I honestly only use debian headless, and manage the server via ssh and manage docker containers via portainer’s web ui.

I’m not new to linux though, so 100% stay with a desktop environment like the one that comes with Mint, because that makes things much much simpler. It’s all debian under the hood at the end of the day, and 95% of services provide install guides for debian-based systems anyways. Is this optiplex 3050 your first homelabbing system?

thanks for this . . . .I keep worrying about security, hardening the system … etc, but forget about the essentials: power and networking. #1 priority for me is to get a UPS this year, once I find a job, that is