# RackPeek Documentation

Welcome to the RackPeek knowledge base.

RackPeek is a lightweight, opinionated CLI tool and Web UI for documenting and managing home lab and small-scale IT
infrastructure.

It exists to help you understand your infrastructure clearly — without enterprise bloat, proprietary lock-in, or
unnecessary process.

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## What RackPeek Is

RackPeek helps you:

- Document hardware, systems, and services
- Model relationships between components
- Keep infrastructure knowledge versionable and portable
- Treat your lab “as code” using simple YAML
- Turn documentation into automation (e.g. Ansible inventory)
- Auto-discover what is already running (`rpk discover system / docker / proxmox / network`)
- Connect AI assistants to your inventory through the built-in MCP server

It is intentionally focused on homelabs and self-hosted environments, not enterprise CMDBs.

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## Design Philosophy

RackPeek is built around a few core principles:

### Simplicity

Clear models. Minimal abstraction. No unnecessary metadata.

### Openness

Your data is stored in plain YAML. No hidden databases. No lock-in.

### Ease of Deployment

Runs in Docker or as a single binary. Fast to install. Easy to maintain.

### Privacy

No telemetry. No tracking. No ads. What runs on your infrastructure stays on your infrastructure.

### Opinionated

Optimized for real-world home lab use — not corporate documentation workflows.

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## Project Status

RackPeek is stable and actively developed.

The focus is on:

- Stability
- Clean UX
- Strong automation integrations (Ansible, discovery, MCP)
- Community feedback shaping the roadmap

Expansion areas include deeper automation support, diagramming, and infrastructure integrations.

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## Community

RackPeek is open source and community-driven.

If you:

- Run a homelab
- Self-host services
- Experiment with infrastructure
- Care about documenting what you build

You belong here.

Feedback, bug reports, ideas, and contributions are always welcome.

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## Where to Go Next

Use this documentation section to explore:

- Concepts and modeling guidance
- CLI reference
- Automation and Ansible integration
- Development and contribution guides

RackPeek is designed to grow with your lab — and stay out of your way.