Mastering ESPHome and MQTT for Homelabs: Build Secure, Cloud-Free IoT Devices, Event-Driven Automation, and Scalable Sensor Networks

By Juno Darian

Mastering ESPHome and MQTT for Homelabs

Build Secure, Cloud-Free, Scalable IoT Systems with ESP32, MQTT, and Open-Source Infrastructure

Take full control of your smart home and homelab-without relying on the cloud.

Mastering ESPHome and MQTT for Homelabs is the definitive hands-on guide for builders, makers, and engineers who want to design professional-grade IoT systems using ESP32/ESP8266 devices, MQTT messaging, and modern open-source tooling.

This book goes far beyond basic tutorials. You'll learn how to architect secure, reliable, and scalable IoT environments that integrate seamlessly with homelab infrastructure such as Home Assistant, Docker, Kubernetes, TrueNAS, Pi-hole, Wazuh, and more.

Whether you're building a smart home, a private cloud-connected lab, or an enterprise-style IoT network, this book gives you the practical knowledge and system-level thinking required to do it right.

What You'll Learn InsideHow ESPHome really works under the hood-and how to optimize it for production-grade deploymentsMQTT fundamentals, topic design, QoS, retained messages, and broker architecture (Mosquitto, EMQX)Designing cloud-free smart homes with local control, privacy, and low latencySecure device provisioning, authentication, TLS encryption, and certificate managementIntegrating ESPHome and MQTT with Home Assistant, Node-RED, Grafana, and InfluxDBMonitoring, logging, and security auditing using Wazuh, Elasticsearch, and KibanaScaling from a single ESP32 device to hundreds of IoT nodesBackup, disaster recovery, CI/CD pipelines, and production readiness checklistsReal-world homelab architectures, diagrams, configs, and deployment strategies.Who this Book is ForSmart home enthusiasts who want full ownership and privacyHomelab builders looking to add real-world IoT workloadsMakers and hobbyists working with ESP32, ESP8266, and sensorsDevOps, SysAdmins, and Engineers exploring IoT infrastructureAnyone tired of vendor lock-in and unreliable cloud servicesJust clear explanations, real configurations, and proven architectures.

Why This Book Is Different
Unlike surface-level guides, this book treats IoT as a system, not a gadget. You'll learn how devices, messaging, security, monitoring, and infrastructure all work together-using the same principles found in enterprise environments.

If you want to build future-proof, secure, and maintainable IoT systems, this book is your blueprint.
Build smarter.
Stay local.
Own your infrastructure.
Scroll up and start mastering ESPHome and MQTT today.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0GF1NXMDG
• ISBN13: 9798242629967
• Release Date: January 2026
• Publisher: Independently Published
• Length: 260 Pages
• Weight: 1.34 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 8.5" x 11.0"