Gladys
A privacy-first, open-source smart home assistant you can self-host on your own hardware.
What is Gladys?
Gladys Assistant is an open-source smart home automation platform that prioritizes user privacy by processing all data locally on the user's own hardware. It serves as a centralized hub for connecting and automating various smart devices without relying on cloud services. The project solves the problem of data privacy in smart homes by giving users complete control over their automation data and infrastructure.
Home automation enthusiasts, privacy-conscious smart home users, and developers who want to self-host their home automation system on hardware like Raspberry Pi, mini-PCs, or NAS devices.
Developers choose Gladys Assistant for its strong privacy guarantees through local data processing, its flexibility in deployment across various hardware platforms, and its active open-source community that drives continuous improvement and extensibility.
Overview
A privacy-first, open-source home assistant
Use Cases
Best For
- Building a privacy-focused smart home system that keeps all data local
- Self-hosting home automation on Raspberry Pi or other single-board computers
- Creating custom automations without dependency on cloud services
- Developing new smart home integrations in an open-source ecosystem
- Setting up a reliable home automation hub on NAS devices
- Learning about IoT and home automation through open-source contribution
Not Ideal For
- Users wanting plug-and-play cloud integration with remote access without manual network configuration
- Projects requiring extensive out-of-the-box support for proprietary smart devices like Nest or Ring
- Environments with limited technical resources preferring managed services over self-hosted maintenance
Pros & Cons
Pros
All data is processed locally on your server as stated in the key features, ensuring privacy with no cloud dependency without user consent.
Supports deployment on Raspberry Pi, mini-PCs, and NAS devices using Docker, demonstrated in the complex run command with multiple flags.
Built with a service-based architecture allowing developers to contribute new integrations, mentioned in the extensible service framework feature.
Driven by over 30 contributors listed in the README, fostering continuous development and community support.
Cons
The Docker installation requires privileged access, multiple volume mounts, and manual configuration, which can be daunting for non-technical users.
Device support relies on community-developed services, so compatibility with newer or proprietary devices may lag behind commercial platforms.
Users must manage their own hardware, updates, and troubleshooting, adding ongoing maintenance burden compared to cloud-based solutions.
Frequently Asked Questions
Related Projects
DomoticzFree open source home automation system for Linux, Windows, Raspberry Pi. Supports Z-Wave, Zigbee, MQTT, and 150+ devices.
openHABJava-based and aims at being a universal integration platform
SmartThingsCommercial home automation hub by Samsung
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