, and not have to deal with editing files across the network (SSH/SMB). My backups take place on my desktop to my NAS, so my configuration gets versioned and snapshotted every 2 hours. I am never concerned about losing my config.
SSH comes as an add-on, but rsync is not available. You don’t really need it though.
Why not just run home assistant in Docker on your QNAP?
I’m already running hass.io and boy, it is really powerful!!! I’m loving it 
I have one question on the backup thing: I’m already doing snapshots, and backing them up using scp, but I’m not sure I’m actually backing up all that I need to. Let me explain.
Yesterday I installed a manual add-on (see Paradox Alarm MQTT Hassio addon). If I need to flash a new SD card with hass.io, and I restore the snapshot I took today, what will happen with that manual addon? and with its configuration files? and with the addons from repositories?
Thanks
Hi there, sorry that it took me a little long to answer. Your setup sounds very interesting. Would you mind explaining all the details? I’m not that familiar with dockers, but So far I have understood hass.io is running on docker.
On your suggestion of me running hassio on a docker in qnap, I must say that my ancient Ts-239 can’t do dockers as it is too old (9 years I think). I like having a dedicated box for hassio anyway.
Anybody can point me to the right source of information?
for what?
I merely have a collection of docker containers that handle all the functions I need. Syncthing is just another Docker container, that points to the configuration directory of my home assistant, and it syncs with my other machines.
I don’t know - since I’ve yet to use a snapshot to restore anything and I haven’t installed any manual addons either 