How to Set Up Jellyfin Media Server on a Cloud Server — Your Own Netflix

I have a collection of movies and TV shows that I want to watch from multiple devices — laptop, phone, TV. Keeping them synchronized and accessible from anywhere was awkward until I set up Jellyfin.

Jellyfin indexes your media library, downloads metadata and cover art, organizes everything into a polished interface, and streams to any browser or app. The free Jellyfin clients are available for basically every platform.

The server-side transcoding capability matters here: without it, your client needs to be able to play the original format directly. With it, Jellyfin converts the video in real time to something your device can handle. That's more CPU-intensive, which affects server sizing — I'll explain the trade-offs.

This guide deploys Jellyfin on Ubuntu 22.04 using Docker, with Nginx as the reverse proxy and HTTPS.

I run Jellyfin on Tencent Cloud Lighthouse. For streaming, bandwidth matters more than CPU for direct play. Lighthouse's bandwidth packages (200GB+ per month on standard plans) handle streaming video comfortably for personal use. For hardware transcoding of 4K content, you'll need more CPU power. The CBS cloud disk expansion is also useful here — you can attach additional storage for your media library as it grows, without migrating the Jellyfin configuration and database.

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Table of Contents

1. Jellyfin vs Plex
2. Prerequisites
3. Part 1 — Server Setup
4. Part 2 — Deploy Jellyfin with Docker
5. Part 3 — Configure Nginx Reverse Proxy
6. Part 4 — Enable HTTPS
7. Part 5 — Initial Setup and Library Configuration
8. Part 6 — Upload Media Files
9. Part 7 — Client Apps
10. Part 8 — Backups
11. The Gotcha: Direct Play vs Transcoding
12. Jellyfin Maintenance Commands

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• Key Takeaways

• Use the appropriate Lighthouse application image to skip manual installation steps where available
• Lighthouse snapshots provide one-click full-server backup before major changes
• OrcaTerm browser terminal lets you manage the server from any device
• CBS cloud disk expansion handles growing storage needs without server migration
• Console-level firewall + UFW = two independent protection layers

Jellyfin vs Plex {#vs-plex}

	Jellyfin	Plex
Cost	Free forever	Free tier + Plex Pass ($5/mo)
Data privacy	100% self-contained	Plex servers collect metadata
Remote streaming	Free	Requires Plex Pass
Mobile apps	Free	Free for local, Plex Pass for remote
Hardware transcoding	Free	Requires Plex Pass
Active development	Yes (community)	Yes (commercial)

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Prerequisites {#prerequisites}

Requirement	Notes
Cloud server	Tencent Cloud Lighthouse — select Docker CE application image for fastest setup
Docker + Compose	Pre-installed with Docker CE image; or install manually
Storage	At least 50 GB for media; add a data disk for large libraries
Domain name	For remote access via HTTPS

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Part 1 — Server Setup {#part-1}

💡 If you selected the Docker CE application image, Docker is already running. Skip the Docker install lines below — start from sudo apt install -y nginx.

ssh ubuntu@YOUR_SERVER_IP
sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

curl -fsSL https://get.docker.com | sudo sh
sudo usermod -aG docker $USER
newgrp docker

sudo apt install -y nginx
sudo ufw allow ssh
sudo ufw allow 'Nginx Full'
sudo ufw enable

# Create media directories
sudo mkdir -p /media/{movies,tvshows,music,photos}
sudo chown -R ubuntu:ubuntu /media

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Part 2 — Deploy Jellyfin with Docker {#part-2}

mkdir -p ~/apps/jellyfin && cd ~/apps/jellyfin

Create docker-compose.yml:

version: '3.8'

services:
  jellyfin:
    image: jellyfin/jellyfin:latest
    container_name: jellyfin
    restart: unless-stopped
    ports:
      - "8096:8096"     # HTTP
      - "8920:8920"     # HTTPS (optional — we use Nginx instead)
    volumes:
      - ./config:/config
      - ./cache:/cache
      - /media:/media:ro      # Media directory (read-only for security)
    environment:
      - PUID=1000
      - PGID=1000
      - TZ=America/New_York
    devices:
      - /dev/dri:/dev/dri   # For hardware transcoding (Intel/AMD GPU); comment out if not applicable

docker compose up -d
docker compose logs -f
# Wait for: Startup complete

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Part 3 — Configure Nginx Reverse Proxy {#part-3}

sudo nano /etc/nginx/sites-available/jellyfin

server {
    listen 80;
    server_name media.yourdomain.com;

    client_max_body_size 100m;

    location / {
        proxy_pass http://127.0.0.1:8096;
        proxy_http_version 1.1;

        # WebSocket support (required for Jellyfin sync play and remote control)
        proxy_set_header Upgrade    $http_upgrade;
        proxy_set_header Connection 'upgrade';

        proxy_set_header Host              $host;
        proxy_set_header X-Real-IP         $remote_addr;
        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-For   $proxy_add_x_forwarded_for;
        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-Proto $scheme;
        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-Host  $host;

        proxy_buffering off;
        proxy_request_buffering off;
        proxy_read_timeout 600s;
        proxy_send_timeout 600s;
    }
}

sudo ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/jellyfin /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/
sudo nginx -t && sudo systemctl reload nginx

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Part 4 — Enable HTTPS {#part-4}

sudo apt install -y certbot python3-certbot-nginx
sudo certbot --nginx -d media.yourdomain.com

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Part 5 — Initial Setup and Library Configuration {#part-5}

Visit https://media.yourdomain.com.

The Jellyfin setup wizard:

1. Select language

2. Create admin user — username and password

3. Add media libraries:

   • Click Add Media Library
   • Content type: Movies
   • Name: Movies
   • Folder: /media/movies
   • Click OK

   Repeat for TV Shows (/media/tvshows), Music (/media/music), Photos.

