--- title: Automated media center date: 2023-06-21 slug: auto-media-center authors: - lunik description: Fully automated media center step by step from requesting to watching in less than 5 minutes tags: - media - media-center - plex - svod - streaming - radarr - sonarr - prowlarr - overseerr - qbitorrent - torrent --- ![cover](/blog/img/posts/2023-06-21-auto-media-center/cover.png) I have a lot of media to watch and I don't want to spend time searching for it, downloading it, renaming it, moving it, etc. I want to be able to request a movie or a TV show and watch it in less than 5 minutes. I also want to be able to watch it on any device, anywhere, anytime. :::warning This article is for educational purposes only. I does not encourage the piracy of licenced content. Doing what is described in this article is illegal in some countries. I am not responsible for the use you make of this article. ::: I do not use this setup to download and watch pirated content. No pirated content was downloaded during the writing of this article. Placeolder files were used instead. ### Requirements We are going to use the following tools : - [Plex][plex-website] : Media server and player - [Sonarr][sonarr-website] : TV shows manager - [Radarr][radarr-website] : Movies manager - [Prowlarr][prowlarr-website] : Torrents indexer - [Overseerr][overseerr-website] : Requests manager - [qBittorrent][qbittorrent-website] : Torrents client We are also going to need a linux based server with for hosting all of this. ### Deployment For the deployment, we are going to use [Docker][docker-website] and [Docker Compose][docker-compose-website]. #### Docker Compose The full `docker-compose.yml` file is available [here](assets/docker-compose.yml). Then we can start the stack with the following command : ```bash docker compose up -d ``` Then we can check that everything is running with : ```bash docker compose ps ``` The output should look like this : ```bash NAME IMAGE COMMAND SERVICE CREATED STATUS PORTS auto-media-center-prowlarr-1 lscr.io/linuxserver/prowlarr:latest "/init" prowlarr 20 minutes ago Up 20 minutes 0.0.0.0:9696->9696/tcp auto-media-center-overseerr-1 lscr.io/linuxserver/overseerr:latest "/init" overseerr 9 minutes ago Up 9 minutes 0.0.0.0:5055->5055/tcp auto-media-center-plex-1 lscr.io/linuxserver/plex:latest "/init" plex 9 minutes ago Up 9 minutes 0.0.0.0:3005->3005/tcp, 0.0.0.0:8324->8324/tcp, 0.0.0.0:1900->1900/udp, 0.0.0.0:32410->32410/udp, 0.0.0.0:32400->32400/tcp, 0.0.0.0:32412-32414->32412-32414/udp, 0.0.0.0:32469->32469/tcp, 5353/udp auto-media-center-qbittorrent-1 lscr.io/linuxserver/qbittorrent:latest "/init" qbittorrent 20 minutes ago Up 20 minutes 0.0.0.0:6881->6881/tcp, 0.0.0.0:8080->8080/tcp, 0.0.0.0:6881->6881/udp auto-media-center-radarr-1 lscr.io/linuxserver/radarr:latest "/init" radarr 20 minutes ago Up 19 minutes 0.0.0.0:7878->7878/tcp auto-media-center-sonarr-1 lscr.io/linuxserver/sonarr:latest "/init" sonarr 20 minutes ago Up 19 minutes 0.0.0.0:8989->8989/tcp ``` ### Setup Now that everything is running, we can start the setup. #### Plex This is the first thing we are going to setup. [Plex][plex-website] is the media server and player. It is the core of our media center. First we need to access the service through the web interface. The default port is `32400`. So we can access it at `http://:32400/web`. If you don't have a [Plex][plex-website] account, you can create one for free. Then you will be able to access the web interface. After going through the wizard, you should see something like this : ![Plex web interface init](/blog/img/posts/2023-06-21-auto-media-center/plex-web-interface-init.png) We can now add our media libraries. For this example, I will add a TV shows library and a movies library. First the movies library configuration : ![Plex web config movies library 01](/blog/img/posts/2023-06-21-auto-media-center/plex-movie-library-config-01.png) ![Plex web config movies library 02](/blog/img/posts/2023-06-21-auto-media-center/plex-movie-library-config-02.png) Then the TV shows library configuration : ![Plex web config tv shows library 01](/blog/img/posts/2023-06-21-auto-media-center/plex-tv-library-config-01.png) ![Plex web config tv shows library 