Hub 01 / Start here
Everything in this group is about the layer underneath your automations: what runs Home Assistant, who maintains it, and what you do on the evening it will not load.
Short answer
Most people should install Home Assistant Operating System on hardware with durable storage and a wired connection, take a backup they have actually restored once, and reach the instance remotely without opening a router port. Those three decisions prevent the majority of problems that later look like automation faults.
Start here
Read in order for a complete picture, or enter at the decision in front of you.
Compare the two current Home Assistant installation types, understand what apps add, and pick the path that matches the recovery effort you accept.
Read guidePick Home Assistant hardware using documented minimums, then plan storage, radios and power so the system stays fast and recoverable as it grows.
Read guideInstall Home Assistant Container with Docker Compose or run Home Assistant OS in a virtual machine, including device pass-through, updates and known limits.
Read guideCreate a reliable Home Assistant automation in the visual editor, understand triggers, conditions and actions, then test it with traces.
Read guideConfigure automatic Home Assistant backups, keep the emergency key safe, add an off-device copy and rehearse a restore.
Read guideCompare Home Assistant Cloud, VPN and port forwarding for remote access, understand the CG-NAT problem, and set the external URL correctly.
Read guideDiagnose an unreachable Home Assistant in order: power, network path, address and port, host firewall, then logs and console, using documented symptoms.
Read guide