What is lunarr-go?

This media server organizes personal movie and TV collections stored on local drives, SFTP, or WebDAV shares. It automatically fetches metadata from TMDb and streams content directly or transcodes to HLS on the fly. Playback works in the browser, via Chromecast, or AirPlay, with optional VAAPI hardware acceleration on Linux. Subtitles in .vtt or .srt format are detected and normalized to WebVTT. TheIntroDB integration provides skip markers for intros, recaps, and credits. An admin dashboard handles users, roles, library sharing, and job monitoring. Device pairing lets mobile and TV apps authenticate with a QR code, while guest links give temporary access without accounts. A REST API with OpenAPI documentation and a health endpoint support automation. The stack runs on Docker, Docker Compose, Arch (AUR), macOS (Homebrew), or from source with Bun. Data lives in a SQLite database.

Should you self-host lunarr-go?

lunarr-go scores 48/100 on selfhost.directory (how scoring works) and ranks #66 of 118 in Media Server. It has 386 GitHub stars.

It shipped 10 stable releases in the past year. The latest, v0.5.0, came out on 20 June 2026.

Setup is moderate: expect some configuration beyond a single command. An official Docker image is available. It is Apache-2.0-licensed and written mostly in Typescript.

Its closest alternative on selfhost.directory is Jellyfin (88/100, 58 737 stars). It scores higher overall, so compare the two before you pick. See lunarr-go vs Jellyfin side by side.

Features

Admin Console
API keys and OpenAPI docs
Chromecast and AirPlay support
Device pairing
Direct play and HLS transcoding
Guest shares
Hardware acceleration (VAAPI)
Health endpoint
Intro/recap/credits skip
Local, SFTP, and WebDAV libraries
Person filmography pages
Scheduled metadata refresh
Search and browse hubs
Sidecar subtitles

How to configure lunarr-go

AUTH_SECRETA stable secret used by authentication and server-side encryption helpers. Must be at least 32 characters and stay the same between restarts.
A stable secret used by authentication and server-side encryption helpers. Must be at least 32 characters and stay the same between restarts.
values: random string >=32 chars
FFMPEG_PATHOptional path to the FFmpeg executable used for HLS playback, runtime verification, and smoke tests.
Optional path to the FFmpeg executable used for HLS playback, runtime verification, and smoke tests.
values: filesystem path
FFMPEG_VAAPI_DEVICE/dev/dri/renderD128Optional VAAPI render device path for Linux hardware acceleration checks and VAAPI playback arguments.
Optional VAAPI render device path for Linux hardware acceleration checks and VAAPI playback arguments.
values: device path
HOST127.0.0.1The listen interface for the production server.
The listen interface for the production server.
values: IP address
LUNARR_DATA_DIR.lunarrPersistent app data directory. Stores SQLite database, auth-secret file, per-session HLS playlists, and shared HLS cache segments.
Persistent app data directory. Stores SQLite database, auth-secret file, per-session HLS playlists, and shared HLS cache segments.
values: filesystem path
LUNARR_DEVICE_PAIRING_API_KEY_EXPIRES_IN_DAYS730Optional paired device API key lifetime in days. Use 0 for no expiry.
Optional paired device API key lifetime in days. Use 0 for no expiry.
values: days
LUNARR_SIGNED_PLAYBACK_TOKEN_TTL_SECONDS28800Optional signed playback token lifetime for Cast, AirPlay, and native clients, in seconds.
Optional signed playback token lifetime for Cast, AirPlay, and native clients, in seconds.
values: seconds
LUNARR_WATCH_BINARY_INTERVAL_MS10000Binary polling interval in milliseconds for file watcher.
Binary polling interval in milliseconds for file watcher.
values: 1000-120000
LUNARR_WATCH_DEBOUNCE_MS5000Debounce time in milliseconds for file watcher.
Debounce time in milliseconds for file watcher.
values: 1000-300000
LUNARR_WATCH_INTERVAL_MS5000Polling interval in milliseconds for file watcher.
Polling interval in milliseconds for file watcher.
values: 1000-60000
LUNARR_WATCH_USE_POLLINGfalseEnable polling for remote/network mounts where native file events are unreliable.
Enable polling for remote/network mounts where native file events are unreliable.
values: true|false
LUNARR_WATCH_WRITE_STABILITY_MS10000Write stability time in milliseconds for file watcher.
Write stability time in milliseconds for file watcher.
values: 1000-300000
ORIGINhttp://127.0.0.1:5173The public URL where users access Lunarr. Must match the URL users open in the browser.
The public URL where users access Lunarr. Must match the URL users open in the browser.
values: URL string
PORT3000The TCP port for the production server.
The TCP port for the production server.
values: port number