Homelab admin deck for low-power devices.
A small footprint dashboard with zero dependencies, that can live on your low power host alongside Pi-Hole.
Website: deq.rocks · Support: Patreon
DeQ runs bare metal, not in Docker.
It's designed for low-power devices that are already online 24/7 – a Pi, a mini PC, an old laptop. These devices give you always-on access to your homelab via Tailscale or LAN, without the overhead of a full server.
Docker would require a host capable of running Docker in the first place, plus workarounds for features that need direct hardware access: Wake-on-LAN requires raw sockets, the file manager needs your filesystem, SSH and rsync run as host processes, and shutdown commands don't work from inside a container.
This comes with responsibility.
DeQ runs as root and has direct access to your system. That's what makes features like WOL, file transfers, and remote shutdown possible – but it also means you should never expose it to the public internet.
- Use Tailscale or another VPN for remote access
- Only run DeQ on trusted networks
- Quick Links — Bookmarks to your services with custom icons (Lucide or Dashboard Icons)
- Device Control — Wake-on-LAN, shutdown, Docker start/stop
- Scheduled Tasks — Automated backups, wake and shutdown
- File Manager — Dual-pane file browser, copy/move/upload between devices
- System Stats — CPU, RAM, temperature, disk usage
- Theming — Custom colors, wallpapers, and glass/blur effects
- PWA Support — Install as an app on any device
wget https://github.com/deqrocks/deq/releases/download/stable/deq.zip
unzip deq.zip -d deq && cd deq
sudo ./install.shThe installer asks a few questions (IP, port) and gives you your access URL.
- Open your DeQ URL in a browser
- Click the pencil icon (top right) to enter edit mode
- Click + to add links or devices
- Click existing items to edit them
- Drag links or devices to reorder them
- Click the layout button (eco/1/4/2/4/4/4) to change link arrangement
- Click the eye icon to hide sections you don't need
- Click the palette icon to toggle monochrome icons
- Scroll down to the Theme section to customize colors and wallpaper
The server running DeQ is automatically added as the "Host" device with local stats.
Links and devices support three icon sources:
| Format | Example | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Lucide | server |
Default. See lucide.dev/icons |
| Dashboard Icons | dash:proxmox |
Self-hosted app icons. See dashboardicons.com |
| Custom URL | https://... |
Any image URL |
In edit mode, click the palette icon next to "Links" to toggle monochrome mode for all icons.
Each device can have:
| Feature | What it does |
|---|---|
| Wake-on-LAN | Power on the device remotely |
| Quick Connect | Buttons for RDP, VNC, or web interfaces |
| Docker | Start/stop containers, with optional RDP/VNC/Web buttons |
| SSH | Enables stats and shutdown for remote devices |
DeQ uses different IPs for different purposes:
-
Local IP (device settings): Always your LAN IP (192.168.x.x). Used by the DeQ server for Wake-on-LAN, SSH connections, and ping checks.
-
Quick Connect / Docker IPs: These are for your browser/phone to connect. Use LAN IPs when at home, or Tailscale IPs when accessing remotely.
Example with Tailscale:
- Device Local IP:
192.168.1.100(for WOL/SSH) - Docker VNC:
100.x.x.x:8006(Tailscale IP, so VNC works from anywhere)
To see stats or shutdown remote devices, DeQ needs SSH access. This is optional — devices without SSH still work for Wake-on-LAN and links.
Quick setup:
# Generate a key (skip if you already have one)
ssh-keygen -t ed25519
# Copy it to your device
ssh-copy-id user@device-ip
# DeQ runs as root, so copy the key there too
sudo cp ~/.ssh/id_ed25519* /root/.ssh/
sudo chmod 600 /root/.ssh/id_ed25519
# Test it
sudo ssh user@device-ip 'echo OK'DeQ has no built-in authentication. For secure remote access, use Tailscale or another VPN. Access DeQ via your Tailscale IP.
DeQ can run tasks automatically:
- Wake — Power on a device or start a Docker container
- Shutdown — Power off a device or stop a Docker container
- Backup — Sync files between devices using rsync
Example workflow: Wake your NAS at 3 AM, run a backup from your main server, shut it down when done.
Click the folder icon (top right) to open the dual-pane file manager. Browse files on any device with SSH configured.
Features:
- Copy and move files between devices
- Upload files (button or drag & drop)
- Delete files
- Create zip archives (or tar.gz as fallback)
- Download individual files
Navigation:
- Click to select (single pane only)
- Double-click to open folders
- Drag files from your desktop to upload
In edit mode, scroll down to the Theme section to customize the look:
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| Colors | Background, cards, borders, text, accent color |
| Glass | Transparency effect for cards (0-100%) |
| Blur | Background blur amount (0-30px) |
| Wallpaper | Background image URL (https://...) |
Click "Reset to Defaults" to restore the original dark theme.
sudo systemctl status deq # Check status
sudo systemctl restart deq # Restart
sudo journalctl -u deq -f # View logsAll data is stored in /opt/deq/config.json. To backup: just copy config.json. To restore: copy it back and restart.
To update DeQ, download the latest release and run the installer again:
wget https://github.com/deqrocks/deq/releases/download/stable/deq.zip
unzip deq.zip -d deq && cd deq
sudo ./install.shYour config.json is preserved — the installer only overwrites server.py.
sudo systemctl stop deq
sudo systemctl disable deq
sudo rm /etc/systemd/system/deq.service
sudo rm -rf /opt/deq
sudo systemctl daemon-reloadOr as single command
sudo systemctl stop deq && sudo systemctl disable deq && sudo rm /etc/systemd/system/deq.service && sudo rm -rf /opt/deq && sudo systemctl daemon-reloadCC BY-NC 4.0 — Free for personal use, no commercial use without permission. See LICENSE.