Arr Stack

The *arr stack automates a media library: Prowlarr manages indexers, Sonarr (TV) and Radarr (films) search and import, and qBittorrent downloads. This sheet uses the linuxserver.io images in one Docker Compose file, with a single shared /data tree so imports are hardlinks and instant moves.

Documentation: Servarr Wiki · Servarr Docker Guide · linuxserver.io images · TRaSH Guides: Hardlinks Project: Sonarr · Radarr · Prowlarr · qBittorrent

Verification: the image names, ports, PUID, PGID, TZ, WEBUI_PORT and TORRENTING_PORT variables and the initial qBittorrent password behaviour were checked against docs.linuxserver.io. The /data layout, hardlink behaviour, Prowlarr sync levels and settings names were checked against the Servarr Wiki. The X-Api-Key header and endpoint paths were confirmed from the apps’ OpenAPI files on GitHub. Not run: no stack was started, so the combined Compose file, the settings click path and the example curl calls are unverified. Menu names change between versions, so treat the paths as a guide. This repository has no Plex or Jellyfin sheet, so the media server is not linked.

See also: Docker · Docker-Compose · mergerfs · Traefik · Tailscale · curl · jq · Automate Container Updates Safely

Parts and Ports #

Folder Layout #

Give every container that touches files the same /data mount. Two separate mounts such as /tv and /downloads look like different file systems, so hardlinks fail and an import becomes a slow copy and delete.

/srv/data                    (host)  ->  /data  (every container)
├── torrents
│   ├── movies
│   └── tv
└── media
    ├── movies
    └── tv

sudo mkdir -p /srv/data/torrents/{movies,tv} /srv/data/media/{movies,tv}
sudo chown -R 1000:1000 /srv/data
sudo chmod -R 775 /srv/data

1000:1000 matches PUID and PGID below. The /srv/data tree must be one file system on the host (one disk, one mount, or a mergerfs pool). The Servarr Docker Guide suggests a per-app user with a shared group and UMASK=002.

Docker Compose #

compose.yaml in /opt/stacks/arr, with the config of each app kept under /opt/stacks/arr/config:

services:
  prowlarr:
    image: lscr.io/linuxserver/prowlarr:latest
    container_name: prowlarr
    environment:
      - PUID=1000
      - PGID=1000
      - TZ=Europe/London
    volumes:
      - ./config/prowlarr:/config
    ports:
      - 9696:9696
    restart: unless-stopped

  sonarr:
    image: lscr.io/linuxserver/sonarr:latest
    container_name: sonarr
    environment:
      - PUID=1000
      - PGID=1000
      - TZ=Europe/London
    volumes:
      - ./config/sonarr:/config
      - /srv/data:/data
    ports:
      - 8989:8989
    restart: unless-stopped

  radarr:
    image: lscr.io/linuxserver/radarr:latest
    container_name: radarr
    environment:
      - PUID=1000
      - PGID=1000
      - TZ=Europe/London
    volumes:
      - ./config/radarr:/config
      - /srv/data:/data
    ports:
      - 7878:7878
    restart: unless-stopped

  qbittorrent:
    image: lscr.io/linuxserver/qbittorrent:latest
    container_name: qbittorrent
    environment:
      - PUID=1000
      - PGID=1000
      - TZ=Europe/London
      - WEBUI_PORT=8080
      - TORRENTING_PORT=6881
    volumes:
      - ./config/qbittorrent:/config
      - /srv/data/torrents:/data/torrents
    ports:
      - 8080:8080
      - 6881:6881
      - 6881:6881/udp
    restart: unless-stopped

Each service block follows its linuxserver.io page, with the optional /tv, /movies and /downloads mounts replaced by the shared /data. Services on the default Compose network reach each other by service name (http://sonarr:8989). Pin image tags and bind ports to 127.0.0.1 or put a reverse proxy in front (Traefik). Never expose these UIs directly to the internet.

docker compose up -d
docker compose logs -f qbittorrent
docker compose pull && docker compose up -d

First-Run Setup #

Notes from the Servarr Wiki:

• Set a category in the download client; without one, unrelated downloads show in Activity.
• Hardlinks and atomic moves need the download folder and library on the same file system and mount.
• Torrents keep seeding from /data/torrents, so removing them there is not safe until the import is done.
• With a reverse proxy, include the URL base in the Prowlarr app server URL or synced indexers break.
• A remote path mapping is rarely needed when everything is a container sharing /data.

Check hardlinks: matching inode numbers and a link count of 2 or more mean the file is not duplicated.

ls -li /srv/data/torrents/tv/FILE.mkv /srv/data/media/tv/SHOW/Season\ 01/FILE.mkv
stat -c '%h %i %n' /srv/data/torrents/tv/FILE.mkv

API Key Usage #

Each app has an API key under Settings, General (Prowlarr: Settings, General, Security). Send it in the X-Api-Key header; an apikey query parameter is also accepted but ends up in logs and history. Sonarr and Radarr use API v3, Prowlarr uses v1.

POST /api/v3/command runs actions such as a search or refresh; the command names and bodies are not listed here (unverified, see each app’s API docs). Keep keys in an environment variable or file, never in a script in git. Regenerate a key if it leaks, then update the apps that use it.

Backups and Updates #

• Back up each ./config/* folder with the containers stopped, or use each app’s built-in backup (menu location unverified). The media tree needs its own backup (borgmatic).
• To reset a forgotten login, stop the app, delete the AuthenticationMethod line in config.xml in its config folder, and start it again to set a new one.
• Update with docker compose pull && docker compose up -d, or automate it (Automate Container Updates Safely).

Troubleshooting #

See Also #

• Docker
• Docker-Compose
• mergerfs
• Traefik
• Tailscale
• curl
• jq
• Automate Container Updates Safely