Setting Up a Media Server with Docker Compose on Ubuntu

This guide walks you through setting up a media server on Ubuntu (or other Docker-compatible OS) using Docker Compose. This approach containerizes various applications for easier maintenance and management.

Prerequisites

• A fresh installation of Ubuntu Server (or another compatible OS).
• A text editor (nano, vim, etc.).
• Basic familiarity with the command line.

Step 1: Install Docker and Docker Compose

1. Install Docker: Follow the official Docker installation guide for your OS: https://docs.docker.com/install/#supported-platforms

   For Ubuntu, a common method is:

   sudo apt update
   sudo apt install apt-transport-https ca-certificates curl software-properties-common
   curl -fsSL https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu/gpg | sudo gpg --dearmor -o /usr/share/keyrings/docker-archive-keyring.gpg
   echo "deb [arch=$(dpkg --print-architecture) signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/docker-archive-keyring.gpg] https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu $(lsb_release -cs) stable" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/docker.list > /dev/null
   sudo apt update
   sudo apt install docker-ce docker-ce-cli containerd.io

2. Install Docker Compose: Follow the official Docker Compose installation guide: https://docs.docker.com/compose/install/

   For most Linux systems:

   sudo apt install docker-compose-plugin

   Verify installation:

   docker compose version

Step 2: Disk Partitioning and Formatting (Optional but Recommended)

If you have additional drives for media storage, partition and format them before mounting. This section assumes you are using a single EXT4 partition for simplicity. Adapt these commands based on your specific drive setup.

WARNING: Incorrectly using these commands can lead to data loss. Double-check device names before proceeding!

1. Identify your drive: Use lsblk or sudo lsblk to list available block devices and identify the drive you want to format (e.g., /dev/sdb). Be absolutely sure you identify the correct drive.

2. Create a partition (if needed): If the drive is unpartitioned, use fdisk, gdisk, or parted to create a new partition. This is beyond the scope of this simplified guide, but there are many tutorials online. For example, using fdisk:

   sudo fdisk /dev/sdb  # Replace /dev/sdb with your drive

   Follow the prompts. Typically, you'll create a primary partition (type n), accept the defaults for start and end sectors, and then write the changes (type w).

3. Format the partition: Format the partition with EXT4:

   sudo mkfs.ext4 /dev/sdb1 # Replace /dev/sdb1 with your partition

Step 3: Directory Setup

Creating the correct directory structure is crucial for hard links and efficient media server operation.

1. Create the base directory:

   sudo mkdir -p /mnt/media/media-server/data

2. Create subdirectories:

   sudo mkdir -p /mnt/media/media-server/data/downloads
   sudo mkdir -p /mnt/media/media-server/data/media
   sudo mkdir -p /mnt/media/media-server/data/media/tv
   sudo mkdir -p /mnt/media/media-server/data/media/movies

3. Docker configuration directory:

   sudo mkdir -p /docker/appdata

   Important: Create the /docker folder at the server root

   Example:

   cd ~
   sudo mkdir docker
   cd docker
   sudo mkdir appdata

Step 4: Mount Drive(s)

Mount the formatted drive(s) to the appropriate directory.

1. Create mount point (if needed): The directories created in the last step serve as the mount points.

2. Mount the drive:

   sudo mount -t ext4 /dev/sdb1 /mnt/media/media-server/data # Replace with your partition and mount point

3. Make the mount permanent (using /etc/fstab): This is crucial to ensure the drive mounts automatically on reboot.

   a. Get the UUID of your partition:

   ```bash
   sudo blkid /dev/sdb1 # Replace with your partition
   ```
   
   Copy the UUID.
   

   b. Edit /etc/fstab:

   ```bash
   sudo nano /etc/fstab
   ```
   

   c. Add a line like this (replace with your UUID and mount point):

   ```
   UUID=YOUR_UUID /mnt/media/media-server/data ext4 defaults 0 0
   ```
   

   d. Save the file and exit.

   e. Test the mount:

   ```bash
   sudo mount -a
   ```
   
   If no errors occur, the drive is mounted correctly.
   

Step 5: .env File Setup

The .env file stores environment variables used by Docker Compose.

1. Create the file:

   cd /docker # Replace with your docker directory
   touch .env
   sudo chown root:root .env
   sudo chmod 600 .env

2. Edit the file:

   sudo nano .env

3. Add environment variables: Populate the .env file with the following variables. Replace the placeholder values with your actual values.

Directories

• DOCKER_CONFIG_DIR=/docker/appdata
• BASE_DIR=/mnt/media/media-server/data
• DOWNLOAD_DIR=/mnt/media/media-server/data/downloads
• MEDIA_DIR=/mnt/media/media-server/data/media
• TV_DIR=/mnt/media/media-server/data/media/tv
• MOVIES_DIR=/mnt/media/media-server/data/media/movies

User

• PUID=1000 - Your user ID (run id -u)
• PGID=1000 - Your group ID (run id -g)
• TZ="Europe/London" - Your timezone (e.g., "America/Los_Angeles")

Portainer

PORTAINER_PORT=9000

Plex

PLEX_CLAIM= # Your Plex Claim Token (Optional, if claiming a new server)

Tailscale

• TAILSCALE_PLEX_AUTH_KEY=tskey- # Generate a reusable key from the Tailscale dashboard
• TAILSCALE_OVERSEERR_AUTH_KEY=tskey- # Generate a reusable key from the Tailscale dashboard

