How to set up Jellyfin Media System in Windows using Docker Desktop

Question

I followed all the steps in the Jellyfin documentation, but can't get it working. The container is up and running but I can't access it through the browser.

I tried removing and reconfiguring the container. Opening port 8096 on the firewall. Clearing cache and cookies.

Answer 1

Found a solution!

After following the steps in the Jellyfin documentation page, I learned that a few adjustments need to be made to get it working.

Prerequisites: Docker Desktop should already be installed on your computer

Step 1 - Pull the Jellyfin Docker image

Open CMD and paste the following.

docker pull jellyfin/jellyfin

Step 2 - Create config and cache directories

Create the following directories in your home directory:

mkdir docker\jellyfin\config
mkdir docker\jellyfin\cache

So the path should be home --> docker --> jellyfin --> config & cahce

Step 3 - Take note of the directory paths

In a notepad, copy and paste the paths to the config and cache directories. Also copy the path where you store your movie media files.

C:\Users\user123\docker\jellyfin\config
C:\Users\user123\docker\jellyfin\cache
C:\Users\user123\Videos\Movies

Step 4 - Create docker-compose.yml file

First you need your docker-compose version number. In my case it is 2.12.

C:\Users\user123>docker-compose --version
Docker Compose version v2.12.1 <<-- THIS!

Create a new file named docker-compose.yml and save it in the jellyfin directory created in Step 2.

Below, I copied the template from the Jellyfin documentation but made a few adjustments:

version: '2.12' <<-- Should be the version you are running
services:
  jellyfin:
    image: jellyfin/jellyfin:latest <<-- add :latest at the end
    container_name: jellyfin
    user: 1000:1000 <<-- Should be 1000:1000
    network_mode: 'bridge' <<-- Should be bridge, not host
    ports: <<-- Add this
      - 8096:8096 <<-- Specify the port number
    volumes:
      - C:\Users\arapi\docker\jellyfin\config:/config <<-- Config path
      - C:\Users\arapi\docker\jellyfin\cache:/cache <<-- Cache path
      - C:\Users\arapi\Videos\Movies:/media:ro <<-- Media path
    restart: 'unless-stopped'

Save this file in the jellyfin folder (without my comments in it).

Step 5 - Start container with docker-compose

In your CMD, got the jellyfin directory where the docker-compose.yml file is saved. Run the following command:

docker-compose up -d

• Note: Include the -d flag. It allows you to close CMD without stopping the container.

Step 6 - Access Jellyfin via browser

Go to http://localhost:8096 and continue with your set up.