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Posted May 12, 2025

By Tzalistar

11 min read

Complete Guide to Setting Up a Media Server Stack with GPU Acceleration

This guide provides a detailed walkthrough of setting up a comprehensive media server stack using Docker Compose with NVIDIA GPU acceleration. Each service and configuration option is explained to help you understand how the entire system works together.

If you dont have a GPU or dont want to use it, skip the step for nvidia and nvidia container toolkit as well as remove the deploy block from plex service.

You can remove any service that you dont want. They way i’ve set it up is a way that fits my setup best.

If this stack is deployed as is in one machine, the containers can communicate with each other using the service name http://radarr:7878

Overview of the Media Stack

Before diving into the details, here’s a brief overview of what this media stack includes:

Plex: Media server for streaming movies, TV shows, and other media
Tautulli: Analytics and monitoring for your Plex server
Bazarr: Automatic subtitle downloader
Radarr: Movie collection manager and automation
Sonarr: TV series collection manager and automation
Overseerr: Request management system for Plex
Prowlarr: Indexer manager that connects to torrent/usenet sites
Readarr: E-book collection manager
Transmission-OpenVPN: Torrent client protected by VPN
Flood: Modern web UI for the Transmission torrent client

You may find the complete playbook here

Prerequisites

Docker and Docker Compose installed
NVIDIA GPU with appropriate drivers installed
NVIDIA Container Toolkit installed (nvidia-docker)
Sufficient storage for media files

Understanding Docker Compose Version

  
version: "3.8"

This specifies Docker Compose file format version 3.8, which includes support for GPU resources and other advanced features needed for this setup.

Detailed Service Configuration

Plex Media Server

  
plex:
  container_name: plex-server
  image: lscr.io/linuxserver/plex:latest
  restart: unless-stopped
  runtime: nvidia
  privileged: true
  deploy:
    resources:
      reservations:
        devices:
          - driver: nvidia
            device_ids: ['0']
            capabilities: [gpu]
  environment:
    - TZ=<TZ_COUNTRY>
    - PLEX_CLAIM=<PLEX_CLAIM_PASS>
    - NVIDIA_VISIBLE_DEVICES=all
    - NVIDIA_DRIVER_CAPABILITIES=compute,video,utility
    - CUDA_DRIVER_CAPABILITIES=compute,video,utility
    - VERSION=plexpass
    - PUID=1000
    - PGID=1000
  network_mode: host
  volumes:
    - <SHARE>/Plex/config:/config
    - <SHARE>/Plex/transcode:/transcode
    - <SHARE>/Shared/Movies:/Movies
    - <SHARE>/Shared/Series:/Series

What It Does

Plex Media Server organizes and streams your media to any device. With GPU acceleration, it can handle hardware transcoding for smoother streaming performance.

Configuration Options

container_name: Names the container “plex-server” for easy reference
image: Uses the LinuxServer.io Plex image
restart: Automatically restarts container if it stops
runtime: Sets the container to use the NVIDIA runtime
privileged: Gives the container additional permissions (required for some GPU operations)

GPU Configuration

deploy > resources > reservations > devices: Configures GPU access
- driver: Specifies NVIDIA as the driver
- device_ids: Targets specific GPU (in this case, GPU 0) - useful for multi-GPU systems
- capabilities: Enables GPU computation capabilities

Environment Variables

TZ: Your timezone (e.g., “Europe/London” or “America/New_York”)
PLEX_CLAIM: Claim token from https://plex.tv/claim (expires after 4 minutes)
NVIDIA_VISIBLE_DEVICES: Makes all GPUs visible to the container
NVIDIA_DRIVER_CAPABILITIES: Enables specific driver capabilities
- compute: Required for CUDA applications
- video: Required for video encoding/decoding
- utility: Allows use of nvidia-smi and other tools
VERSION: “plexpass” enables the latest Plex Pass features
PUID/PGID: User/group IDs that own the container processes (usually 1000 for first user)

Volume Mappings

/config: Stores Plex configuration files
/transcode: Temporary location for transcoding operations
/Movies and /Series: Your media libraries

Network Configuration

network_mode: host: Uses the host’s network directly, simplifies discovery

Tautulli

  
tautulli:
  image: ghcr.io/tautulli/tautulli
  container_name: tautulli
  restart: unless-stopped
  volumes:
    - <SHARE>/Plex/Tautulli/tautuli-config:/config
  environment:
    - PUID=1000
    - PGID=1000
    - TZ=<TZ_COUNTRY>
  ports:
    - 8181:8181

What It Does

Tautulli is a monitoring application that provides statistics and usage information about your Plex Media Server.

