Setting Up a Personal Media Server with Jellyfin on Ubuntu 24.04 Server
In today's digital era, we all generate or consume a vast amount of media—movies, TV shows, music, family videos, and more. Hosting our personal media server gives us full control, accessibility, and privacy. That's where Jellyfin, an open-source and free media server, comes into play.
We’ll walk through setting up a personal media server using Jellyfin on Ubuntu 24.04 Server. We’ll cover everything from system preparation to accessing our media from any device.
What is Jellyfin?
Jellyfin is a free and open-source media server solution that allows us to organize, stream, and access our media content across devices. It’s a modern alternative to Plex or Emby, but with no restrictions or premium tiers. Since Jellyfin is fully self-hosted, we retain complete ownership and control over our data.
Prerequisites
Before we begin, let’s ensure our environment meets the following requirements:
- A Ubuntu 24.04 installed dedicated server or KVM VPS.
- A non-root user with sudo privileges.
- Basic knowledge of using the terminal.
How to Set Up a Personal Media Server with Jellyfin on Ubuntu 24.04 (Step-by-Step Guide)
Step 1: Update the Server
Keeping our system updated ensures we have the latest security patches and libraries.
sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y
Step 2: Install Required Dependencies
Jellyfin requires some essential libraries and utilities. Let’s install them first.
sudo apt install apt-transport-https ca-certificates gnupg curl -y
Step 3: Install Jellyfin
To simplify deployment and help automate this for as many users as possible, we provide a BASH script to handle repo installation as well as installing Jellyfin on Debian / Ubuntu and derivatives.
curl https://repo.jellyfin.org/install-debuntu.sh | sudo bash
To check the status:
sudo systemctl status jellyfin
Step 4: Install Nginx
sudo apt install nginx -y
Once installed, check the status:
sudo systemctl status nginx
Ensure it's active and running. If needed:
sudo systemctl enable nginx
sudo systemctl start nginx
Step 5: Allow HTTP and HTTPS Through UFW
If using UFW firewall, allow required ports:
sudo ufw allow 'Nginx Full'
sudo ufw reload
Step 6: Configure Nginx for Jellyfin
We’ll create a dedicated server block (virtual host) for our domain.
Create a config file:
sudo nano /etc/nginx/sites-available/jellyfin
Add the following content (replace media.example.com with our actual domain):
server {
listen 80;
server_name media.example.com;
location / {
proxy_pass http://localhost:8096;
proxy_set_header Host $host;
proxy_set_header X-Real-IP $remote_addr;
proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-For $proxy_add_x_forwarded_for;
proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-Proto $scheme;
proxy_http_version 1.1;
proxy_request_buffering off;
proxy_buffering off;
}
}
Save and exit (Ctrl+O, then Ctrl+X).
Enable the Config and Test
sudo ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/jellyfin /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/
sudo nginx -t
sudo systemctl reload nginx
Now http://media.example.com should proxy to Jellyfin.
Step 7: Install Certbot and SSL Certificate
Install Certbot and Nginx plugin:
sudo apt install certbot python3-certbot-nginx -y
Obtain SSL Certificate
Run this command to automatically update the Nginx config and install the SSL certificate:
sudo certbot --nginx -d media.example.com
Follow the prompts:
- Enter a valid email
- Agree to terms
- Choose whether to redirect all HTTP to HTTPS (we recommend Yes)
Certbot will automatically add the SSL block.
Access the Jellyfin
https://media.example.com
We’ll now go through Jellyfin’s initial setup:
- Set admin username and password
- Select language
- Add media libraries (movies, TV shows, etc.)
- Configure remote access if desired
Step 8: Organize Our Media Libraries
Jellyfin supports organizing content into libraries such as:
- Movies
- TV Shows
- Music
- Home Videos
- Books and Audiobooks
Let’s create folders like /srv/media/movies, /srv/media/shows, etc., and move our files there.
sudo mkdir -p /srv/media/movies
sudo mkdir -p /srv/media/shows
sudo mkdir -p /srv/media/music
Then ensure Jellyfin has permission:
sudo chown -R jellyfin:jellyfin /srv/media
In the web interface, go to Dashboard → Libraries → Add Media Library, and map the above folders.
Step 9: (Optional) Enable Hardware Acceleration
For better streaming performance, especially with 4K or large video files, we can enable hardware acceleration.
Check if our hardware supports VAAPI (Intel/AMD) or NVENC (NVIDIA). Then in the Jellyfin dashboard:
- Go to Playback
- Enable Hardware Acceleration
- Choose the right encoder (e.g., VAAPI or NVENC)
Make sure drivers are properly installed. For Intel:
sudo apt install i965-va-driver-shaders intel-media-va-driver-non-free
Final Thoughts
Setting up a personal media server with Jellyfin on Ubuntu 24.04 gives us full control, privacy, and freedom over our content. With Jellyfin, there's no need to rely on paid services or limited storage. We host, organize, and stream our content our way—securely, privately, and beautifully.
We now have a fully functioning personal media hub that works across devices and platforms, giving us the Netflix-like experience powered entirely by open source.
Stay tuned for future guides where we’ll explore remote access setup, automatic subtitle downloads, secure backups, and more!
