What file format to use in Docker home server?

macminitosh · June 27, 2022

Currently, i'm running Windows 11 on my home server (Fractal Node 804 holding a B460-M Pro motherboard with an i3-10100 and some generic 1x16GB DDR4 RAM), which is running Plex and acting as NAS in my home network.

I'm also running a Raspberry Pi 3 B+ for Homebridge, Pi-Hole, and some other services that didn't want to work with Windows (mainly deConz). And while the Pi still manages to run all those services, it's starting to become a bit overwhelmed by the demands of all the docker containers that I'm throwing at it. So I want to move all services to my home server and retire the raspi, and switch the whole system over to Linux while i'm at it. I'm comfortable with Ubuntu, so I would like to use it as OS to run Docker in.

Mainly, I'm now wondering what file format would be best for my hard drives. Currently, I've got a 8tb drive formatted to NTFS, a 4tb + a 3tb formatted to exFAT and some 1tb drives that are one or the other. They only hold movies and shows for Plex, so i don't really want to create some sort of array with them, but I'm planning on replacing the smaller drives with another 8tb HDD in the future. Could i make them work in Ubuntu without reformatting, at least until i get the second 8tb drive? My main computer is an iMac running macOS, and i'm accessing the NAS via SMB at the moment (this might not be the best way, but it works alright).