June 2026 has brought several interesting updates for the self-hosting community. Let’s start with the biggest news for Synology users: DSM 7.4 is now available. Synology released DSM 7.4 on June 16, 2026. The update is available for a wide range of models (including many from the 20-series and earlier, although some older units will receive this as their final major update). The headline new feature is Storage Efficiency in Storage Manager. It introduces post-process deduplication and compression for HDDs (requires official Synology HDDs). You can enable it per shared folder, with savings displayed in percentages and charts. The process can be scheduled for off-peak hours. Note: Storage Efficiency is only available on newer models (mostly 2022+ / x22 series and select high-end units). Older models can still upgrade to DSM 7.4 but will not get this specific feature. Other improvements include GPU information in Info Center, enhanced KMIP certificate handling, the ability to postpone important updates for up to 28 days, and support for Synology Tiering / Tiering Vault.
Portainer released version 2.39.4, which adds a Token to the base installation process. This change applies only to fresh installations. If you already have Portainer running, no action is needed. I have updated the guides with STEP 9 to STEP 12:
For Synology STEP 9 to STEP 12. Go to the article.
For UGREEN STEP 9 to STEP 12. Go to the article.
Plex Lifetime Pass: You have only a few hours left after reading this article to grab the current price of the Plex Lifetime Pass. Starting July 1, 2026, the price will increase to $749.99 (tripled from the current $249.99). If you’ve been considering it, now is the time. Otherwise, Jellyfin remains an excellent fully free and self-hosted alternative with free Hardware Transcoding.
UGREEN NAS: Which is the most powerful: IDX, GT or DXP? Among UGREEN’s current lineup, the iDX series (such as the iDX6011 Pro) remains the most powerful in terms of raw hardware and AI capabilities. The new GT series (DXP2800 GT and DXP4800 GT) offers an excellent performance/price balance. It uses an AMD Ryzen Embedded R2514 (4 cores/8 threads up to 3.7 GHz), supports U.2 SSDs in the SATA bays, dual 10GbE (on the 4-bay), and performs very well for homelab and 24/7 workloads. The classic DXP series (Plus/Pro) with Intel CPUs is often preferable for hardware-accelerated Plex transcoding. In short:
iDX – most powerful overall (especially AI-focused)
GT – best balanced choice for most users
DXP Series – strong Intel option
DH Series – Not recommended NAS devices, very slow. Do NOT buy them even if sponsored YouTubers recommend them to you just to increase their sales via Amazon. These NAS use ARM processors. Not recommended for transcoding, docker, VM etc.
For the curious: Synology has not sent me any products for review in 4 years and has been ghosting me completely. Similarly, UGREEN did not contact me to send the new GT NAS for review or even to inform me about its imminent release. Marius is being ignored, but this does not discourage me. I will continue running the blog with the same passion and updating every guide with maximum attention to detail. Unfortunately, community support remains low despite the blog being constantly updated with real-world tested, highly detailed guides and this discourages me. If you enjoy the content, Support My Work. Recently, I also added WISE as an alternative method to support me. Now you can support me via PayPal, Stripe and WISE. Thank you to everyone who continues to support the blog.
New articles are already in production for the entire month of July. Finally, the extreme heat wave hitting Europe is also affecting Romania hard. It’s extremely hot here at home and I haven’t been feeling very well lately. Hoping for some cooler days soon. If you’re new here or want to know me better, feel free to visit my personal blog. Below you’ll find the most recent guides I updated in June 2026. See you in the next July update! No sponsors, no corporations, no ads, no subscriptions. Just pure, independent guides for the community from Marius. ❤️
Stirling-PDF is a powerful locally hosted web based PDF manipulation tool using Docker and AI that allows you to perform various operations on PDF files, such as splitting merging, converting, reorganizing, adding images, rotating, compressing, and more. Note: Install Stirling-PDF on Your Synology NAS.
FreeScout is the super lightweight and powerful free open source help desk and shared inbox written in PHP (Laravel framework). It is a self hosted clone of HelpScout. Now you can enjoy free Zendesk & Help Scout without giving up privacy or locking you into a service you don’t control. The things I like the most about FreeScout are its speed, the way it’s coded and, last but not least, the privacy it offers. Note: Install Freescout on Your Synology NAS.
BentoPDF is a powerful, privacy-first, client-side PDF toolkit that allows you to manipulate, edit, merge, and process PDF files directly in your browser. No server-side processing is required, ensuring your files remain secure and private. Note: Install BentoPDF on Your Synology NAS.
OpenCloud is a modern, open-source, self-hosted platform for file management, secure sharing, and team collaboration. It prioritizes simplicity and data sovereignty, giving users full control without unnecessary complexity. In this step by step guide I will show you how to install OpenCloud on your Synology NAS using Docker and Portainer. Note: Install OpenCloud on Your Synology NAS.
PrestaShop is an open source e-commerce web application committed to providing the best shopping cart experience for both merchants and customers. It is written in PHP, is highly customizable, supports all the major payment services, is translated in many languages and localized for many countries, and has a fully responsive design (both front and back office). Note: Install Prestashop on Your Synology NAS.
Wallos is a powerful, open-source and self-hostable web application designed to empower you in managing your finances with ease. Say goodbye to complicated spreadsheets and expensive financial software – Wallos simplifies the process of tracking expenses and helps you gain better control over your financial life. Note: Install Wallos on Your Synology NAS.
