I have docker installed, but only have a vague idea of how it works.
Back in the day, I would just port forward, but even then, I would need a static IP somehow.
I have heard a reverse proxy is an option, but that is an entirely new topic to me.
Surely there is an easy way to access Jellyfin outside of my home network that I’m just missing.
*Edit: I am blown away by all the help and support! I currently have tailscale running, and I’m in the process of purchasing a domain.
Thanks everyone!
Device -> VPN Tunnel (ideally WireGuard) -> Home Router / Server.
The only port that needs to be opened is your WireGuard server which typically is :51820.
The issue with this is you have explain VPN’s and WireGuard to people which, in my experience turns people away as they see it as a hassle.
Alternatively buy a domain, setup DDNS so that your home IP is associated with your domain, setup a reverse proxy and open port :443 on your router however, I would suggest a blacklist-first approach and only whitelist the few known IP’s you can trust.
Free vps in oracle cloud with Pangolin. Never have to worry about explaining VPNs.
https://netbird.io/ for your own private network of trusted devices, it’s free and doesn’t require a separate Big Tech account to use (unlike Tailscale)
And then if you want to share Jellyfin with someone who isn’t in your Netbird network… believe it or not, also Netbird
You can still just open it to the internet. Just do it on IPv6 instead. You won’t find it by scanning IP ranges like they do on IPv4. You’ll want to set up DNS for it though. Also get a free TLS cert from LetsEncrypt. It’s a bit of work initially.
Assuming their ISP and everything else supports ipv6. An even so it’ll still be visible through scanning, through brute force, or if anyone is reading cert transparency reports anf scanning the domains that show up.
Was going to comment something along the lines of “Inb4 someone posts that obscurity will keep you secure” but here you are. No, you won’t be secure just because it’s on IPv6. And TLS certs are open to the public, (they literally have to be, since any device attempting to access your server needs to be able to validate the cert) so bots will scrape them and instantly have whatever you made it for. So it wouldn’t even keep you obscure.
I use pangolin and subdomains on my domain. It works really well, and enables SSO login to all services on the network.
Personally I didn’t want to have to hand out VPN credentials to everyone, so I went with a cloudflare tunnel with Authelia as the method of authentication.
+1 for Cloudflare Tunnels/Zero Trust. The free tier is more than generous for a homelab
Not to mention, the amount of data you can run through it is nuts. I’ve been running Stremio web through it for months without issue to watch content at work.
Yup. OP was asking about bandwidth caps, I haven’t experienced any, nor can I find any documentation to support bandwidth caps. I stream Navidrome around the house from the time I get up to the time I go to bed and it has worked flawlessly.
Can I ask, how much of a limit does the free tier have on bandwidth if you’re doing something like hosting Jellyfin?
My understanding is that there is no hard limit. At some point they will decide “this is business level traffic” at which point they will start harassing you to purchase a business plan.
That cutover point is unknown. I’ve never even seen an estimation of when it happens, so it could very well be the type of traffic instead of the amount.
They also only allow HTTP traffic for the free tier, which is another way they push you towards business tiers.
Can I ask, how much of a limit does the free tier have on bandwidth if you’re doing something like hosting Jellyfin?
I honestly cannot find a hard bandwidth cap. Now, that is not to say that if you are sharing your JF with 20 other users, that they would not frown on that. However, from what I can tell, there is no real bandwidth cap.
On my mobile, but to give you an idea, I stream Navidrome probably 12-15 hours a day. I really don’t think they have a bandwidth limit per se, but when I get back to my desktop where I can actually see, lol, I can do some digging for you.
I’m using wireguard with wg-easy. It’s a gui that let you easely setup wireguard. My isp is giving a fixed ipv4. So i don’t have to think about dns or other complicated things. I have Jellyfin and wg-easy installed on truenas as docker apps.
There are official app for any os you want.
I have setup NetBird with Authentik. Netbird is on a VPS and authentik on my home server.
NetBird allows to expose a service through a subdomain. Or you can use the netbird client as a VPN and allow peer to peer connection.
Tailscale. It’s free. Insanely easy to set up.
Just install on your devices and connect via the given tailscale ip for the jellyfin server.
Or head scale if you don’t want something you don’t control that requires an account with google/apple/microsoft
I would also propose going with Tailscale instead If a VPN + DynDNS solution. Imho it is a lot easier to Setup compared to VPN + DynDNS If you are a beginner and just starting out.
If at some point you need more and then is available in the free Tier of Tailscale and you do not want to pay for it (and you have built up some knowledge!) you can switch to something like Headscale or Netbird.
I forgot to mention that one because I kinda thought it belongs with radmin and hamachi, but it’s my choice as well currently.
