Installation

Librariarr runs as a Docker container. The recommended setup uses Docker Compose with a PostgreSQL database.

Requirements

• Docker and Docker Compose v2+
• A Plex, Jellyfin, or Emby media server

Internal network only

Librariarr is designed to run on your local or internal network only. Do not expose it directly to the public internet. If you need remote access, use a VPN (e.g., WireGuard, Tailscale) to reach your internal network securely.

Quick Start

1. Create a docker-compose.yml

   Create a directory for Librariarr and add the following docker-compose.yml:

   docker-compose.yml

   services:
     librariarr:
       image: ahembree/librariarr:latest
       container_name: librariarr
       ports:
         - "${LIBRARIARR_PORT:-3000}:3000"
       environment:
         - DATABASE_URL=postgresql://librariarr:${DB_PASSWORD}@librariarr-db:5432/librariarr
         - SESSION_SECRET=${SESSION_SECRET:-}
         - TZ=${TZ:-UTC}
         - PUID=${PUID:-1000}
         - PGID=${PGID:-1000}
       volumes:
         - ./config:/config
       healthcheck:
         test: ["CMD", "curl", "-f", "http://localhost:3000/api/health"]
         interval: 30s
         timeout: 5s
         start_period: 60s
         retries: 3
       depends_on:
         librariarr-db:
           condition: service_healthy
       restart: unless-stopped
   
     librariarr-db:
       image: postgres:18-alpine
       container_name: librariarr-db
       environment:
         POSTGRES_USER: librariarr
         POSTGRES_PASSWORD: ${DB_PASSWORD}
         POSTGRES_DB: librariarr
       volumes:
         - librariarr-db:/var/lib/postgresql
       healthcheck:
         test: ["CMD-SHELL", "pg_isready -U librariarr"]
         interval: 5s
         timeout: 5s
         retries: 5
       restart: unless-stopped
   
   volumes:
     librariarr-db:

2. Create a .env file

   .env

   # Required — database password
   DB_PASSWORD=your-secure-db-password
   
   # Optional — session encryption key (auto-generated if not set)
   # SESSION_SECRET=your-random-secret-here
   
   # Optional
   PUID=1000
   PGID=1000
   LIBRARIARR_PORT=3000

   Tip

   SESSION_SECRET is auto-generated and saved to /config/.session-secret if not set. To provide your own, set it in .env (must be at least 32 characters — generate with openssl rand -base64 32). Changing the secret after deployment will invalidate all active sessions.

3. Start the stack

   docker compose up -d

4. Open the app

   Navigate to http://your-server:3000. You’ll be directed to the login page where you can sign in with Plex or create local credentials.

Environment Variables

Variable	Required	Default	Description
DATABASE_URL	Yes	—	PostgreSQL connection URL (provided in the docker-compose.yml above)
SESSION_SECRET	No	Auto-generated	Random string (32+ characters) used to secure your login sessions. Auto-generated and saved to /config/.session-secret if not set.
PUID	No	1000	User ID for file permissions
PGID	No	1000	Group ID for file permissions
UMASK	No	022	File permission mask. Override only if your environment requires different permissions.
LIBRARIARR_PORT	No	3000	Host port to expose
TZ	No	UTC	Timezone for scheduled jobs (e.g., America/New_York) — full list
NEXT_TELEMETRY_DISABLED	No	1	Always set to 1 by the container. Next.js telemetry is permanently disabled.
LOG_DEBUG	No	false	Enable debug-level logging
BACKUP_DIR	No	/config/backups	Backup storage directory
IMAGE_CACHE_DIR	No	/config/cache/images	Artwork cache directory
PREROLL_ALLOWED_PATHS	No	/media,/data,/mnt,/opt/prerolls	Comma-separated list of allowed directory prefixes for preroll file validation

Persistent Data

All persistent data is stored under /config inside the container:

• /config/backups/ — Backup files (override with BACKUP_DIR)
• /config/cache/images/ — Cached artwork (override with IMAGE_CACHE_DIR)
• Database — All configuration, rules, and media metadata is stored in PostgreSQL

Note

The ./config bind mount ensures your backups and cache survive container recreation.

Using an Existing PostgreSQL Database

If you already have a PostgreSQL server (e.g., a shared instance on your network or a managed database), you can skip the librariarr-db container and point Librariarr directly at it.