Configuration Options

container_name: Names the container “tautulli”
image: Uses the official Tautulli image
restart: Ensures the container automatically restarts

Environment Variables

PUID/PGID: User/group IDs (should match Plex)
TZ: Timezone (should match Plex)

Volume Mappings

/config: Stores Tautulli configuration and database

Port Mapping

8181: Web interface port (access via http://your-server-ip:8181)

Bazarr

  
bazarr:
  image: lscr.io/linuxserver/bazarr:latest
  container_name: bazarr
  environment:
    - PUID=1000
    - PGID=1000
    - TZ=<TZ_COUNTRY>
  volumes:
    - <SHARE>/Servarr/Bazarr/bazarr-config:/config
    - <SHARE>/Shared/Movies:/Movies
    - <SHARE>/Shared/Series:/Series
  ports:
    - 6767:6767
  restart: unless-stopped

What It Does

Bazarr automatically manages and downloads subtitles for your media based on your preferences.

Configuration Options

container_name: Names the container “bazarr”
image: Uses the LinuxServer.io Bazarr image

Environment Variables

PUID/PGID: User/group IDs (should match your other services)
TZ: Timezone setting

Volume Mappings

/config: Stores Bazarr configuration
/Movies and /Series: Media libraries (must match the paths used in Radarr/Sonarr)

Port Mapping

6767: Web interface port (access via http://your-server-ip:6767)

Radarr

  
radarr:
  container_name: radarr
  image: lscr.io/linuxserver/radarr:latest
  environment:
    - PUID=1000
    - PGID=1000
    - TZ=<TZ_COUNTRY>
  ports:
    - 7878:7878
  volumes:
    - <SHARE>/Servarr/Radarr/radarr-config:/config
    - <SHARE>/Shared/Movies:/Movies
    - <SHARE>/Shared/Torrents:/Torrents
  restart: "unless-stopped"

What It Does

Radarr is a movie collection manager that works with various download clients and Plex.

Configuration Options

container_name: Names the container “radarr”
image: Uses the LinuxServer.io Radarr image

Environment Variables

PUID/PGID: User/group IDs
TZ: Timezone setting

Volume Mappings

/config: Stores Radarr configuration
/Movies: Your movie library
/Torrents: Access to downloaded content

Port Mapping

7878: Web interface port (access via http://your-server-ip:7878)

Sonarr

  
sonarr:
  image: lscr.io/linuxserver/sonarr:latest
  container_name: sonarr
  environment:
    - PUID=1000
    - PGID=1000
    - TZ=<TZ_COUNTRY>
  volumes:
    - <SHARE>/Servarr/Sonarr/sonarr-config:/config
    - <SHARE>/Shared/Series:/Series
    - <SHARE>/Shared/Torrents:/Torrents
  ports:
    - 8989:8989
  restart: unless-stopped

What It Does

Sonarr is a TV series collection manager that works with various download clients and Plex.

Configuration Options

container_name: Names the container “sonarr”
image: Uses the LinuxServer.io Sonarr image

Environment Variables

PUID/PGID: User/group IDs
TZ: Timezone setting

Volume Mappings

/config: Stores Sonarr configuration
/Series: Your TV series library
/Torrents: Access to downloaded content

Port Mapping

8989: Web interface port (access via http://your-server-ip:8989)

Overseerr

  
overseerr:
  image: sctx/overseerr:latest
  container_name: overseerr
  environment:
    - LOG_LEVEL=debug
    - TZ=<TZ_COUNTRY>
    - PORT=5055 #optional
  ports:
    - 5055:5055
  volumes:
    - <SHARE>/Servarr/overseerr/overseerr-config:/app/config
  restart: unless-stopped

What It Does

Overseerr is a request management and media discovery tool for your Plex ecosystem[^10].

