Deploying Jellyfin on a Scaleway Instance using Docker

jellyfin

docker

media

streaming

Reviewed on August 21, 2025

Jellyfin is an open-source media server that allows you to organize, stream, and manage your personal media collection. It supports various clients and devices, providing a self-hosted alternative to commercial streaming services. This tutorial explains how to deploy Jellyfin on a Scaleway Instance using Docker, which simplifies installation and management. We will use an Ubuntu-based Instance and the official Jellyfin Docker container.

Before you start

To complete the actions presented below, you must have:

• A Scaleway account logged into the console
• Owner status or IAM permissions allowing you to perform actions in the intended Organization
• An SSH key
• An Instance running the latest Ubuntu image

Connecting to the Instance

1. Open a terminal on your local machine.

2. Connect via SSH using the following command:

   ssh root@your_instance_ip

   Replace your_instance_ip with the actual IP. Accept the host key if prompted.

   Tip

   If you are using a non-root user or a different key, adjust the command accordingly (e.g., ssh -i /path/to/key ubuntu@your_instance_ip).

Installing Docker

1. Update the apt package cache and upgrade already installed packages to their latest version:

   apt update && apt upgrade -y

2. Install the prerequisites for adding the Docker repository:

   apt install ca-certificates curl -y

3. Add Docker's official GPG key:

   install -m 0755 -d /etc/apt/keyrings
   curl -fsSL https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu/gpg -o /etc/apt/keyrings/docker.asc
   chmod a+r /etc/apt/keyrings/docker.asc

4. Add the Docker repository to apt sources:

   echo \
     "deb [arch=$(dpkg --print-architecture) signed-by=/etc/apt/keyrings/docker.asc] https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu \
     $(. /etc/os-release && echo "$VERSION_CODENAME") stable" | \
     tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/docker.list > /dev/null
   apt update

5. Install the required Docker packages:

   apt install docker-ce docker-ce-cli containerd.io docker-buildx-plugin docker-compose-plugin acl -y

6. Verify that Docker is installed by running a test container:

   docker run hello-world

   This should download and run a simple image, confirming Docker works.

Creating a Jellyfin user

1. Create a user named jellyfin:

   adduser jellyfin

   Enter the users' password, password confirmation, account information and confirm by pressing Enter.

2. Enter the jellyfin user:

   su jellyfin

3. Run the following command to get the user ID and group ID of the user.

   id -u && id -g

   This command outputs two numbers: the user ID (e.g. 1001) and the group ID (e.g. 10001). Save these numbers as you will need them for the following steps.

Deploying Jellyfin

1. Create a directory for Jellyfin configuration and navigate to it:

   mkdir ~/jellyfin && cd ~/jellyfin

2. Create a docker-compose.yml file with the following content:

   services:
     jellyfin:
       image: jellyfin/jellyfin
       container_name: jellyfin
       user: <USER ID>:<GROUP ID>
       network_mode: 'host'
       volumes:
         - ./config:/config
         - ./cache:/cache
         - /path/to/your/media:/media
       restart: 'unless-stopped'
       environment:
         - JELLYFIN_PublishedServerUrl=http://your_instance_ip:8096

   Customize the volumes:

   • Replace /path/to/your/media with the actual path to your media files on the Instance. You can mount additional volumes if needed.
   • Replace your_instance_ip with the public IP.
   • Replace <USER ID> and <GROUP ID> with the jellyfin user ID and group ID retrieved in the previous step.
   Note

   Running as a non-root user is recommended; the user line specifies the ID of the jellyfin user. Ensure the mounted directories have appropriate permissions. Ensure the Jellyfin user has write and read permission to the /config and /cache folders by setting permissions: setfacl -m u:jellyfin:rwx config and setfacl -m u:jellyfin:rwx cache.

3. Start the Jellyfin container:

   docker compose up -d

   This pulls the image and runs it in detached mode.

Accessing Jellyfin

1. Open a web browser on your local machine and navigate to http://your_instance_ip:8096, replacing your_instance_ip with the Instance's public IP.
2. Follow the on-screen setup wizard:

• Create an admin account
• Add your media libraries, and
• Configure settings like language and metadata.

By following these steps, you have a functional Jellyfin media server running on Scaleway. For more advanced configurations, refer to the official Jellyfin documentation.