# Jellyfin

Jellyfin is a free, open-source media server and suite of applications for organizing, managing, and streaming personal media collections (movies, TV shows, music, photos) to networked devices. It is a community fork of Emby, written in C# (.NET), and uses FFmpeg for transcoding.

**Host:** Dankserver — **Hostname:** `jellyfin.dankserver.local` — **Docs:** https://jellyfin.org

## Facts

| Item | Value |
|------|-------|
| Latest version | Check https://jellyfin.org/downloads |
| Image | `jellyfin/jellyfin:latest` (Docker Hub) or `ghcr.io/jellyfin/jellyfin` |
| Base | Debian-based |
| Primary port | 8096 (HTTP, web UI + API) |
| HTTPS port | 8920 (optional) |
| Client discovery | 7359/udp |
| DLNA | 1900/udp (optional) |
| GPU passthrough | `/dev/dri` (Intel QSV / AMD VA-API) or NVIDIA NVENC |
| License | MIT |

## Architecture

```mermaid
graph LR
    U[User] --> C[Caddy :80/:443]
    C --> J[Jellyfin :8096]
    J --> Lib[/media/movies]
    J --> Lib2[/media/shows]
    J --> Lib3[/media/music]
    J --> Conf[Jellyfin config]
    J --> Cache[Jellyfin cache]
```

## Docker Compose

```yaml
services:
  jellyfin:
    image: jellyfin/jellyfin:latest
    container_name: jellyfin
    restart: unless-stopped
    user: "1000:1000"
    ports:
      - "8096:8096/tcp"
      - "8920:8920/tcp"
      - "7359:7359/udp"
      - "1900:1900/udp"
    environment:
      - JELLYFIN_PublishedServerUrl=http://192.168.0.235:8096
      - DOTNET_SYSTEM_IO_DISABLEFILELOCKING=true
    volumes:
      - /opt/jellyfin/config:/config
      - /opt/jellyfin/cache:/cache
      - /mnt/media/movies:/data/movies:ro
      - /mnt/media/shows:/data/shows:ro
    devices:
      - /dev/dri:/dev/dri
    group_add:
      - "992"    # Host render group GID — verify with `getent group render`
    healthcheck:
      test: ["CMD", "curl", "-f", "http://localhost:8096/health"]
      interval: 30s
      timeout: 10s
      retries: 3
```

## Caddy Configuration

```caddy
jellyfin.dankserver.local {
    reverse_proxy 127.0.0.1:8096

    transport http {
        versions h2c 1.1
    }
}
```

Set **Base URL** to `/` (or the path you configure) in Jellyfin Dashboard → Networking. Add `127.0.0.1` to **Known Proxies**.

## Storage

| Mount | Purpose | Size Estimate |
|-------|---------|---------------|
| `/opt/jellyfin/config` | SQLite database, settings, cached images | 10–100 GB |
| `/opt/jellyfin/cache` | Transcoding segments, extracted posters | Self-cleaning per session |

The database must be on local storage (SSD/NVMe preferred). Media libraries can be on NFS/mergerfs. If media is on NFS, set `DOTNET_SYSTEM_IO_DISABLEFILELOCKING=true`.

## Authentication

- **Built-in auth (default):** Per-user libraries, parental controls, max bitrate limits. Manage via Dashboard → Users.
- **Caddy basic auth:** Single login layer. Does not integrate with per-user Jellyfin permissions.
- **LDAP/OIDC:** Available via plugins (LDAP-Auth, Jellyfin SSO). Integrates with Authentik, Keycloak, etc.

For Dankserver, built-in auth is recommended. Use Caddy basic auth on top for external access.

## Metadata Scraping

| Provider | Content | Type |
|----------|---------|------|
| TheMovieDb (TMDb) | Movies, TV shows, posters, fan art, overviews | Default |
| OMDb API | Movies only, English metadata | Default |
| TheTVDB | TV shows, episodes | Plugin |
| fanart.tv | Extra artwork, banners, thumbnails | Plugin |
| AniDB | Anime metadata | Plugin |
| MusicBrainz | Music metadata | Plugin |
| Open Subtitles | Subtitle downloads | Plugin |
| Intro Skipper | TV show intro detection | Plugin |

## Clients

| Platform | App | Quality |
|----------|-----|---------|
| Web | Jellyfin Web | Excellent |
| Android | Jellyfin (Google Play / F-Droid) | Excellent |
| Android TV / Fire TV | Jellyfin | Good |
| iOS / iPadOS | Swiftfin (third-party) | Good |
| Desktop | Jellyfin Media Player (mpv-based) | Excellent |
| Roku | Jellyfin (Channel Store) | Good |
| Kodi | Jellyfin addon | Excellent |
| Samsung/LG Smart TVs | TV browser | Fair |

## Jellyfin vs Plex

| Feature | Jellyfin | Plex |
|---------|----------|------|
| Cost | Free, no tiers | Free core; Plex Pass ($5/mo or $120 lifetime) |
| License | MIT | Proprietary |
| Account required | No | Yes |
| Hardware transcoding | Free | Plex Pass required |
| Mobile sync | Free | Plex Pass |
| Live TV / DVR | Free | Plex Pass |
| Client apps | Good, improving | Excellent, widest device support |

Run Jellyfin alongside Plex for an incremental migration. Point Jellyfin at the same media folders as Plex. Watch history and metadata will not transfer cleanly.

## Resource Requirements

- **Idle / Direct Play:** ~200–500 MB RAM, <5% CPU. Negligible.
- **1080p transcode (CPU):** 40–60% CPU on a modern multi-core CPU.
- **1080p transcode (with QSV):** 3–5% CPU.
- **4K HDR transcode (with QSV):** 5–15% CPU.
- **Minimum host RAM:** 4 GB. 8 GB comfortable for transcoding.

## Deployment Checklist

1. Verify GPU on host: `ls -l /dev/dri/`, `lspci | grep -i vga`, `getent group render`.
2. Install media drivers: `sudo apt install intel-media-va-driver-non-free vainfo intel-gpu-tools`.
3. Create directories: `/opt/jellyfin/config`, `/opt/jellyfin/cache`.
4. Write compose file, verify device and GID.
5. Deploy: `podman compose up -d`.
6. Test GPU passthrough: `podman exec jellyfin /usr/lib/jellyfin-ffmpeg/vainfo --display drm --device /dev/dri/renderD128`.
7. Configure Caddy reverse proxy. Set Known Proxies in Jellyfin.
8. Add media libraries in Dashboard.
9. Install plugins: Open Subtitles, fanart.tv, Intro Skipper.
10. Test playback on Android/Chrome.

## Gotchas

- **GPU passthrough silently failing:** `/dev/dri` must be passed and the correct render node used. Verify with `vainfo` inside the container.
- **Wrong render group GID:** Common GID is 992, but varies per host. Run `getent group render` to find it.
- **Subtitle burn-in triggers full transcode:** PGS (image-based) subtitles force full video transcoding. SRT/ASS (text-based) play fine.
- **Database on NFS:** SQLite on network storage causes slow startup and corruption risk. Keep `/config` on local storage.
- **Client bitrate limit too low:** Many clients default to 20 Mbps. Set Max Streaming Bitrate to Original or Maximum.
- **Naming convention mismatches:** Non-standard folder/file names cause missing metadata. Use `Movie Title (Year)` for movies and `Show Name/Season 01/Show Name S01E01.mkv` for TV.

## See Also

- [[Dankserver Stack]]
- [[ARR-Stack]] — automated download into Jellyfin libraries
- [[Copyparty]] — alternative file viewer for existing collections
- Plex — existing media server on this host