TrueNAS Community Edition: Build Your Own NAS for Free

TrueNAS Community Edition (formerly TrueNAS SCALE) turns a PC into a network storage server. It uses the ZFS file system, offers file sharing over the network, snapshots and data protection, and can run apps and virtual machines. It is a good fit for home labs and small offices that want control over their own storage.

Hardware basics

The official hardware guide lists:

• any x86_64 compatible Intel or AMD processor,
• 8 GB of memory,
• a 20 GB SSD as the boot device.

The installer requires a boot drive of at least 8 GB, recommends SATA, SAS or NVMe flash, and discourages USB flash drives as the boot device. Plan separate disks for your data pool.

Download and verify

The download page lists the current stable version (25.10.7) and, separately, a release candidate for testing; pick the stable one. A SHA256 checksum and a PGP public key fingerprint are published with the ISO. Compare the hash of your file before writing it.

Create the installer USB

The TrueNAS docs cover three tools:

• Rufus on Windows: set the partition scheme to GPT for UEFI systems, and choose DD Image mode if asked.
• balenaEtcher on Windows, macOS and Linux.
• Ventoy: install Ventoy on the stick, then copy the ISO onto it like a normal file.

Before you install

The installer erases the drive you select as the boot device. Disconnect or double-check any disk with data you want to keep, and back up first. For running many virtual machines rather than storage, Proxmox VE is the specialized alternative.