serverAppConfigs/serverAppConfigs-docs/Dankserver/Jellyfin.md

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

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 (reference — retired 2026-09-01; live mounts use /home/dank/Containers/jellyfin, see Deployment below)

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

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
/home/dank/Containers/jellyfin/config	SQLite database, settings, cached images	10–100 GB
/home/dank/Containers/jellyfin/cache	Transcoding segments, extracted posters	Self-cleaning per session
/mnt/entropy/Movies, /mnt/entropy/TVShows	Media, read-only binds (:ro) — no automated write path	—

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.

Deployment (Quadlet)

Since 2026-09-01: dankserver/jellyfin/quadlet/jellyfin.container → jellyfin.service (generator-enabled), deployed with ./scripts/deploy.sh dankserver --service jellyfin. GPU passthrough uses AddDevice=/dev/dri — plain Device= is not a quadlet key and makes the v1 generator reject the whole unit (learned live: "unsupported key 'Device' in group 'Container'"). Entropy mounts stay :ro; the container runs as root inside the user namespace, so the render-node ACLs apply via the device cgroup regardless of GroupAdd=keep-groups.

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: /home/dank/Containers/jellyfin/config, /home/dank/Containers/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