{"slug": "samba", "name": "Samba", "category": "files", "category_name": "Files, sync and backup", "description": "", "recommenders": 2, "commenters": 10, "warners": 1, "score": 2.699, "rising": -0.65, "first": "2025-11-10", "latest": "2026-10-09", "why": "have a Samba server that I can use to access my music library on the go if needed, via WireGuard. Honestly, I could not be more happier with it.", "why_is_quote": true, "has_verdict": false, "sentiment": {"recommend": 2, "neutral": 7, "compare": 0, "warn": 1}, "spark": [1, 0, 1, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0], "listed": false, "loved": [], "caveat": "", "short_quote": "have a Samba server that I can use to access my music library on the go if needed, via WireGuard. Honestly, I could not be more happier with it.", "icon": false, "domain": null, "github_repo": null, "official_url": "", "pricing": "", "aliases": ["Samba"], "verdict": null, "praise": [{"label": "", "summary": "", "quotes": [{"id": 746400128, "item_id": 46650008, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46650008", "by": "alturp", "date": "2026-01-16", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "have a Samba server that I can use to access my music library on the go if needed, via WireGuard. Honestly, I could not be more happier with it.", "excerpt": "I recently switched to an iPod and have a Samba server that I can use to access my music library on the go if needed, via WireGuard. Honestly, I could not be more happier with it. I think there are very few advantages for technically inclined people to still pay for streaming services, and the fees are not one of them.", "context": "technically inclined", "use_case": "self-hosted music library access", "switched_from": "Spotify", "story": "Spotify increases its US subscription prices for the third time in 3 years"}, {"id": 737552305, "item_id": 46097019, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46097019", "by": "lateforwork", "date": "2025-11-30", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I use a Raspberry Pi 4 running Ubuntu and Samba as my NAS. It is cheap and reliable.", "excerpt": "Unfortunately PCs have mechanical devices that give out after a few years. I am referring of course to fans. I use a Raspberry Pi 4 running Ubuntu and Samba as my NAS. It is cheap and reliable.", "context": "", "use_case": "NAS file sharing", "switched_from": "", "story": "Don't throw away your old PC\u2013it makes a better NAS than anything you can buy"}]}], "caveats": [{"label": "", "summary": "", "quotes": [{"id": 736918849, "item_id": 46057428, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46057428", "by": "quixventure", "date": "2025-11-26", "stance": "warn", "quote": "I have been fighting annoying Samba issues with MacOS and a Linux NAS for years", "excerpt": "Like so many others, I saw the video the last time it was on hn and, again, like so many others, I went in thinking, what do I need this for and ended the video thinking... Ok, I gotta try this! And I use it every day now... I have been fighting annoying Samba issues with MacOS and a Linux NAS for years now, but CP just works. I can EASILY move files around and its really fast. But the stuff that keeps me from going ", "context": "MacOS and Linux NAS user", "use_case": "file sharing", "switched_from": "", "story": "Copyparty, the FOSS file server [video]"}]}], "who": [{"by": "asteroidburger", "context": "Runs a home NAS", "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49496078", "date": "2026-08-30"}, {"by": "acidburnNSA", "context": "homelab owner", "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47299376", "date": "2026-03-08"}, {"by": "alturp", "context": "technically inclined", "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46650008", "date": "2026-01-16"}, {"by": "gerdesj", "context": "consultant with a customer running DOS 6", "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46406526", "date": "2025-12-27"}, {"by": "stonecharioteer", "context": "homelabber", "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45876153", "date": "2025-11-10"}], "tags": [], "use_cases": ["nas file sharing", "file sharing", "network file sharing", "file sharing to macos", "music library file sharing", "self-hosted music library access"], "compared": [{"slug": "spotify", "name": "Spotify", "co": 1, "switched_from": 1, "switched_to": 0}, {"slug": "copyparty", "name": "copyparty", "co": 1, "switched_from": 0, "switched_to": 1}, {"slug": "jellyfin", "name": "Jellyfin", "co": 2, "switched_from": 0, "switched_to": 0}, {"slug": "ubuntu", "name": "Ubuntu", "co": 