Media Manager Setup Guide
Welcome to the Media Manager Tutorial!
This comprehensive guide will help you set up an automated home media system, perfect for managing movies and TV
shows—from downloading to organizing and streaming.
What’s Inside
You’ll learn how to use:
- Docker to run and manage your media applications.
- Plex Media Server for streaming your media library at home or remotely.
- qBittorrent to automate downloads.
- The ARR Stack (Radarr, Sonarr, Prowlarr, Bazarr), brought together in Docker containers using
docker-compose, to streamline everything from searching for new releases to handling subtitles and metadata.
📚 What You Will Build
By following this guide, you’ll create a powerful and hands-off media setup that can:
- Automatically find and download movies and TV episodes.
- Keep your media library tidy and organized.
- Stream your collection anywhere using Plex.
- Link Radarr/Sonarr with qBittorrent for true automation.
- Grab new releases as soon as they’re available.
- Fix metadata and fetch subtitles without hassle.
- Stay largely self-maintaining, so you don’t have to babysit it each day.
📁 Components Overview
| Component | Where It Runs | What It Does |
|---|---|---|
| Docker | Your server or computer | Hosts and runs the ARR stack containers. |
| Plex | Your server or computer | Streams your sorted media collection. |
| qBittorrent | Your server or computer | Handles torrent downloads automatically. |
| ARR Stack (Radarr, Sonarr, Prowlarr, Bazarr) | Docker, via docker-compose | Manages searching, downloading, organizing, and handling metadata/subtitles. |
🚀 Quick Navigation
Jump directly to any part of the guide:
| Section | What’s Covered |
|---|---|
| Getting Started | Prerequisites, operating system, and network overview |
| Overview | A bird’s-eye view of the whole process |
| Setup Mount Points | How to create folders for your media |
| Install Docker | Instructions for Docker and docker-compose |
| Install Plex | Plex setup and configuration |
| Install qBittorrent | qBittorrent installation and tips |
| Setup Media Manager | Deploying the ARR stack with docker-compose |
🧭 How to Use This Guide
This guide is designed to be followed step by step. If you already have some tools installed, you can skip those sections—otherwise, work through each part in order for a smooth setup.
💬 Need Help?
Every step offers clear commands, explanations, and tips.
If you hit a roadblock, check out the troubleshooting section or double-check the instructions provided.
Ready to get started? Head to → Getting Started