4. Metadata language — select your preferred language

5. Remote access — allow remote access (required for streaming outside home)

Jellyfin will scan your media directories and fetch metadata (posters, descriptions, episode info) from online databases.

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Part 6 — Upload Media Files {#part-6}

SCP from local machine

# Upload movies
scp "My Movie (2024).mkv" ubuntu@YOUR_SERVER_IP:/media/movies/

# Upload entire folder
scp -r ~/Movies/ ubuntu@YOUR_SERVER_IP:/media/movies/

rsync (recommended for large libraries)

rsync -avzP --progress ~/Movies/ ubuntu@YOUR_SERVER_IP:/media/movies/

File naming conventions

Jellyfin (like all media servers) relies on file naming for metadata lookup:

Movies:

/media/movies/
  ├── The Dark Knight (2008)/
  │   └── The Dark Knight (2008).mkv
  └── Inception (2010)/
      └── Inception (2010).mkv

TV Shows:

/media/tvshows/
  └── Breaking Bad/
      ├── Season 01/
      │   ├── Breaking Bad - S01E01 - Pilot.mkv
      │   └── Breaking Bad - S01E02.mkv
      └── Season 02/

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Part 7 — Client Apps {#part-7}

Platform	App	Notes
Browser	Any browser	Access via URL
Android	Jellyfin for Android	Google Play / F-Droid
iOS	Infuse (paid) or Jellyfin Mobile	App Store
Apple TV	Swiftfin	App Store
Android TV	Jellyfin for Android TV	Google Play
Roku	Jellyfin	Roku Channel Store
Kodi	Jellyfin for Kodi	Kodi repository
Fire TV	Jellyfin	Amazon App Store

Connect any client: enter https://media.yourdomain.com as the server address.

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Part 8 — Backups {#part-8}

Media files are the most important backup. The Jellyfin config/database is smaller but worth backing up too:

# Backup Jellyfin config (metadata, users, settings)
docker run --rm \
  -v ~/apps/jellyfin/config:/data \
  -v ~/backups/jellyfin:/backup \
  alpine tar czf /backup/jellyfin_config_$(date +%Y%m%d).tar.gz -C /data .

For media files, use rsync to a separate backup location (local drive, S3, etc.).

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The Gotcha: Direct Play vs Transcoding {#gotcha}

Jellyfin has two modes for streaming video:

• Direct Play — sends the original file to the client unchanged. Zero CPU overhead, perfect quality.
• Transcoding — re-encodes the video in real-time to a format/resolution the client supports. CPU-intensive.

On a VPS without a GPU, transcoding is very slow. A 1080p h.265 transcode can easily max out 4 CPU cores.

Solutions:

1. Encode your media in h.264 (more compatible — most clients direct play it)
2. Use clients that support your formats (browsers support MP4/h.264 natively)
3. Force direct play in Jellyfin settings: Dashboard → Playback → Transcoding → uncheck options
4. Use hardware transcoding (Intel Quick Sync or AMD VCE if your server has integrated graphics)

Check if hardware transcoding is available:

ls /dev/dri/
# If renderD128 exists, hardware transcoding may be available

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Jellyfin Maintenance Commands {#maintenance}

# Update Jellyfin
cd ~/apps/jellyfin
docker compose pull
docker compose up -d --remove-orphans

# Rescan library (also available from admin UI)
docker exec jellyfin bash -c "curl -s -X POST http://localhost:8096/Library/Refresh"

# View logs
docker compose logs -f jellyfin

# Check container resource usage
docker stats jellyfin

Troubleshooting {#troubleshooting}

Issue	Likely Cause	Fix
Connection refused	Service not running or wrong port	Check systemctl status SERVICE and verify firewall rules
Permission denied	Wrong file ownership or permissions	Check file ownership with ls -la and use chown/chmod to fix
502 Bad Gateway	Backend service not running	Restart the backend service; check logs with journalctl -u SERVICE
SSL certificate error	Certificate expired or domain mismatch	Run sudo certbot renew and verify domain DNS points to server IP
Service not starting	Config error or missing dependency	Check logs with journalctl -u SERVICE -n 50 for specific error
Out of disk space	Logs or data accumulation	Run df -h to identify usage; clean logs or attach CBS storage
High memory usage	Too many processes or memory leak	Check with htop; consider upgrading instance plan if consistently high
Firewall blocking traffic	Port not open in UFW or Lighthouse console	Open port in Lighthouse console firewall AND sudo ufw allow PORT

Frequently Asked Questions {#faq}

What video formats does Jellyfin support for streaming?
Modern media servers support most common formats. Direct Play (native format support by client) is preferred over transcoding. H.264 video in MKV or MP4 containers has the widest client support.

What's the difference between Direct Play and Transcoding?
Direct Play streams the original file to the client, requiring no server CPU. Transcoding converts the video in real-time to a compatible format, requiring significant server CPU.

How much bandwidth do I need for video streaming?
Blu-ray quality: 25–40 Mbps. 1080p: 8–25 Mbps. 720p: 3–8 Mbps. Lighthouse bandwidth packages support these rates. For multiple simultaneous streams, multiply accordingly.

How do I add media files to the server?
Upload via SCP/SFTP from your local machine, rsync from a NAS, or download directly on the server. The guide covers the recommended directory structure for automatic library scanning.

How do I access my media library from outside my home network?
Your media server runs on a cloud VPS with a public IP — it's accessible from anywhere. Set up HTTPS (covered in the guide) and use the appropriate client app or web interface.

Set up your private media server:
👉 Tencent Cloud Lighthouse — Bandwidth-ready VPS for media streaming
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