2, "switched_from": 0, "switched_to": 0}, {"slug": "proxmox", "name": "Proxmox", "co": 2, "switched_from": 0, "switched_to": 0}, {"slug": "forgejo", "name": "Forgejo", "co": 2, "switched_from": 0, "switched_to": 0}, {"slug": "openwrt", "name": "OpenWrt", "co": 2, "switched_from": 0, "switched_to": 0}, {"slug": "wireguard", "name": "WireGuard", "co": 2, "switched_from": 0, "switched_to": 0}], "makers": [], "threads": [{"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49985548", "title": "Ask HN: What do you run on a $5 VPS that's worth keeping online 24/7?", "mentions": 1}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49494856", "title": "FreeCORE TrueNAS Core \u2013 Continued", "mentions": 1}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48827325", "title": "How to Build a Minimal ZFS NAS Without Synology, QNAP, TrueNAS", "mentions": 1}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47298743", "title": "My Homelab Setup", "mentions": 1}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47066241", "title": "27-year-old Apple iBooks can connect to Wi-Fi and download official updates", "mentions": 1}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46649168", "title": "Spotify increases its US subscription prices for the third time in 3 years", "mentions": 1}], "sentiment_by_month": {"2025-11": {"neutral": 1, "warn": 1, "recommend": 1}, "2025-12": {"neutral": 1}, "2026-01": {"recommend": 1}, "2026-02": {"neutral": 1}, "2026-03": {"neutral": 1}, "2026-04": {}, "2026-05": {}, "2026-06": {}, "2026-07": {"neutral": 1}, "2026-08": {"neutral": 1}, "2026-09": {}, "2026-10": {"neutral": 1}}, "quotes": [{"id": 800308597, "item_id": 50019287, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50019287", "by": "proxysna", "date": "2026-10-09", "stance": "neutral", "quote": "Samba server to access my things over the network", "excerpt": "Maintenance is not an issue, if vm/pc setup is done correctly. Simple is better in that case. Just a docker-compose or two or three with app data stored directly on disk to be able to move things easily between VM/PC's if needed. If hosted on VPS, set up your containers to be accesible only through VPN and you're good to go. Things i use daily-ish: - Wireguard with wg-easy to access my home network and other way arou", "context": "", "use_case": "network file sharing", "switched_from": "", "story": "Ask HN: What do you run on a $5 VPS that's worth keeping online 24/7?"}, {"id": 791937250, "item_id": 49496078, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49496078", "by": "asteroidburger", "date": "2026-08-30", "stance": "neutral", "quote": "It's really not hard to setup LVM and Samba.", "excerpt": "Yeah, I just run bare Debian myself. It's really not hard to setup LVM and Samba. And all of the major frontier models are well-versed in those things, so I used their help to get all of the various bits setup to make access from MacOS fast.", "context": "Runs a home NAS", "use_case": "file sharing to macOS", "switched_from": "", "story": "FreeCORE TrueNAS Core \u2013 Continued"}, {"id": 781292897, "item_id": 48830806, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48830806", "by": "rcarmo", "date": "2026-07-08", "stance": "neutral", "quote": "pass-through mount to an LXC that runs Samba", "excerpt": "This is pretty much what I did, except that since I use Proxmox I used that to manage the volumes and then just did a pass-through mount to an LXC that runs Samba - that way I get a decent, simple GUI to monitor and manage volumes and can do user management inside the LXC.", "context": "", "use_case": "NAS file sharing", "switched_from": "", "story": "How to Build a Minimal ZFS NAS Without Synology, QNAP, TrueNAS"}, {"id": 756790024, "item_id": 47299376, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47299376", "by": "acidburnNSA", "date": "2026-03-08", "stance": "neutral", "quote": "serving over samba and NFS", "excerpt": "I have something like this, in the same case. I have beefier specs b/c I use it as a daily workstation in addition to running all my stuff. * nginx with letsencrypt wildcard so I have lots of subdomains * No tailscale, just pure wireguard between a few family houses and for remote access * Jellyfin for movies and TV, serving to my Samsung TV via the Tizen jellyfin app * Mopidy holding my music collection, serving to ", "context": "homelab owner", "use_case": "file sharing", "switched_from": "", "story": "My Homelab Setup"}, {"id": 753672465, "item_id": 47104529, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47104529", "by": "moon2", "date": "2026-02-21", "stance": "neutral", "quote": "I