Configuration Options

container_name: Names the container “overseerr”
image: Uses the sctx Overseerr image

Environment Variables

LOG_LEVEL: Sets logging detail level to debug
TZ: Timezone setting
PORT: Internal port for the application (optional)

Volume Mappings

/app/config: Stores Overseerr configuration

Port Mapping

5055: Web interface port (access via http://your-server-ip:5055)

Prowlarr

  
prowlarr:
  container_name: prowlarr
  image: lscr.io/linuxserver/prowlarr:latest
  environment:
    - PUID=1000
    - PGID=1000
    - TZ=<TZ_COUNTRY>
  volumes:
    - <SHARE>/Servarr/Prowlarr/prowlarr-config:/config
  ports:
    - 9696:9696
  restart: unless-stopped

What It Does

Prowlarr is an indexer manager/proxy that integrates with your media apps (Sonarr, Radarr, etc.).

Configuration Options

container_name: Names the container “prowlarr”
image: Uses the LinuxServer.io Prowlarr image

Environment Variables

PUID/PGID: User/group IDs
TZ: Timezone setting

Volume Mappings

/config: Stores Prowlarr configuration

Port Mapping

9696: Web interface port (access via http://your-server-ip:9696)

Readarr

  
readarr:
  image: lscr.io/linuxserver/readarr:develop
  container_name: readarr
  environment:
    - PUID=1000
    - PGID=1000
    - TZ=<TZ_COUNTRY>
  volumes:
    - <SHARE>/Servarr/Readarr/readarr-config:/config
    - <SHARE>/Shared/Torrents/Downloads:/downloads
  ports:
    - 8787:8787
  restart: unless-stopped

What It Does

Readarr is a book collection manager and automation tool (similar to Sonarr but for books).

Configuration Options

container_name: Names the container “readarr”
image: Uses the LinuxServer.io Readarr image (develop branch)

Environment Variables

PUID/PGID: User/group IDs
TZ: Timezone setting

Volume Mappings

/config: Stores Readarr configuration
/downloads: Access to downloaded content

Port Mapping

8787: Web interface port (access via http://your-server-ip:8787)

Transmission with OpenVPN

If you choose so, you can use normal transmission docker that wont use VPN.

  
transmission-openvpn:
  container_name: transmission-vpn
  cap_add:
    - NET_ADMIN
  volumes:
    - <SHARE>/Servarr/Transmission/transmission-opvn-config:/config
    - <SHARE>/Shared/:/Media
    - <SHARE>/Servarr/Transmission/transmission-watch:/watch
  environment:
    - OPENVPN_PROVIDER=<VPN_PROVIDER>
    - NORDVPN_COUNTRY=<COUNTRY_CODE>
    - OPENVPN_CONFIG=<COUNTRY>
    - OPENVPN_USERNAME=<OPENVPN_USERNAME>
    - NORDVPN_CATEGORY=legacy_p2p
    - OPENVPN_PASSWORD=<OPENVPN_PASSWORD>
    - LOCAL_NETWORK=192.168.0.0/16
    - USER=transmission
    - PASS=transm1ss1on
    - TZ=<TZ_COUNTRY>
    - TRANSMISSION_DOWNLOAD_DIR=/Media/Torrents/Downloads
    - TRANSMISSION_INCOMPLETE_DIR=/Media/Torrents/Incomplete
    - TRANSMISSION_WATCH_DIR=/watch
    - TRANSMISSION_RPC_PASSWORD=<RPC_PASSWORD>
    - TRANSMISSION_RPC_USERNAME=<RPC_USER>
    - PUID=1000
    - PGID=1000
  logging:
    driver: json-file
    options:
      max-size: 10m
  # ports:
  #   - '9092:9091'
  restart: unless-stopped
  image: haugene/transmission-openvpn

What It Does

Transmission-OpenVPN combines the Transmission BitTorrent client with a VPN connection for private downloading.

