I developed a lot of stuff based on ESP8266 and Arduino Uno/Mega.
The first home automation started with an irrigation controller/timer for 6 zones of the garden coming with its own webserver. Then this unit was enhanced to control up to 15 433 MHz RF outlets.

Based on MQTT it was easy to integrate this unit into a home automation system. I had a look in FHEM, openHAB and decided to start with Domoticz on a Raspbery Pi. But building your own sensors the MQTT interface is somewhat weird and restricted. Indeed i did like the concept of JSON formated MQTT payloads. Then I did get stuck with the integration of all my Tuya (SmartLife) based devices and getting individual data graphs. That was the point to give HomeAssistant a try. Due to the low version number i never had a scope on it before:wink: I have a QNAP TS-563 NAS up and running since years. This is capable of doing other things besides a file server. Time to dig into the docker concept. Right now I’m happy with this solution. For data visualization I still use volkszaehler.org