Jellyfin

Self-Hosted

Free, open‑source media server for all devices

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Overview

Discover what makes Jellyfin powerful

Jellyfin is a fully open‑source media server that delivers video, audio, photos, and live TV to any client device. Built on the modern .NET 6+ stack, it runs natively across Windows, Linux, macOS, and Docker, providing a single API surface for both the server core and its extensive plugin ecosystem. From a developer’s standpoint, Jellyfin exposes a RESTful API, WebSocket events, and a modular service architecture that makes it straightforward to extend or embed within larger home‑automation or media‑center solutions.

Core Runtime

Database Layer

Media Processing

Plugin Framework

Overview

Technical Stack & Architecture

Core Runtime: .NET 6 (C#) with ASP.NET Core for the web API and SignalR for real‑time client updates.
Database Layer: SQLite (default) or PostgreSQL/MySQL for production workloads, accessed via Entity Framework Core.
Media Processing: FFmpeg‑based transcoding pipeline, with optional GPU acceleration (NVENC/VAAPI).
Plugin Framework: MEF‑style dependency injection allows third‑party assemblies to register services, routes, and UI components.
Containerization: Official Docker image uses Alpine Linux with multi‑stage builds, exposing standard ports (8096 HTTP/443 HTTPS) and supporting volume mounts for media libraries.

The server architecture follows a layered approach: Media Source → Metadata Provider → Transcoding Service → API Layer → Client UI. Each layer is independently testable and can be swapped out via configuration or plugins, which is why many contributors build custom authentication backends or DRM‑free streaming adapters.

Core Capabilities & APIs

RESTful Media Library API: CRUD operations for items, collections, and playback state; supports query parameters for filtering by genre, rating, or custom metadata.
WebSocket Event Bus: Push notifications for library changes, playback events, and user activity.
Transcoding Controls: Programmatic start/stop of transcoding jobs, bitrate selection, and format negotiation.
Live TV & DVR: EPG parsing (XML‑TV, M3U), channel mapping, and scheduled recording via the API.
SyncPlay: WebSocket‑driven synchronized playback, including chat and bookmark APIs.
Authentication & Authorization: Pluggable providers (OAuth, LDAP, JWT) with role‑based access controls exposed through the API.

Developers can also consume the Server SDK (NuGet package) to embed Jellyfin functionality into custom applications, or hook into the Event Bus for real‑time analytics and monitoring.

Deployment & Infrastructure

Running Jellyfin in production is straightforward: a single Docker container or a bare‑metal install suffices for most households. For larger deployments, the following considerations apply:

Aspect	Recommendation
Scalability	Horizontal scaling via a reverse proxy (NGINX/Traefik) and shared database; read‑replica support for high‑traffic APIs.
Storage	Dedicated NAS or SSD arrays; use `--volume` mounts for media directories to keep the container stateless.
Backup	Regular snapshots of the SQLite/PostgreSQL database and media metadata; automated scripts via cron or GitHub Actions.
Security	HTTPS termination at the proxy; enable `X-Forwarded-For` headers for accurate client IPs.
Monitoring	Prometheus exporter available; logs can be forwarded to ELK or Loki for analysis.

Because the server is cross‑platform, CI/CD pipelines can target multiple OSes with a single Docker image, simplifying continuous delivery for developers.

Integration & Extensibility

Jellyfin’s plugin system is one of its strongest developer assets. Plugins can:

Register new metadata providers (e.g., custom IMDb scraper).
Add authentication backends (Kerberos, OpenID Connect).
Expose additional API routes for third‑party services.
Modify the client UI via Razor components or JavaScript injection.

The community maintains a catalog of official plugins, and the open API allows integration with home‑automation platforms (Home Assistant, OpenHAB) to trigger playback or update library status. Webhooks are also supported for event‑driven workflows, such as notifying a Slack channel when a new episode is added.

Developer Experience

Documentation: Comprehensive API docs, developer guides, and a well‑structured source tree.
Community: Active GitHub discussions, Matrix chat rooms, and a contributor guide that emphasizes pull‑request reviews and unit tests.
Configuration: YAML/JSON config files for runtime settings; environment variables for container deployments.
Testing: Unit tests with xUnit, integration tests using Docker Compose; CI runs on GitHub Actions.

The open‑source nature means there are no licensing fees or feature locks, allowing developers to experiment freely and contribute back without commercial constraints.

Use Cases

Home Media Center – A single server streaming to TVs, smartphones, and browsers with auto‑transcoding for low‑bandwidth devices.
Private Cloud Service – Self‑hosted media delivery for a small office or family, with granular user permissions and audit logs.
Embedded Media Hub – Integration into a custom IoT device (e.g., Raspberry