Configuration Options

container_name: Names the container “transmission-vpn”
cap_add: Adds the NET_ADMIN capability required for VPN
image: Uses the haugene/transmission-openvpn image

Environment Variables

VPN Configuration:
- OPENVPN_PROVIDER: Your VPN provider name
- NORDVPN_COUNTRY: Country code for NordVPN (if using Nord)
- OPENVPN_CONFIG: Country/server configuration
- OPENVPN_USERNAME/PASSWORD: VPN credentials
- NORDVPN_CATEGORY: Service type for NordVPN
- LOCAL_NETWORK: Your local network range (for bypassing VPN)
Transmission Configuration:
- USER/PASS: Username/password for Transmission web UI
- TRANSMISSION_DOWNLOAD_DIR: Path for completed downloads
- TRANSMISSION_INCOMPLETE_DIR: Path for in-progress downloads
- TRANSMISSION_WATCH_DIR: Directory to monitor for torrent files
- TRANSMISSION_RPC_USERNAME/PASSWORD: Authentication for API access
Container Configuration:
- PUID/PGID: User/group IDs
- TZ: Timezone setting

Volume Mappings

/config: Stores Transmission and OpenVPN configuration
/Media: Access to your media directory
/watch: Directory Transmission watches for new .torrent files

Logging Configuration

driver: Uses JSON file logging
max-size: Limits log file size to 10MB

Port Mapping

The web interface port (9091) is commented out - access will be through Flood

Flood

You may opt out from using Flood and just use the transmission web gui or the standalone client. In that scenrarion you will need to expose the transmission service ports

  
flood:
  container_name: flood-gui
  restart: unless-stopped
  image: jesec/flood
  user: "1000:1000"
  ports:
    - "9092:3000"
  environment:
    - FLOOD_OPTION_rundir=/config
    - FLOOD_OPTION_host=0.0.0.0
    - FLOOD_OPTION_port=3000
    - FLOOD_OPTION_secret="<SECRET>"
  volumes:
    - <SHARE>/Shared/:/Media
    - <SHARE>/Servarr/Transmission/transmission-opvn-config:/config
  depends_on:
    transmission-openvpn:
      condition: service_healthy
      restart: true

What It Does

Flood provides a modern, responsive web UI for the Transmission torrent client.

Configuration Options

container_name: Names the container “flood-gui”
image: Uses the jesec/flood image
user: Sets the user ID to 1000:1000
depends_on: Ensures it starts only after Transmission is healthy

Environment Variables

FLOOD_OPTION_rundir: Configuration directory
FLOOD_OPTION_host: Binds to all network interfaces
FLOOD_OPTION_port: Internal port
FLOOD_OPTION_secret: Secret key for session encryption

Volume Mappings

/Media: Access to your media directory
/config: Shares the Transmission configuration

Port Mapping

9092: Web interface port (access via http://your-server-ip:9092)

Setting Up the Media Stack

Step 1: Prepare Your Environment

Install Docker and Docker Compose
Install NVIDIA drivers and NVIDIA Container Toolkit
Create required directory structure:

  
mkdir -p <SHARE>/Plex/{config,transcode} \
         <SHARE>/Plex/Tautulli/tautuli-config \
         <SHARE>/Servarr/{Bazarr,Radarr,Sonarr,Prowlarr,Readarr,overseerr}/*/config \
         <SHARE>/Servarr/Transmission/{transmission-opvn-config,transmission-watch} \
         <SHARE>/Shared/{Movies,Series,Torrents/{Downloads,Incomplete}}

