Self-Host Jellyfin on a VPS — Your Own Media Server, No Plex Account

The Honest Part First: Transcoding

Jellyfin serves video in two ways. If the client can play the file as-is (direct play), the server just streams bytes — almost no CPU. If the client needs a different format or a lower bitrate (transcoding), the server has to re-encode on the fly, which is heavy.

• **Direct play** (same file, capable client, enough bandwidth): a small VPS handles several streams.
• **CPU transcoding** (1080p): budget on roughly one stream per 2 vCPU, and expect it to struggle with 4K.

The trick is to avoid transcoding: keep your library in widely-supported formats (H.264/AAC in MP4/MKV) and most clients direct-play. Plan the server for your library, not for worst-case re-encoding.

Step 1: Install Docker

curl -fsSL https://get.docker.com | sh

Step 2: Compose + Caddy HTTPS

Save as docker-compose.yml. Caddy handles the certificate automatically:

services:
  jellyfin:
    image: jellyfin/jellyfin:latest
    restart: always
    volumes:
      - config:/config
      - cache:/cache
      - /srv/media:/media:ro
    environment:
      - JELLYFIN_PublishedServerUrl=https://media.example.com

  caddy:
    image: caddy:2-alpine
    restart: always
    ports:
      - "80:80"
      - "443:443"
    volumes:
      - ./Caddyfile:/etc/caddy/Caddyfile
      - caddy_data:/data
    depends_on:
      - jellyfin

volumes:
  config:
  cache:
  caddy_data:

Note the media mount is read-only (:ro) — Jellyfin never needs to modify your files, so don't give it the chance.

Step 3: The Caddyfile

media.example.com {
  reverse_proxy jellyfin:8096
}

Bring it up and open the web setup wizard:

docker compose up -d

Go to https://media.example.com, create your admin user, and add /media as a library folder.

Step 4: Get Media Onto the Server

Copy files into /srv/media on the host. For a one-off, rsync over SSH from your machine:

rsync -avP ~/Movies/ root@your-server-ip:/srv/media/movies/

For an ongoing library, many people sync from object storage or a home NAS with rclone on a schedule.

Step 5: Keep It Private and Updated

• Only Caddy is exposed; Jellyfin's port stays inside the Docker network.
• Turn off "Enable automatic port mapping (UPnP)" — irrelevant on a VPS and a needless surface.
• Update with docker compose pull && docker compose up -d.

What It Costs

A direct-play Jellyfin for a household runs comfortably on a small-to-mid VPS; the deciding factors are storage for your library and monthly bandwidth for streams. On NoctHost you pay hourly from a prepaid balance, top up with crypto, and get a dedicated IPv4 with a generous transfer allowance — spin up the Pro plan (4 vCPU, 8 GB) if you expect occasional transcoding, or the Standard plan for a pure direct-play setup.