---
type: reference
title: Jellyfin
description: Jellyfin media server on Dankserver — quadlet unit, entropy-volume data layout, ports, client access, and hardware-transcode status.
tags: [jellyfin, dankserver, media-server]
timestamp: 2026-09-03T00:00:00Z
---

# Jellyfin

Jellyfin is the free media server on Dankserver — a podman quadlet service
(`jellyfin.service`, generated from `dankserver/jellyfin/quadlet/jellyfin.container`)
serving music, movies, and shows over LAN. It replaced the earlier research
brief; it runs alongside [[Plex]], which remains the primary server for some
clients.

**Host:** Dankserver (192.168.0.235) — **Access:** `http://192.168.0.235:8096`,
public vhost `jelly.franksdank.cloud` behind the [[Anubis]] guard chain →
[[Authentik]] outpost (post-auth route proxies `localhost:8096`).

## Facts (verified from the live unit, 2026-09-03)

| Item | Value |
|------|-------|
| Unit | `~/.config/containers/systemd/jellyfin.container` → `jellyfin.service` (user manager), `Restart=always`, `RestartSec=5` |
| Image | `ghcr.io/jellyfin/jellyfin:latest` |
| Network | `dankserver_appnet`; publishes 8096/tcp, 8920/tcp, 7359/udp, 1900/udp |
| Data roots | `/home/dank/Containers/jellyfin/config:/config`, `/home/dank/Containers/jellyfin/cache:/cache` |
| Media | `Volume=/mnt/entropy:/data:ro` — the whole [[Entropy Volume]] mounted read-only; nothing automated writes to it |
| GPU | none — no `AddDevice`; CPU decode only (jellyfin-ffmpeg path) |
| Env quirks | `DOTNET_SYSTEM_IO_DISABLEFILELOCKING=true`, `LD_PRELOAD=libjemalloc.so.2`, `MALLOC_TRIM_THRESHOLD_=131072` kept verbatim from the compose-era container (zero-drift cutover) |
| Health | `curl -f http://localhost:8096/health` every 30 s |

## Data layout

```
/home/dank/Containers/jellyfin/config   -> /config   (JELLYFIN_DATA_DIR)
/home/dank/Containers/jellyfin/cache    -> /cache    (JELLYFIN_CACHE_DIR, XDG_CACHE_HOME)
/mnt/entropy                            -> /data     (read-only media volume)
```

Library folders point at `/data` paths; because the mount uses the same
absolute path as on the host, library paths survive container recreation.

## Ports & access

| Port | Proto | Purpose |
|------|-------|---------|
| 8096 | TCP | Web UI + API (`JELLYFIN_PublishedServerUrl=http://192.168.0.235:8096`) |
| 8920 | TCP | DLNA/UPnP root device control |
| 7359 | UDP | service discovery (client auto-discovery) |
| 1900 | UDP | SSDP discovery |

Client access paths and the public-exposure policy (auth wall required before
any public vhost; Plex-style claim tokens do not exist here — Jellyfin uses its
own users/API keys) follow the fleet [[Authentik]]/[[Anubis]] chain pattern.

## Configuration workflow

1. Create libraries pointing at `/data` folders (movies, shows, audio).
2. Set metadata/language preferences (`LANG=en_US.UTF-8` pinned in the unit).
3. Configure clients to use `http://192.168.0.235:8096` or the guarded vhost.

## See Also

- [[Plex]] — co-resident media server on the same volume
- [[Entropy Volume]] — the 91 T array mounted read-only at `/data`
- [[Caddy]] · [[Anubis]] · [[Authentik]] — edge chain for `jelly.franksdank.cloud`