{"id":148,"date":"2025-11-16T15:18:47","date_gmt":"2025-11-16T15:18:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alliehere.com\/blog\/?p=148"},"modified":"2025-11-25T00:28:03","modified_gmt":"2025-11-25T00:28:03","slug":"building-the-ultimate-privacy-focused-media-automation-stack-with-docker-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alliehere.com\/blog\/2025\/11\/16\/building-the-ultimate-privacy-focused-media-automation-stack-with-docker-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Building the Ultimate Privacy-Focused Media Automation Stack with Docker"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A complete guide to running Gluetun, Prowlarr, qBittorrent, Radarr, Sonarr & Jellyseerr in a single stack<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you want a fully automated, privacy-friendly, hands-off media workflow, a modern Docker stack can handle everything for you \u2013 searching, downloading, organizing, and even request management. In this post, I’ll walk through the architecture I’m using: a tightly integrated group of containers running behind a secure VPN layer with Gluetun, plus Prowlarr (Jackett + FlareSolverr replacement) alongside qBittorrent, Radarr, Sonarr, and Jellyseerr.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why This Stack?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

\u2714 Traffic privacy with Gluetun<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Gluetun acts as a VPN gateway that other containers route their traffic through. Any container using network_mode: service:gluetun<\/code> gets its outbound traffic forced through the VPN tunnel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This means:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  • No leaks<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • No need for special firewall rules<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • qBittorrent and Prowlarr are always protected<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • You control everything from one place<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    \u2714 Reliable indexers with Prowlarr<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    Prowlarr bundles modern Cloudflare bypass, built-in indexer testing, and Sonarr\/Radarr sync, so you don’t need the old Jackett + FlareSolverr combo. Use it as the single indexer hub feeding both apps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \u2714 Complete media automation<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    Together, Radarr and Sonarr automatically:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \n
    • Search for releases<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Send them to qBittorrent<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Watch for finished downloads<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Move & rename content<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Keep your library clean<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

      Jellyseerr adds a user-friendly, Netflix-like interface for making requests and having Radarr\/Sonarr handle everything behind the scenes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \u2714 Fully Dockerized = Easy to manage<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

      Everything runs in isolated containers with persistent volumes. You can tear the stack down, rebuild it, or migrate to new hardware without reconfiguring each app.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      How the Stack Works (Architecture Overview)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

      Here’s how all the pieces connect:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Gluetun<\/strong> \u2013 Acts as the central gateway. qBittorrent (and optionally Prowlarr) use network_mode: service:gluetun<\/code> which forces all traffic through the VPN container.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Prowlarr<\/strong> \u2013 Indexer aggregator with built-in Cloudflare bypass that syncs to Radarr and Sonarr. It replaces both Jackett and FlareSolverr.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      qBittorrent<\/strong> \u2013 Handles all downloads, but only behind Gluetun for privacy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Radarr & Sonarr<\/strong> \u2013 Automation brains for movies and TV.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Jellyseerr<\/strong> \u2013 Request management \u2014 users can ask for a movie\/series, Jellyseerr sends the request to Radarr\/Sonarr, and everything happens automatically.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Traffic Flow:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
      Internet\n    \u2193\nGluetun (VPN Tunnel)\n    \u2193\n    \u251c\u2500\u2500 qBittorrent\n    \u2514\u2500\u2500 Prowlarr (via Gluetun)\n\nProwlarr > Radarr & Sonarr \u2190 Jellyseerr<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
      My Docker Stack (Compose)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
      Here’s the complete docker-compose.yml<\/code> configuration:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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