Home assistant OS vs Home Assistant on Ubuntu

Installation
1

I installed Home Assistant (Advanced Raspberry Pi installations - Home Assistant) on a Raspberry PI 3B+ running Ubuntu. This works fine :slight_smile:
But now I read that for an SSL cert I need the Add-on function.

I think I fall under ā€œHome Assistant Coreā€ and if I want to work with the addons, I have to go for the install ā€œInstall Home Assistant on Raspberry Piā€ (Raspberry Pi - Home Assistant)?With Home Assistant OS.
I need to buy a new PI 4 according to the manual :frowning:

But the question is, what Linux distro is Home Assistant OS?

2

You do not need HAOS.
HAOS provide an easy way to install other Docker containers, but those same Docker containers can be installed manually too or even installed in the OS itself.

HAOS is based on Alpine Linux and you can make very few changes in that OS.
It should be considered an appliance for HA more than a Linux OS.

3

I have solved the SSL cert like this now.

sudo apt update
sudo apt install certbot

sudo certbot certonly --manual --preferred-challenges dns -d ā€œ*.domein.nlā€

Added TXT to my DNS (public) and put the generated pem files in the homeassistant folder. configuration.yaml, reboot and done

configuration.yaml
http:
ssl_certificate: ā€¦/.homeassistant/ssl_certs/fullchain.pem
ssl_key: ā€¦/.homeassistant/ssl_certs/privkey.pem

4

You mean HA on an Ubuntu should be able to do everything? I wouldnā€™t be able to use the add-ons if I read it right, but I was able (yet) to fix the CERT thing.

5

Addons are just Docker containers, which also exist for the other installation types.
HAOS and supervised installations come with supervisor that makes the adding, removal and updating of the Docker containers easy.
The containers are just the same.

1 Like
6

O, how should I have installed the SSL cert according to HA? I couldnā€™t find that on this forum.

7

You have done it correctly.
You have chosen to install the feature in the OS instead of in a Docker container.
Both are correct, but most users of the core installation will say yours are the most correct one, since there is less complexity.

1 Like
8

Did I understand correctly that the ā€œHome Assistant Coreā€ will no longer be available in 2026? And that I need to install the Home Assistant OS?

9

Probably better to say that HA Core in python/python-venv is what is no longer going to be supported; But HA Core in Docker Container will be supported in either a stand-alone (add container yourself within your own OS) or as part of HAOS (container already built-in).

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10

HA core will not be supported.
It will still be available, but you will probably be looking at a developer setup instead.
If you are experienced in running a headless no-GUI server, then you can still do so.

The deprecation of support means that it will not be ā€œofferedā€" for normal users and the documentation in the normal user website will disappear.
This is done because many users think they know how to run a headless no-GUI server, but they do not and then the support becomes troublesome and time consuming for the HA team.

11

Okay, thanks for your explanation.

I also think I know how to run a headless no-GUI server :keyboard:

12

Well, if you take regular backups, then the worst that can happens is that you have to make the switch if you fail.

13

Hi everyone,

For Christmas, I received a new Raspberry Pi 5! :slight_smile:

Iā€™m currently using a Raspberry Pi 2 for my custom home automation system, which is running bash and Python scripts. It also handles a few additional scripts.

At the request of many, I switched to Home Assistant, which is now running smoothly on a Raspberry Pi 3B. I installed Home Assistant as ā€œHome Assistant Core.ā€

Hereā€™s the thing: I only work through the command line interface (CLI) on my Raspberry Pi. My question is: whatā€™s the best way to install Home Assistant on the Raspberry Pi 5 while still being able to run my Ubuntu (Linux) scripts?

Iā€™ve come across a few options: ā€œHome Assistant OSā€, installing Home Assistant on Raspbian via Python, or using apt install for a standalone app.

Iā€™d really appreciate any advice or recommendations, especially for a CLI-only setup!

Thanks in advance!

14

I have an old Mac laptop running Ubuntu and I use Docker compose to run HA core and a few add-ons. Pretty simple to set up. You just have to manage backups yourself.

I also have an old Raspberry Pi 3b+. I use z-wave devices, so I run docker on it with Z-wave-js UI for a remote hub. (I had a spare ZAC93, so decided to put it to use.)

Lots of options. I also have a pi4 running HAOS and have a NUC where Iā€™m going to use Proxmox and HAOS, which seems like a popular setup.

15

So the real advice is to run Docker and not use apt install homeassistant on an Ubuntu installation?
Iā€™ve read something about Docker before, that you need to mount everything you want to persist outside the Docker container, such as configs, databases, and backups. Otherwise, youā€™ll lose everything.

16

I just specify a local directory as my config directory.

Iā€™m no docker expert, but hereā€™s my HA section in docker-compose.yaml:

services:
  homeassistant:
    image: lscr.io/linuxserver/homeassistant:latest
    container_name: homeassistant
    network_mode: host
    #restart: always

    volumes:
      - ./home_assistant/config:/config
      - /etc/localtime:/etc/localtime:ro

    environment:
      - PUID=1000
      - PGID=1000
1 Like
17

Correct, or you can run it as HAOS in a virtual machine. On a Pi5 Docker is probably best (unless you install HAOS bare-metal).

Correct.

18

Okay thx, crap, too bad itā€™s not a normal installer. :frowning:

19

Quite sure you will manage it if you follow the documentation.

20

I believe that too, but I find Docker a bit tricky, especially with the network interfaces and nothing being static. Thatā€™s why I prefer a normal installation as a program.

But if thatā€™s no longer supported, I guess Iā€™ll have to give in and run Docker (but why?)

It feels a bit like you donā€™t have control over it, thatā€™s mainly what I think.