Overseerr

OVERSEERR_WEB_PORT=5055

Transmission

• TRANSMISSION_WEBUI_PORT=9091

• TRANSMISSION_CONNECTION_PORT=51413

• TRANSMISSION_WEBUI_USER=user # Change to your desired username

• TRANSMISSION_WEBUI_PASS=strong-password # Change to a strong password

• TRANSMISSION_MAX_RETENTION=2592000

• TRANSMISSION_CONNECTION_PORT=10

Prowlarr

• PROWLARR_PORT=9696
• PROWLARR_API_KEY= # Get this from Prowlarr's settings after setup

Radarr

• RADARR_PORT=7878
• RADARR_API_KEY= # Get this from Radarr's settings after setup

Sonarr

• SONARR_PORT=8989
• SONARR_API_KEY= # Get this from Sonarr's settings after setup

Bazarr

BAZARR_PORT=6767

PiHole

PIHOLE_WEB_PASSWORD=strong-password # Set a strong password PIHOLE_WEB_PORT=53 PIHOLE_CONNECTION_PORT=80 SERVER_LAN_IP=192.168.1.125 # The static IP address of your server

Sabnzbd

SABNZBD=8080

Scrutiny

SCRUTINY_WEB_INFLUX_DB_TOKEN= SCRUTINY_WEB_INFLUXDB_INIT_USERNAME= SCRUTINY_WEB_INFLUXDB_INIT_PASSWORD= USENET_BASE_DIR=/mnt/media/media-server/data/usenet TORRENTS_BASE_DIR=/mnt/media/media-server/data/torrents

4. Save the file and exit.

Step 6: Run Docker Compose

1. Navigate to the directory containing your docker-compose.yml file:

   cd /docker # Replace with your docker directory

2. Start the containers:

   docker compose up -d

   This will download the necessary images and start all the containers in detached mode (running in the background).

3. Check container status:

   docker compose ps

   Verify that all containers are running and healthy.

Step 7: Container Setup (Web UI Configuration)

Access the web UIs of each service using the ports defined in your docker-compose.yml file (e.g., http://your_server_ip:9000 for Portainer, http://your_server_ip:7878 for Radarr). Configure each application according to your preferences.

• Key Configuration Points:

  Follow this in-depth guide to configure the arr services, transmission and plex

  Read Sabznbd Wiki and Usenet subreddit wiki to learn more about Usenet and to find the best indexers and providers.

  • Radarr/Sonarr:
    • Add your indexers/download clients (e.g., Transmission, SABnzbd).
    • Configure root folders (where media files will be stored).
    • Set up quality profiles.
    • Obtain the API keys for Radarr/Sonarr and populate them in the .env file for use with other applications.
  • Prowlarr: Add indexers and link them to Radarr and Sonarr. Get the API key.
  • Transmission/SABnzbd: Configure download directories and web UI credentials.
  • Plex: Add your media libraries.
  • Overseerr: Configure connection to Plex/Jellyfin, Radarr and Sonarr.
  • Bazarr: Configure Sonarr and Radarr connections.

Step 8: Initial Tailscale Configuration

1. Access the Tailscale containers via CLI

   docker exec -it tailscale-plex tailscale status
   docker exec -it tailscale-overseerr tailscale status

2. Authenticate via the Tailscale dashboard

   You should see that the service asks you to authenticate, navigate to the website and connect to your tailnet.

3. Disable key expiry

   In the tailscale dashboard under "machines" disable key expiry to ensure the container stays connected to your tailnet.

4. Go to your Tailscale dashboard and add any devices that you would like to access plex or overseerr on outside of the LAN hosting your Ubuntu server.

Troubleshooting

• Permissions Issues: Ensure that the PUID and PGID in your .env file match the user and group that own the media directories. Docker volumes can sometimes have permission issues.
• Network Issues: Double-check that ports are not blocked by your firewall (UFW, etc.). If using Pi-hole, verify that DNS is resolving correctly from inside the containers.
• Configuration Errors: Carefully review the configuration of each application in their respective web UIs. Check logs for error messages.
• Docker Compose Errors: If docker compose up fails, check the logs for errors related to image downloads or configuration issues.

Useful Links

• https://github.com/ghostserverd/mediaserver-docker/tree/master#installation
• https://trash-guides.info
• https://wiki.servarr.com/radarr/quick-start-guide
• https://wiki.servarr.com/sonarr/quick-start-guide
• https://wiki.servarr.com/prowlarr/quick-start-guide
• https://github.com/awesome-jellyfin/awesome-jellyfin
• https://www.phind.com/search?home=true

Updating Containers

To update your containers to the latest versions:

1. Navigate to the directory containing your docker-compose.yml file.

2. Pull the latest images:

   docker compose pull

3. Recreate the containers:

   docker compose up -d

Maintaining the Server

• Regularly Update Ubuntu: Keep your Ubuntu server up-to-date with security patches and updates:

  sudo apt update
  sudo apt upgrade

• Monitor Disk Space: Regularly check disk space usage to prevent issues:

  df -h

• Backups: Implement a backup strategy for your configuration files and media library to prevent data loss.

This comprehensive guide provides a solid foundation for setting up a media server with Docker Compose. Remember to adapt the instructions to your specific needs and preferences.