Database Requirements

• PostgreSQL 14 or later (17+ recommended)
• A dedicated database for Librariarr (the app manages its own schema)
• A user with full privileges on that database (CREATE, ALTER, DROP, INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE)
• No PostgreSQL extensions are required

Setup

1. Create the database and user on your PostgreSQL server:

   CREATE USER librariarr WITH PASSWORD 'your-secure-password';
   CREATE DATABASE librariarr OWNER librariarr;

2. Use a simplified docker-compose.yml without the database service:

   docker-compose.yml

   services:
     librariarr:
       image: ahembree/librariarr:latest
       container_name: librariarr
       ports:
         - "${LIBRARIARR_PORT:-3000}:3000"
       environment:
         - DATABASE_URL=postgresql://librariarr:${DB_PASSWORD}@your-db-host:5432/librariarr
         - SESSION_SECRET=${SESSION_SECRET:-}
         - TZ=${TZ:-UTC}
         - PUID=${PUID:-1000}
         - PGID=${PGID:-1000}
       volumes:
         - ./config:/config
       healthcheck:
         test: ["CMD", "curl", "-f", "http://localhost:3000/api/health"]
         interval: 30s
         timeout: 5s
         start_period: 60s
         retries: 3
       restart: unless-stopped

3. Update your .env file with the database password and hostname:

   .env

   DB_PASSWORD=your-secure-password

   Adjust the DATABASE_URL in docker-compose.yml to match your PostgreSQL server’s hostname, port, and credentials.

4. Start the container:

   docker compose up -d

Caution

Librariarr automatically creates and migrates all tables on startup. Do not manually create tables or run SQL migrations — the app handles this entirely.

Tip

If your PostgreSQL server uses a non-default port or requires SSL, include it in the connection URL: postgresql://user:password@host:5433/librariarr?sslmode=require

Docker Networking

By default, Docker Compose creates an isolated network for the Librariarr stack. This works well when you access media servers and integrations (Sonarr, Radarr, etc.) via their host IP addresses. However, if your other services are also running in Docker, you can connect them on a shared network so they can communicate by container name instead.

Connecting to existing containers

If your media server or Arr apps run in separate Docker Compose stacks, create an external network that all stacks share:

docker network create media

Then reference it in each stack. For Librariarr:

docker-compose.yml

services:
  librariarr:
    image: ahembree/librariarr:latest
    container_name: librariarr
    ports:
      - "${LIBRARIARR_PORT:-3000}:3000"
    environment:
      - DATABASE_URL=postgresql://librariarr:${DB_PASSWORD}@librariarr-db:5432/librariarr
      - SESSION_SECRET=${SESSION_SECRET:-}
      - TZ=${TZ:-UTC}
      - PUID=${PUID:-1000}
      - PGID=${PGID:-1000}
    volumes:
      - ./config:/config
    networks:
      - default
      - media
    healthcheck:
      test: ["CMD", "curl", "-f", "http://localhost:3000/api/health"]
      interval: 30s
      timeout: 5s
      start_period: 60s
      retries: 3
    depends_on:
      librariarr-db:
        condition: service_healthy
    restart: unless-stopped

  librariarr-db:
    image: postgres:18-alpine
    container_name: librariarr-db
    environment:
      POSTGRES_USER: librariarr
      POSTGRES_PASSWORD: ${DB_PASSWORD}
      POSTGRES_DB: librariarr
    volumes:
      - librariarr-db:/var/lib/postgresql
    healthcheck:
      test: ["CMD-SHELL", "pg_isready -U librariarr"]
      interval: 5s
      timeout: 5s
      retries: 5
    restart: unless-stopped

networks:
  default:
  media:
    external: true

volumes:
  librariarr-db:

Add the same media network to your other stacks (Plex, Sonarr, Radarr, etc.):

Other stack's docker-compose.yml (excerpt)

services:
  sonarr:
    # ... existing config ...
    networks:
      - default
      - media

networks:
  default:
  media:
    external: true

Once all containers are on the media network, you can reference them by container name when adding servers and integrations in Librariarr (e.g., http://plex:32400, http://sonarr:8989).

Tip

The default network is kept alongside media so that internal services like librariarr-db remain reachable within their own stack without being exposed to the shared network.

Note

You don’t need a shared network if you prefer using host IPs. When adding servers or integrations in Librariarr, you can always use http://your-host-ip:port to reach services regardless of network configuration.

Startup Behavior

On every container start, Librariarr:

1. Checks database connectivity (retries up to 30 times)
2. Runs any pending database updates automatically
3. Starts the web server on port 3000

If database updates fail, the container uses a fallback method to ensure the database is current.

Updating

To update to the latest version:

docker compose pull
docker compose up -d

Database updates run automatically on startup — no manual steps needed.

Next Steps

• Configure your instance — authentication, schedules, and general settings
• Connect a server — add your Plex, Jellyfin, or Emby server
• Security hardening — optional Docker security settings for hardened deployments