# Container - HomeAssistant

> This page introduces the container feature in MikroTik RouterOS, enabling users to run servers like HomeAssistant directly on the router. It provides step-by-step instructions for enabling container mode, configuring...

# Container - HomeAssistant

The introduction of the **container** feature in RouterOS made it possible to run a wide variety of servers directly on the router. This is especially valuable for users who want to minimize the number of devices in their network. Instead of deploying a server on a separate machine, you can now host it inside the router itself.

In this guide we will demonstrate how to install and run a **Home‑Assistant** server on RouterOS.

Home‑Assistant is a popular platform for collecting data from numerous sensors and offers extensive support for a wide range of **integrations**.

## Summary

Before proceeding with the configuration, ensure that you have studied our [container](../) guide. Additionally, review the [disclaimer](../#disclaimer) and [requirements](../#requirements) section to understand all associated risks and any necessary steps you may need to take.

You can find supported architectures in the [link](https://hub.docker.com/r/homeassistant/home-assistant/tags).

At the time this guide was published, the **home-assistant** image was available for ARM64 and AMD64 (CHR and x86) devices.

Based on the information from the [Home Assistant website](https://www.home-assistant.io/installation/linux/), the recommended requirements are:

- 2 GB RAM
- 32 GB Storage

But we will try to run it on lower spec device.

## Container configuration

**Sub-menu:** `/container`

***note**:* The **container** package is required.

### Container mode

Enable container mode:

```ros
/system/device-mode/update container=yes
```

You will need to confirm the device-mode with a press of the reset button, or a cold reboot, if using a container on X86.

### Networking

Add veth interface:

```ros
/interface/veth/add name=veth2 address=172.19.0.2/24 gateway=172.19.0.1
```

Create a bridge for the container and add the veth interface to it:

```ros
/interface/bridge/add name=ha
/ip/address/add address=172.19.0.1/24 interface=ha
/interface/bridge/port/add bridge=ha interface=veth2
```

Forward TCP 8123 for home-assistant management (where 192.168.88.1 is the device's LAN IP address) if NAT is required (optional):

```ros
/ip/firewall/nat/add action=dst-nat chain=dstnat dst-address=192.168.88.1 dst-port=8123 protocol=tcp to-addresses=172.19.0.2 to-ports=8123
```

### Environment variables and mounts

Per the home-assistant documentation, define mounts for the configuration files (where `/usb1` is our external USB storage folder):

```ros
/container/mounts/add dst=/config list=ha_config src=/usb1/ha_config
```

Create an environment variable for home-assistant:

```ros
/container/envs/add key=TZ list=ha_env value=America/Los_Angeles
```

### Getting image

To simplify the configuration, we will get the images from an external library.

Make sure that you have "Registry URL" set accordingly, limit RAM usage (if necessary), and set up a directory for the images:

```ros
/container/config/set registry-url=https://registry-1.docker.io tmpdir=/usb1/pull
```

Pull the home-assistant image and wait for it to be extracted:

```ros
/container/add remote-image=homeassistant/home-assistant:latest interface=veth2 root-dir=/usb1/ha mountlists=ha_config envlists=ha_env logging=yes
```

After running the command, RouterOS should start "extracting" the package. Check "File System" for newly created folders and monitor container status with the command `/container/print`.

### Starting the container

After you make sure that the container has been added and the status has changed to `status=stopped` after using `/container/print` → you can initiate it:

```ros
/container/start 0
```

### Home-Assistant setup

Open your preferred web browser and access the Home-Assistant management portal by specifying the management port ":8123":

![](./img/container-homeassistant-01.webp)

Proceed with the setup. More information is explained in the [Home-Assistant onboarding guide](https://www.home-assistant.io/getting-started/onboarding/).

## Resources

Just running **Home Assistant** (without any load/traffic) takes up ~300-400 MB of RAM:

```ros
/system/resource/print
                   uptime: 4m27s
                  version: 7.13.3 (stable)
               build-time: 2024-01-24 13:16:46
         factory-software: 7.10
              free-memory: 143.0MiB
             total-memory: 448.0MiB
```