ScriptsApr 10, 2026·1 min read

Jellyfin — Free Software Media System

Jellyfin is a free, open-source media server for streaming movies, TV shows, music, and live TV. Self-hosted Plex/Emby alternative with no premium or tracking.

SC
Script Depot · Community
Quick Use

Use it first, then decide how deep to go

This block should tell both the user and the agent what to copy, install, and apply first.

docker run -d --name jellyfin 
  -p 8096:8096 
  -v jellyfin-config:/config 
  -v jellyfin-cache:/cache 
  -v /path/to/media:/media 
  jellyfin/jellyfin:latest

Open http://localhost:8096 — complete the setup wizard, point to your media folders, and start streaming.

Intro

Jellyfin is a free, open-source media system for managing and streaming your personal media collection. It serves as a completely free alternative to Plex and Emby, with no premium tiers, no tracking, no central authentication, and no restrictions — just a powerful media server you fully control.

With 50.2K+ GitHub stars and GPL-2.0 license, Jellyfin has grown into the leading truly-free media server solution, supported by an active community of developers and users.

What Jellyfin Does

Jellyfin provides a complete home media experience:

  • Movies & TV Shows: Stream your movie and TV library with metadata, artwork, subtitles, and trailers
  • Music: Music streaming with artist bios, album art, lyrics, and playlist management
  • Live TV & DVR: IPTV and HDHomeRun integration with EPG guide and recording
  • Books & Comics: eBook and comic reader with EPUB and CBZ/CBR support
  • Photos: Photo gallery with timeline view
  • Hardware Transcoding: Intel QSV, NVIDIA NVENC, AMD AMF, and VA-API for efficient video transcoding
  • Multi-user: Separate profiles with parental controls and content restrictions
  • Remote Access: Stream anywhere via reverse proxy or VPN

Architecture

┌─────────────────┐     ┌──────────────┐     ┌──────────────┐
│ Clients         │────▶│  Jellyfin    │────▶│  Media Files │
│ Web / Apps /    │     │  Server      │     │  (Movies,    │
│ Smart TV        │     │  (C#/.NET)   │     │  Music, etc) │
└─────────────────┘     └──────┬───────┘     └──────────────┘
                               │
                        ┌──────┴───────┐
                        │  SQLite DB   │
                        │  (Metadata)  │
                        └──────────────┘

Self-Hosting

Docker Compose

services:
  jellyfin:
    image: jellyfin/jellyfin:latest
    ports:
      - "8096:8096"
    volumes:
      - jellyfin-config:/config
      - jellyfin-cache:/cache
      - /mnt/media/movies:/media/movies:ro
      - /mnt/media/tv:/media/tv:ro
      - /mnt/media/music:/media/music:ro
    environment:
      JELLYFIN_PublishedServerUrl: http://192.168.1.100:8096
    # GPU passthrough for hardware transcoding
    # devices:
    #   - /dev/dri:/dev/dri  # Intel QSV / VA-API
    restart: unless-stopped

volumes:
  jellyfin-config:
  jellyfin-cache:

Media Organization

/media/
├── movies/
│   ├── Inception (2010)/
│   │   └── Inception (2010).mkv
│   └── The Matrix (1999)/
│       └── The Matrix (1999).mp4
├── tv/
│   ├── Breaking Bad/
│   │   ├── Season 01/
│   │   │   ├── Breaking Bad S01E01.mkv
│   │   │   └── Breaking Bad S01E02.mkv
│   │   └── Season 02/
│   └── The Office/
└── music/
    ├── Artist Name/
    │   └── Album Name/
    │       ├── 01 - Track.flac
    │       └── 02 - Track.flac

Client Apps

Platform App
Web Built-in web client
Android Jellyfin for Android
iOS Jellyfin for iOS / Swiftfin
Android TV Jellyfin for Android TV
Apple TV Swiftfin
Fire TV Jellyfin for Fire TV
Roku Jellyfin for Roku
Desktop Jellyfin Media Player (MPV-based)
Samsung/LG TV Web client via browser

Key Features

Hardware Transcoding

Enable GPU-accelerated transcoding for smooth streaming:

# Intel QSV (most common for home servers)
devices:
  - /dev/dri:/dev/dri

# NVIDIA
runtime: nvidia
environment:
  - NVIDIA_VISIBLE_DEVICES=all

Supported codecs: H.264, H.265/HEVC, VP9, AV1 (depending on GPU)

Plugins

Jellyfin has a plugin system for extending functionality:

  • OpenSubtitles: Auto-download subtitles
  • Fanart: Enhanced artwork
  • Trakt: Sync watch history
  • LDAP: Enterprise authentication
  • Webhook: Notifications on events

Jellyfin vs Alternatives

Feature Jellyfin Plex Emby
Open Source Yes (GPL-2.0) No Partially
Cost Free Free + Premium ($5/mo) Free + Premium ($5/mo)
HW Transcoding Free Plex Pass only Emby Premiere
Live TV Free Plex Pass only Emby Premiere
Central auth No (self-managed) Required Optional
Tracking None Usage data Usage data
Mobile sync Via plugins Plex Pass Emby Premiere

常见问题

Q: Jellyfin 和 Plex 比哪个更好？ A: Plex 更易上手，客户端体验更polish，但需要付费解锁硬件转码和高级功能。Jellyfin 完全免费开源，无需中心认证服务器，但初始配置稍复杂。注重隐私和自主权选 Jellyfin，注重易用性选 Plex。

Q: 需要什么配置的服务器？ A: 直接播放（Direct Play）仅需低配置。如果需要转码，建议至少 Intel i5 或带独显的设备。Intel 8代+ 处理器的 QSV 转码效率很高，可同时处理 3-5 路转码流。

Q: 支持 4K HDR 吗？ A: 支持 4K 直接播放。HDR 转码 (tone mapping) 需要较强的 GPU（建议 NVIDIA 或 Intel 10代+）。如果客户端支持 4K HDR 直接播放，则无需服务器转码。

来源与致谢

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