How secure and private is TrueNAS? (There is little about TrueNAS in this forum)

Cedarwood

I am currently using a Raspberry PI 5 with a RAID1 array connected via USB. I use Debian and only turn it on when I want to make a backup (once a month). For backup I use borgbackup and as double security additionally rsync (quite minimal setup and CLI only). The disks are encrypted with LUKS. Additionally I have activated borgbackup encryption and use rsync via OpenSSH tunnel.

Now I'm thinking about replacing my DIY solution with hardware from UGREEN and software from TrueNAS.
How secure and private is TrueNAS?

Isn't TrueNAS a bit overkill for backup only? Isn't my Raspberry PI setup enough? I am considering hosting Open Source web based Apps on TrueNAS myself in the future (example NextCloud). The TrueNAS is behind OpenWrt router and I will never connect it to the internet.

What do you think about it? What do you think about the situation?

Thank you

Hb1hf

Cedarwood Raspberry PI 5 with a RAID1 array connected via USB

May I ask you how that is possible? Does the rpi5 supply enough energy or does the array have it's own power supply? Also, are we talking hds or sdds? (I figure the power consumption for hds is higher but I actually have no idea)

DeletedUser87

That might be overkill, but probably won't be once you start self hosting. You should consider the learning curve as well, as TrueNAS is based on BSD. Another option would be OpenMediaVault (OMV) which falls in the same category of FOSS NAS software, but is based on Debian so you wouldn't need to learn much before you can start using it. I've been using OMV as my NAS and main server for about half a year now and have no complaints whatsoever. If you plan to not even expose it to the internet (I assume by blocking it at router level), you won't really need to worry about privacy and even security that much. And even if you do expose it, it seems to do pretty well on the privacy and security side.

Cedarwood

DeletedUser87 ou should consider the learning curve as well, as TrueNAS is based on BSD. Another option would be OpenMediaVault (OMV) which falls in the same category of FOSS NAS software, but is based on Debian so you wouldn't need to learn much before you can start using it

TrueNAS SCALE is also based on Debian.
TrueNAS CORE is FreeBSD, which is a legacy product.

https://www.theregister.com/2024/03/18/truenas_abandons_freebsd/

TrueNAS CORE 13 is the end of the FreeBSD version
Debian-based TrueNAS SCALE is the future primary focus
Bad news from BSD land – the oldest vendor of BSD systems is changing direction away from FreeBSD and toward Linux.

OpenMediaVault
I operated OMV for about 1-3 years. That was before I built my own solution with borgbackup/rsync. I don't like OMV at all, I find it bloat. But that's just my personal opinion, I was happy when I migrated away. I hope I like TrueNAS SCALE better, it's a cleaner solution.

mizzen-auk

You should use ECC memory in your storage Server if you care about your data

Cedarwood

mizzen-auk You should use ECC memory in your storage Server if you care about your data

please more details. I will check if UGREEN devices offer that

DeletedUser87

Hb1hf has most certainly to be powered externally as the RasPi ports are not suitable for that kind of load.
Also, some SSDs require higher power input compared to HDDs, especially when deleting data.

Cedarwood

Hb1hf yes I use external powerd HDD disk array (RAID 1)

mizzen-auk

Cedarwood this is an up-to-day video discussing this topic from truenas staff — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mTtJjc56nZQ

ECC is not mandatory, but it is recommended for data integrity