I am using it with my own Headscale though, so add a domain to that as well.
And I finally need to switch my vaultwarden to work over tailscale & LAN finally, it’s a huge security risk to expose that one.
That’s the whole point of a domain. Your IP changes every now and again you need people to know where to reach you. You give them a domain, and you configure the name records so that the domain always points to the right IP address.
Your options:
- dynamic IP - you keep your setup as is and just periodically tell them the new IP you’re on. Annoying and exposed
- static IP - you buy a static IP (from your ISP) and share it with your friends once. A little bit less annoying and still exposed
- you use a VPN like hamachi or radmin - your friends install the software, they look for you IP in there, you’re done - very secure but also very annoying
- you buy a domain - you have to configure an IP updater like ddclient or similar, then you jellyfin should be reachable - least annoying for your friends but also slightly less secure
Domain is the cleanest option.
I am telling you how annoying it is because that’s how likely your friends are to adopt it and how secure it is because depending on your country you are doing something illegal and you really don’t want anyone to find out and you gotta keep it updated more often if you don’t want people to exploit it. There’s an endless supply of very smart people out there who use known bugs to target public services.
Edit: I forgot DDNS, see below comments.
You left out DDNS. It’s free, easy to set up with lots of detailed guides online, and works as well as a static IP.
I added a reference to your comment
yeah I forgot that one. I had to rush the comment a bit.
I appreciate your response!
It looks like a VPN is the option I’m leaning towards, but I’ll definitely put the idea of buying a domain in my back pocket for a while.
Some .xyz domains cost less than 1$. Mine is 0,85$/year
What do you do, randomise it every year?
Nah same domain, 0,85$/year. It’s 8 numbers + .xyz
Wow thanks!! Looks like it works with 6-9 numbers
You get to pick your numbers
On June 1, 2017, .XYZ launched the 1.111B class .xyz domains, cheap domains priced at US$0.99 per year and renewed at the same price. The class of domains consists of six-, seven-, eight-, and nine-digit numeric combinations between 000000.xyz and 999999999.xyz. Daniel Negari, CEO of .XYZ, stated that it was meant to bring competition, choice, and innovation to the market
Look into nginx proxy manager. Pretty easy to setup and deploy.
A VPN such as Tailscale.
It’s my go to method super easy to set up and use on both the device hosting your JellyFinn server and whatever your steaming on
That is a new concept to me, but I’ll definitely look into it.
Just be aware that if you want anyone else to connect to your Jellyfin, you’ll still have to route it through a domain and reverse proxy, unless you’re comfortable letting them log in to your tailnet.
It’s a bit of a fiddle to set up, but once it’s done it’s quite satisfying.
it’s actually the recommended way if you use jellyfin, theres a few security/privacy vulnerabilities with publicly exposing the jellyfin server anyway, they are being worked on but, the safest way to do it is just use a vpn regardless.
Plus it enables you to access everything. If you have radarr or sonarr or whatever, you can get to those and add media while out and about.
Personally I use Mealie and pull up ingredient lists while I’m im at the grocery store.
@Vegan_Joe
try tailscaleI second this, if it’s only you that needs access then Tailscale will be all that you need. You can use Tailscale funnel if you want it to be available to the wider web, but then you have to manage SSL certificates and it is slightly less secure.
I would caution against port forwarding and leaving your server open to the wider web.
Netbird or tailscale
Yes, a VPN. And dynamic DNS if you don’t have a static IP address.
To be clear, your suggesting I set up my home computer as a virtual private Network server that I would connect to from the TV or device outside of my home network?
Yes, it works great for me. Probably not for a TV though, for that you’d probably need some travel router VPN client. But I don’t know how often you’d be at a random TV and need to get to jellyfin.
Got it! I think this is the plan of attack I’m going with
Yeh, exactly.
And the “dynamic DNS” part handles your public IP address changing with 0 pain.
You either buy a domain (like example.com), or there are free domain name providers that give you a subdomain (like mycooldomain.example.com) of one of their domains.
You then run an additional service on your home server that checks what the current public IP address is. If it changes, it notifies the DNS responsible for your domain/subdomain, which then points to your new public IP.
To connect to your VPN, you only ever care about “mycooldomain.example.com” and never the underlying IP address.…
As long as your ISP isn’t running CG-NAT of course 😵💫
Personally I purchased a domain, and use Caddy for a reverse proxy. My ISP gives me a static IP for free, but I don’t think that makes a difference in this situation. Tailscale would be safer but requires more setup from friends. My friends seem to like how simple the setup is, and I also use requestrr so they can add movies/shows via a discord command.
