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I want to make my home server which will have my backup data and private git repos, but I don't know what to use- Raspberry pi zero or the raspberry 3 B.

Does performace(CPU and RAM really matter)?

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Does performace(CPU and RAM really matter)?

Unless there are 20-30 people living in your home (or your github repo includes all the projects you have been working on for McDonnel Douglas), probably not for the purposes you list. I.e., the Zero would be fine.

However, connection to the internet is a bit of a hassle with the Zero, as is attaching a screen and keyboard, which you will probably want to do at least to set it up and occasionally thereafter. There's no ethernet, and a home server might as well (or: would be best off) left plugged directly into the router. If you want to use wifi instead, you need a USB wifi dongle and OTG hub -- which may introduce some gotchas, albeit not insurmountable. If you want to attach a screen, beware you probably need a special adapter for that too; the HDMI jack on the Zero is neither standard nor the (fairly common) micro, but the more eccentric "mini" size.

The Pi 3 includes both ethernet and wifi, has a standard HDMI jack, and any additional costs (power supply, SD card) will also apply to the Zero, so the price difference in the end will not be as great as $5 vs. $35.

The 3 does use significantly more power than the Zero, which may be an issue, although using a wifi adapter will probably double the Zero's consumption, bringing it closer to par with a Pi 3 idling with an ethernet connection.

Personally, I like the B+ as a choice for home server, but if you are only going to buy one Pi you might as well get a 3, especially considering there is not much price difference and the 3 has built-in wifi.

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  • Argh... click bait
    – Ghanima ♦
    Commented Aug 5, 2016 at 15:09
  • Since a git server was mentioned as a possibility, it's also worth pointing out that there is absolutely zero chance you'll get GitLab running well on an RPi Zero. It's somewhat usable for a small team on the 3, but I wouldn't really recommend it.
    – Jacobm001
    Commented Aug 5, 2016 at 15:20
  • @Jacobm001 Actually a git server isn't mentioned as a possibility, although it might be taken as implicit. I'll throw in my $0.02 and say the simplest way to host repos on a home server is via ssh (so, e.g., git remote add ssh://user@raspberrypi/~/git/whatever). Then you don't have to run any git software at all on the remote; the local git will handle everything via ssh from the local machine. Easy as pie :D
    – goldilocks ♦
    Commented Aug 5, 2016 at 15:24
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    @goldilocks: that is how I usually do it myself, but I've been toying with the idea of trying out gogs
    – Jacobm001
    Commented Aug 5, 2016 at 15:25

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