02](/blog/img/posts/2023-06-21-auto-media-center/plex-tv-library-config-02.png) Finally [Plex][plex-website] server should look like this : ![Plex web interface final](/blog/img/posts/2023-06-21-auto-media-center/plex-library-config.png) #### QBittorrent [qBittorrent][qbittorrent-website] is a torrents client. It will allow us to download torrents. First we need to access the service through the web interface. The default port is `8080`. So we can access it at `http://:8080`. The default username is `admin` and the default password is `adminadmin`. You should see something like this : ![QBittorrent web interface init](/blog/img/posts/2023-06-21-auto-media-center/qbittorrent-web-interface-init.png) Then we need to configure the download folder in (**Options** > **Downloads**). For this example, I will use `/downloads` as the download folder and `/incomplete-downloads` as the incomplete downloads folder. Don't forget to click `Save` at the bottom of the page. #### Sonarr [Sonarr][sonarr-website] is a TV shows manager. It will allow us to search for TV shows and download them automatically. First we need to access the service through the web interface. The default port is `8989`. So we can access it at `http://:8989`. You should see something like this : ![Sonarr web interface init](/blog/img/posts/2023-06-21-auto-media-center/sonarr-web-interface-init.png) ##### Indexers We are going to see the configuration of the indexers in (**Settings** > **Indexers**). This will be automatically configured by [Prowlarr](#prowlarr) later. ##### Download client We are going to configure the download client in (**Settings** > **Download Client**). For this example, I will use the following configuration : | Field | Value | |:---------|--------------:| | Type | `qBittorrent` | | Enable | `Yes` | | Host | `qbittorrent` | | Port | `8080` | | UseSsl | `No` | | Username | `admin` | | Password | `adminadmin` | We can test the connection by clicking on `Test` at the bottom of the page. **Note :** You can set the **Initial State** to `Paused` if you don't want [Sonarr][sonarr-website] to download all the episodes of the TV shows you add. ##### Media management We are going to configure the media management in (**Settings** > **Media Management**). This will allow [Sonarr][sonarr-website] to rename and move the downloaded episodes from qBittorret in the right folder for [Plex][plex-website] to find them. For this example, I will use the following configuration : ![Sonarr media management config 01](/blog/img/posts/2023-06-21-auto-media-center/sonarr-media-management-config-01.png) ##### Test Now we should be able to add a TV show. In (**Series** > **Add Series**), we can search for `Game of Thrones` and add it : | Field | Value | |:----------------|--------------------------------:| | Root Folder | `/media/Series/Game of Thrones` | | Monitor | `All Episodes` | | Quality Profile | `HD-1080p` | Then we click on the `Game of Thrones` card and we should see something like this : ![Sonarr tv example](/blog/img/posts/2023-06-21-auto-media-center/sonarr-tv-example.png) Then we can click on the `Interractive Search` button (small person icon) to search the first season torrents : ![Sonarr tv example search](/blog/img/posts/2023-06-21-auto-media-center/sonarr-tv-example-search.png) We can click on the `Download` button to trigger the download of the first season. On the (**Activity** > **Queue**) we can see the download progress : ![Sonarr tv example download](/blog/img/posts/2023-06-21-auto-media-center/sonarr-tv-example-download.png) And on [qBittorrent][qbittorrent-website] we can see the download progress : ![QBittorrent tv example download](/blog/img/posts/2023-06-21-auto-media-center/qbittorrent-tv-example-download.png) And finally when the download is finished, [Sonarr][sonarr-website] will rename and move the episode in the right folder. And [Plex][plex-website] will detect the new episode and add it to the library. ![Sonarr tv example final](/blog/img/posts/2023-06-21-auto-media-center/sonarr-tv-example-final.png) ![Plex tv example final](/blog/img/posts/2023-06-21-auto-media-center/plex-tv-example-final.png) #### Radarr [Radarr][radarr-website] is a movies manager. It will allow us