Home Assistant is a free, open-source home automation platform that runs locally on your own hardware, keeping all your smart home data private and functional even when the internet goes down. It connects thousands of devices and services under a single, unified interface — from Zigbee and Z-Wave sensors to Matter over Thread — without locking you into any vendor's cloud. The key mental model to internalize: Home Assistant is built around entities (the atomic unit of state) grouped into devices, organized by areas/floors, and driven by automations; everything else — dashboards, voice control, energy monitoring, integrations — is layered on top of that foundation.
What This Cheat Sheet Covers
This topic spans 22 focused tables and 176 indexed concepts. Below is a complete table-by-table outline of this topic, spanning foundational concepts through advanced details.
Table 1: Installation Types and Hardware
Home Assistant offers two officially supported installation types as of 2025, after the deprecation of Core and Supervised. Choosing the right type determines whether you get add-ons (apps), one-click updates, and full backup support.
| Type | Example | Description |
|---|---|---|
Flash to Raspberry Pi 4/5 via Raspberry Pi Imager, boot, browse to homeassistant.local:8123 | • Recommended for most users • a minimal, purpose-built OS that manages HA Core, Supervisor, and add-ons together • supports one-click updates and full backups | |
docker run -d --name homeassistant --privileged --restart=unless-stopped -v /PATH/TO/YOUR/CONFIG:/config --network=host ghcr.io/home-assistant/home-assistant:stable | • Docker-only install • brings your own OS • no add-ons (apps) available • integrations like Thread and Z-Wave require separate containers | |
Plug in Ethernet, power on, browse to homeassistant.local:8123 in ~15 minutes | • Official plug-and-play hub • ships with HAOS pre-installed • the easiest entry point for new users | |
Install Raspberry Pi CM4/CM5, flash via USB, connects via PoE or power adapter | • Extensible board with on-board Zigbee/Thread radio (SkyConnect-compatible) and M.2 NVMe slot • discontinued from production Oct 2025 but still supported |