keep my music library on a server with Samba installed", "excerpt": "I have a collection of Macs from the 2000s, including the iBook G4 and the iMac G4. The iBook G4 still connects to wi-fi, and I've seen this update prompt on my iMac G4 (which is connected to Wi-Fi using a mini wireless access point). I use my iMac G4 to play songs on iTunes, I keep my music library on a server with Samba installed and I mount the volume with the files. I love the Cover Flow design from older iTunes.", "context": "", "use_case": "music library file sharing", "switched_from": "", "story": "27-year-old Apple iBooks can connect to Wi-Fi and download official updates"}, {"id": 746400128, "item_id": 46650008, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46650008", "by": "alturp", "date": "2026-01-16", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "have a Samba server that I can use to access my music library on the go if needed, via WireGuard. Honestly, I could not be more happier with it.", "excerpt": "I recently switched to an iPod and have a Samba server that I can use to access my music library on the go if needed, via WireGuard. Honestly, I could not be more happier with it. I think there are very few advantages for technically inclined people to still pay for streaming services, and the fees are not one of them.", "context": "technically inclined", "use_case": "self-hosted music library access", "switched_from": "Spotify", "story": "Spotify increases its US subscription prices for the third time in 3 years"}, {"id": 742504416, "item_id": 46406526, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46406526", "by": "gerdesj", "date": "2025-12-27", "stance": "neutral", "quote": "I use Samba with all the safety catches switched off (on one side only) as a go between.", "excerpt": "I seem to recall that I used Windows 2 on a RM Nimbus 80186 at school around 1984. It was for CAM. Nowadays one of my customers has a sodding great machine that boots DOS 6. To get data files to and from it I use Samba with all the safety catches switched off (on one side only) as a go between.", "context": "consultant with a customer running DOS 6", "use_case": "file transfer to legacy DOS machine", "switched_from": "", "story": "Windows 2 for the Apricot PC/Xi"}, {"id": 737552305, "item_id": 46097019, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46097019", "by": "lateforwork", "date": "2025-11-30", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I use a Raspberry Pi 4 running Ubuntu and Samba as my NAS. It is cheap and reliable.", "excerpt": "Unfortunately PCs have mechanical devices that give out after a few years. I am referring of course to fans. I use a Raspberry Pi 4 running Ubuntu and Samba as my NAS. It is cheap and reliable.", "context": "", "use_case": "NAS file sharing", "switched_from": "", "story": "Don't throw away your old PC\u2013it makes a better NAS than anything you can buy"}, {"id": 736918849, "item_id": 46057428, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46057428", "by": "quixventure", "date": "2025-11-26", "stance": "warn", "quote": "I have been fighting annoying Samba issues with MacOS and a Linux NAS for years", "excerpt": "Like so many others, I saw the video the last time it was on hn and, again, like so many others, I went in thinking, what do I need this for and ended the video thinking... Ok, I gotta try this! And I use it every day now... I have been fighting annoying Samba issues with MacOS and a Linux NAS for years now, but CP just works. I can EASILY move files around and its really fast. But the stuff that keeps me from going ", "context": "MacOS and Linux NAS user", "use_case": "file sharing", "switched_from": "", "story": "Copyparty, the FOSS file server [video]"}, {"id": 734018453, "item_id": 45876153, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45876153", "by": "stonecharioteer", "date": "2025-11-10", "stance": "neutral", "quote": "I run openwrt, adguard, unbound, proxmox, jellyfin, samba, qbittorrent and syncthing", "excerpt": "Location: Bangalore, India Remote: Yes, any timezone will do. Willing to Relocate: No Technologies: Rust (5 years), Python (12 years), PostgreSQL (7 years), Distributed Systems (5 years), Linux (19 years and counting as my daily driver) and I can learn anything I put my mind to. Email: You'll find it on my about page, along with a meeting link. I build a lot of my own tools using Rust and Python, I'd love to talk abo", "context": "homelabber", "use_case": "homelab file sharing", "switched_from": "", "story": "Ask HN: Who wants to be hired? (November 2025)"}]}