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Hosting Jellyfin

A self-hosted media server. Choose hardware around your playback and transcoding needs instead of assuming any large-memory VPS will be suitable.

See cheapest plans Size a server

Understand the setup

Check runtime, storage and installation requirements before choosing a server.

See requirements

Budget your resources

Allow room for the operating system, database and your actual workload.

Open resource planner

Build your shortlist

See the cheapest plans that meet the starting size, then check each provider's page.

See plans

Must have

Installation requirements

  • Linux host for a supported container deployment.
  • Image architecture compatible with the host.
  • Persistent configuration and cache storage with readable media mounts.

Recommended

Planning guidance

No further general recommendations are published for this version.

Capacity depends on your workload

No universal CPU or RAM minimum is entered. Hardware transcoding needs additional device and driver verification; RAM alone is not sufficient.

Where to start

A sensible first server for Jellyfin

vCPU
4
RAM
4 GB
Disk
100 GB

Jellyfin recommends 8 GB RAM in general and notes 4 GB can be enough for a headless Linux server, plus 100 GB of SSD for the system and cache. Software transcoding is demanding: plan on a GPU or integrated graphics if you transcode, which most VPS plans do not have.

Jellyfin hardware selection · Size it for your workload

Our shortlist

Cheapest plans that meet this size

InMotion Hosting

VPS 4 vCPU

4 vCPU · 8 GB RAM · 160 GB NVMe SSD

$26.99/mo
DreamHost

Stack 16

4 vCPU · 16 GB RAM · 250 GB NVMe SSD

$34.99/mo
Cloudways

Large

4 vCPU · 8 GB RAM · 160 GB NVMe

$99.00/mo

One cheapest plan per provider, based on each provider's standard list price. Check the plan page for introductory and renewal pricing before you buy.

Deploy with

Supported paths

  • Docker Compose on Linux
  • Docker on Linux
  • Podman on Linux

The host must provide

Runtime

Jellyfin official container
Stable or pinned release

Storage

Persistent data

Keep /config and /cache persistent. Mount media libraries separately; read-only media access is an option.

Step by step

Plan a Jellyfin deployment

  1. Choose the host

    Use native installation on Windows or macOS; containers on these platforms are unsupported.

    Official instructions
  2. Prepare mounts and networking

    Configure storage permissions and ports. DLNA requires host networking in the documented Docker setup.

    Official instructions

Security

Before you go public

  • Prefer non-root container operation.
  • Back up configuration before container upgrades.

Cost

Beyond the server price

  • Account for media storage, backups and network transfer. No streaming throughput is assumed.

Providers rarely list runtime versions or extensions, so confirm PHP, database and other requirements with the provider before you buy.

Want the full monthly bill? Use the hosting cost calculator. It keeps unknown charges visible.