to search for movies and download them automatically. First we need to access the service through the web interface. The default port is `7878`. So we can access it at `http://:7878`. You should see something like this : ![Radarr web interface init](/blog/img/posts/2023-06-21-auto-media-center/radarr-web-interface-init.png) ##### Indexers We are going to see the configuration of the indexers in (**Settings** > **Indexers**). This will be automatically configured by [Prowlarr](#prowlarr) later. ##### Download client We are going to configure the download client in (**Settings** > **Download Client**). For this example, I will use the following configuration : | Field | Value | |:---------|--------------:| | Type | `qBittorrent` | | Enable | `Yes` | | Host | `qbittorrent` | | Port | `8080` | | UseSsl | `No` | | Username | `admin` | | Password | `adminadmin` | We can test the connection by clicking on *Test* at the bottom of the page. **Note :** You can set the **Initial State** to `Paused` if you don't want [Radarr][radarr-website] to download all the Films you add. ##### Media management We are going to configure the media management in (**Settings** > **Media Management**). This will allow [Radarr][radarr-website] to rename and move the downloaded films from qBittorret in the right folder for [Plex][plex-website] to find them. For this example, I will use the following configuration : ![Radarr media management config 01](/blog/img/posts/2023-06-21-auto-media-center/radarr-media-management-config-01.png) ##### Test Now we should be able to add a TV show. In (**Series** > **Add Series**), we can search for `Avengers` and add it : | Field | Value | |:----------------|-----------------------------------:| | Root Folder | `/media/Films/The Avengers (2012)` | | Monitor | `Movie Only` | | Quality Profile | `HD-1080p` | Then we click on the `The Avengers` card and we should see something like this : ![Sonarr movie example](/blog/img/posts/2023-06-21-auto-media-center/radarr-movie-example.png) Then we can click on the `Search` tab to search the film torrents : ![Sonarr movie example search](/blog/img/posts/2023-06-21-auto-media-center/radarr-movie-example-search.png) We can click on the `Download` button to trigger the download of the first season. On the (**Activity** > **Queue**) we can see the download progress : ![Radarr movie example download](/blog/img/posts/2023-06-21-auto-media-center/radarr-movie-example-download.png) And on [qBittorrent][qbittorrent-website] we can see the download progress : ![QBittorrent movie example download](/blog/img/posts/2023-06-21-auto-media-center/qbittorrent-movie-example-download.png) And finally when the download is finished, [Radarr][radarr-website] will rename and move the episode in the right folder. And [Plex][plex-website] will detect the new episode and add it to the library. ![Radarr movie example final](/blog/img/posts/2023-06-21-auto-media-center/radarr-movie-example-final.png) ![Plex movie example final](/blog/img/posts/2023-06-21-auto-media-center/plex-movie-example-final.png) #### Prowlarr [Prowlarr][prowlarr-website] is a torrents indexer. It will allow us to search for torrents on multiple trackers at once. First we need to access the service through the web interface. The default port is `9696`. So we can access it at `http://:9696`. You should see something like this : ![Prowlarr web interface init](/blog/img/posts/2023-06-21-auto-media-center/prowlarr-web-interface-init.png) Then we need to add some indexers. For this example, I will add the following indexers : ![Prowlarr indexer config](/blog/img/posts/2023-06-21-auto-media-center/prowlarr-indexer-config.png) ##### Apps This section in **Settings** will allow us to link Prowlarr to [Radarr](#radarr) and [Sonarr](#sonarr). This way, all the indexers we add in Prowlarr will be automatically added in [Radarr](#radarr) and [Sonarr](#sonarr). Add two applications : | Field | Value | |:---------|--------------:| | Name | `Radarr` | | Sync Level| `Full Sync` | | Prowlarr Server | `http://prowlarr:9696` | | Radarr Server | `http://radarr:7878` | | API Key | Copied API key from [Radarr][radarr-website] web interface (**Settings** > **Général**). | | Field | Value | |:---------|--------------:| | Name | `Sonarr` | | Sync Level| `Full Sync` | | Prowlarr Server | `http://prowlarr:9696` | | Sonarr Server | `http://sonarr:8989` | | API Key | Copied API key from [Sonarr][sonarr-website] web interface (**Settings** > **Général**). | By checking in [Radarr](#radarr) and [Sonarr](#sonarr), we can see that the indexers have been successfully added in the **Indexers** section. #### Overseerr As you can see, [Radarr][radarr-website] and [Sonarr][sonarr-website] are great tools. But they are not very user friendly. [Overseerr][overseerr-website] will allow us to request TV shows and movies in a nice web interface. First we need to access the service through the web interface. The default port is `5055`. So we can access it at `http://:5055`. During the first setup, we need to configure the following fields : **Plex Settings** This will allow [Overseerr][overseerr-website] to connect to [Plex][plex-website] and look if media are already available in the library. | Field | Value | |:-------------------------------|-------------------:| | Server | `Your Plex server` | | Hostname or IP Address | `http://plex` | | Port | `32400` | | Use SSL | `No` | | [Plex][plex-website] Libraries | `Films,Series` | **Radarr Settings** This will allow [Overseerr][overseerr-website] to connect to [Radarr][radarr-website] and trigger the download of requested movies. | Field | Value | |:-----------------------|-------------------:| | Default Server | `Yes` | | Server Name | `Radarr` | | Hostname or IP Address | `http://radarr` | | Port | `7878` | | API Key | Copied API key from [Radarr][radarr-website] web interface (**Settings** > **Général**). | | Quality Profile | `HD-1080p` | | Root Folder | `/media/Films` | **Sonarr Settings** This will allow [Overseerr][overseerr-website] to connect to [Sonarr][sonarr-website] and trigger the download of requested TV shows. | Field | Value | |:-----------------------|-------------------:| | Default Server | `Yes` | | Server Name | `Sonarr` | | Hostname or IP Address | `http://sonarr` | | Port | `8989` | | API Key | Copied API key from [Sonarr][sonarr-website] web interface (**Settings** > **Général**). | | Quality Profile | `HD-1080p` | | Root Folder | `/media/Series` | If everything is configured correctly, you should see something like this in the Discovery tab : ![Overseerr discovery](/blog/img/posts/2023-06-21-auto-media-center/overseerr-discovery.png) We can see that the movie `Avengers` and TV show `Game of Thrones` are already available in [Plex][plex-website]. **Notes :** User that have access to your [Plex][plex-website] server will be able to request movies and TV shows. They can login with their [Plex][plex-website] account. You can configure the users in the **Users** tab. You can for example create a local users that will be able to acces [Overseerr][overseerr-website] without a [Plex][plex-website] account. ##### Requesting media We will now try to request a movie from [Overseerr][overseerr-website]. We will use a local user for this example. Let's try to request the movie `Deerskin`. From the **Discover** tab, we can search for `Deerskin` and we should see something like this : ![Overseerr movie search](/blog/img/posts/2023-06-21-auto-media-center/overseerr-movie-search.png) Then we can click on the `Request` button to request the movie. Going back to the **Requests** tab with our admin account, we can see the request : ![Overseerr movie request](/blog/img/posts/2023-06-21-auto-media-center/overseerr-movie-request.png) We can click on the `Approve` button to approve the request. This will trigger the download of the movie in [Radarr][radarr-website] and download it like we saw earlier in the [Radarr][radarr-website] section. And finally when all the process is finished, we can see the movie is available in [Overseerr][overseerr-website] and [Plex][plex-website]. [plex-website]: https://www.plex.tv [sonarr-website]: https://sonarr.tv [radarr-website]: https://radarr.video [prowlarr-website]: https://prowlarr.com [overseerr-website]: https://overseerr.dev [qbittorrent-website]: https://www.qbittorrent.org [docker-website]: https://www.docker.com [docker-compose-website]: https://docs.docker.com/compose/