Dockhand is a modern, self-hosted Docker management platform with an intuitive web interface for homelabs, small businesses, and enterprises. It simplifies container operations, stack deployments, and observability through real-time management (start/stop/restart containers, web terminals, file transfers), a visual Compose editor, GitOps auto-sync, metrics, logs, OIDC/SSO, MFA, vulnerability scans, and multi-host support via the open-source Hawser agent. You can deploy it quickly as a Docker container with no cloud dependencies or telemetry. It’s forever free for personal use. Note: Install Dockhand on Your Synology NAS.
WordPress is a free and open-source content management system (CMS). It’s the simplest and most popular solution to create your own website or blog. WordPress makes building a website accessible to anyone, even people who aren’t developers. With WordPress you can create any type of website such as blogs, eCommerce stores, portfolio websites, forums, resumes, business websites etc. In this step by step guide I will show you how to install WordPress on your Synology NAS using Docker & Portainer. Note: Install WordPress on Your Synology NAS.
Sync-in is a secure, open-source platform for file storage, sharing, collaboration, and synchronization, giving users full data control through self-hosted infrastructure. It ensures privacy with no tracking or telemetry and offers granular permission management for users and groups at space and file levels. The platform supports cross-device synchronization with native desktop clients for Windows, macOS, and Linux, real-time collaborative document editing via OnlyOffice integration, and organized, secure spaces for personal, team, or public use. Files can be shared with specific users, groups, or via time-limited public links. It includes server-side full-text indexing for fast content search, activity history with notifications, and WebDAV support to mount spaces as remote drives. Note: Install Sync-in on Your Synology NAS.
Immich is a very high performance self-hosted photo and video backup solution directly from your mobile phone. You can run Immich on your Synology NAS and it lets you upload photos and videos from your browser or mobile phone via the dedicated Android Immich app or the iOS Immich app. The Immich user interface feels like Google Photos, especially if you are using the mobile apps. Note: Install Immich on Your Synology NAS.
Zipline is a modern file upload and sharing platform designed for simplicity and flexibility, featuring a sleek dashboard to manage uploads, shortened URLs, and folders. It enables quick setup through Docker, allowing deployment in minutes with easy configuration via the dashboard. Users can upload images, videos, and text files with syntax highlighting, supported by automatic video thumbnails and image compression. Files can be organized using folders and tags, with a gallery view for efficient management. Zipline offers custom URL shortening with performance tracking through metrics. The platform supports extensive customization with themes and embeds for apps like Discord. Security features include password-protected files and URLs, Two-Factor Authentication (2FA), passwordless passkeys, and OAuth2 authentication with Discord, GitHub, Google, and OIDC providers. A robust API, HTTP and Discord webhooks, partial uploads for large files, user quotas, and invite links enhance functionality. Ideal for individuals or teams, Zipline simplifies file and link sharing with a focus on performance and user experience. Note: Install Zipline on Your Synology NAS.
Leantime is an open source project management system for small teams and startups written in PHP, JavaScript and using MySQL as the database. It combines lean product development and agile project management into one platform so that users have the right features from start to finish. Note: Install Leantime on Your Synology NAS.
Solidtime is a modern, open-source time-tracking application designed for freelancers and agencies. Built with PHP (Laravel) and Vue.js, it offers features like project and task management, client billing, and seamless data imports from tools like Toggl and Clockify. Available as a hosted cloud service or self-hosted via Docker, Solidtime provides a flexible, user-friendly solution for tracking time and managing work efficiently. Note: Install Solidtime on Your Synology NAS.
Password Pusher is an opensource application to communicate passwords over the web, similar to Yopass and Private Bin. Links to passwords expire after a certain number of views and/or time has passed. Note: Install Password Pusher on Your Synology NAS.
Mail-Archiver is an open-source web app that archives, searches, and exports emails from multiple IMAP accounts. It automatically saves incoming and outgoing emails with attachments, syncs folder structures, and supports mailbox migration. A powerful search feature helps find emails quickly, while bulk export to PDF or PST aids backups and compliance. The intuitive dashboard manages accounts and archives. Note: Install Mail Archiver on Your Synology NAS.
Open Archiver provides a robust, self-hosted solution for archiving, storing, indexing, and searching emails from major platforms, including Google Workspace (Gmail), Microsoft 365, PST files, as well as generic IMAP-enabled email inboxes. Use Open Archiver to keep a permanent, tamper-proof record of your communication history, free from vendor lock-in. Note: Install Open Archiver on Your Synology NAS.
Homebox is the inventory and organization system built for the Home User! With a focus on simplicity and ease of use, Homebox is the perfect solution for your home inventory, organization, and management needs. Note: Install Homebox on Your Synology NAS.
FossFLOW is an open-source Progressive Web App (PWA) designed for creating visually appealing isometric infrastructure diagrams. Built with React and the Isoflow library, it operates entirely in the browser with full offline support. Key features include drag-and-drop diagram creation, auto-save every 5 seconds, customizable components, and JSON-based import/export for easy sharing. It supports PWA installation on Mac and Linux, stores data locally for privacy, and offers keyboard shortcuts for efficient navigation. Ideal for technical diagramming, it runs on Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Safari, and mobile browsers with PWA support. Note: Install FossFLOW on Your Synology NAS.
This post was updated on Wednesday / July 1st, 2026 at 12:05 AM