Step 2: Edit the Docker Compose File

Replace <TZ_COUNTRY> with your timezone (e.g., Europe/London)
Replace <SHARE> with your storage path (e.g., /data or /mnt/storage)
Get a Plex claim token from https://plex.tv/claim and replace <PLEX_CLAIM_PASS>
Configure your VPN settings by replacing:
- <VPN_PROVIDER> (e.g., nordvpn)
- <COUNTRY_CODE> (e.g., US)
- <COUNTRY> (e.g., us)
- <OPENVPN_USERNAME> and <OPENVPN_PASSWORD>
Set secure credentials for Transmission:
- <RPC_USER> and <RPC_PASSWORD>
Create a secure random string for <SECRET> in the Flood configuration

Step 3: Start the Media Stack

Start all services:

docker-compose up -d

Monitor the logs for any errors:

docker-compose logs -f

Step 4: Configure Individual Services

Plex (http://your-server-ip:32400/web)
- Follow the setup wizard to create libraries pointing to /Movies and /Series
Tautulli (http://your-server-ip:8181)
- Connect to your Plex server
Radarr (http://your-server-ip:7878)
- Add your Movies folder
- Connect to Prowlarr and Transmission
Sonarr (http://your-server-ip:8989)
- Add your Series folder
- Connect to Prowlarr and Transmission
Bazarr (http://your-server-ip:6767)
- Connect to Radarr and Sonarr
Prowlarr (http://your-server-ip:9696)
- Add indexers (torrent sites)
- Connect to Sonarr, Radarr, and Readarr
Overseerr (http://your-server-ip:5055)
- Connect to Plex, Radarr, and Sonarr
Readarr (http://your-server-ip:8787)
- Configure your book library
- Connect to Prowlarr and Transmission
Flood (http://your-server-ip:9092)
- Login with the credentials set in the compose file

Troubleshooting NVIDIA GPU Integration

If you encounter issues with GPU acceleration:

Verify that NVIDIA drivers are properly installed:

nvidia-smi

Ensure NVIDIA Container Toolkit is installed:

  
dpkg -l | grep -E "nvidia-container-(runtime|toolkit)"

Check if Docker can access the GPU:

docker run --rm --gpus all nvidia/cuda:11.6.2-base-ubuntu20.04 nvidia-smi

If the above command works but Plex doesn’t detect the GPU, check the container logs:

docker logs plex-server

Make sure the NVIDIA_DRIVER_CAPABILITIES includes the necessary capabilities (compute,video,utility)
Conclusion

You now have a fully functional media server stack with GPU acceleration for optimal performance. The setup includes media management, automatic downloading, subtitle fetching, and a request system for users to request new content. The NVIDIA GPU integration allows hardware transcoding in Plex, significantly improving performance for multiple simultaneous streams.

Guides, Docker

This post is licensed under CC BY 4.0 by the author.

Complete Guide to Setting Up a Media Server Stack with GPU Acceleration

Overview of the Media Stack

Prerequisites

Understanding Docker Compose Version

Detailed Service Configuration

Plex Media Server

What It Does

Configuration Options

GPU Configuration

Environment Variables

Volume Mappings

Network Configuration

Tautulli

What It Does

Configuration Options

Environment Variables

Volume Mappings

Port Mapping

Bazarr

What It Does

Configuration Options

Environment Variables

Volume Mappings

Port Mapping

Radarr

What It Does

Configuration Options

Environment Variables

Volume Mappings

Port Mapping

Sonarr

What It Does

Configuration Options

Environment Variables

Volume Mappings

Port Mapping

Overseerr

What It Does

Configuration Options

Environment Variables

Volume Mappings

Port Mapping

Prowlarr

What It Does

Configuration Options

Environment Variables

Volume Mappings

Port Mapping

Readarr

What It Does

Configuration Options

Environment Variables

Volume Mappings

Port Mapping

Transmission with OpenVPN

What It Does

Configuration Options

Environment Variables

Volume Mappings

Logging Configuration

Port Mapping

Flood

What It Does

Configuration Options

Environment Variables

Volume Mappings

Port Mapping

Setting Up the Media Stack

Step 1: Prepare Your Environment

Step 2: Edit the Docker Compose File

Step 3: Start the Media Stack

Step 4: Configure Individual Services

Troubleshooting NVIDIA GPU Integration

Conclusion

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