this post was submitted on 16 Jun 2025

329 points (92.1% liked)

Selfhosted

48299 readers

1106 users here now

A place to share alternatives to popular online services that can be self-hosted without giving up privacy or locking you into a service you don't control.

Rules:

Be civil: we're here to support and learn from one another. Insults won't be tolerated. Flame wars are frowned upon.
No spam posting.
Posts have to be centered around self-hosting. There are other communities for discussing hardware or home computing. If it's not obvious why your post topic revolves around selfhosting, please include details to make it clear.
Don't duplicate the full text of your blog or github here. Just post the link for folks to click.
Submission headline should match the article title (don’t cherry-pick information from the title to fit your agenda).
No trolling.

Resources:

selfh.st Newsletter and index of selfhosted software and apps
awesome-selfhosted software
awesome-sysadmin resources
Self-Hosted Podcast from Jupiter Broadcasting

Any issues on the community? Report it using the report flag.

Questions? DM the mods!

founded 2 years ago

MODERATORS

HybridSarcasm@lemmy.world

HybridSarcasm@lemmy.hybridsarcasm.xyz

329

Plex has paywalled my server! (lemmy.giftedmc.com)

submitted 14 hours ago by haui_lemmy@lemmy.giftedmc.com to c/selfhosted@lemmy.world

143 comments fedilink hide all child comments

I tried testing a movie from my home server in plex through firefox and repeatedly got this message, even after reloading.

I knew that they had paywalled the apps on mobile and streaming from outside the network but now they have also blocked watching your own movies through your own hardware.

I do get the point that making software should be able to sustain people but I dont see the move of plex as a fair thing to do. Yes, they have made great software but taking your home server hostage feels like the wrong move.

Even a pop up that says "we need you to donate please" would have been fine. make it pop up before every movie, play donation ads before any movie but straight up disabling the app is kinda cruel.

Anyway, i have switched to jellyfin and it is insanely good. please give it a try. you can run it alongside plex with not issues (at least i had none) and compare the two.

In any case, good luck. Let me know if you need help.

(page 2) 50 comments

sorted by: hot top controversial new old

[–] FreedomAdvocate@lemmy.net.au 14 points 7 hours ago* (last edited 2 hours ago) (4 children)

Are you saying that you’re on your home network with your Plex server and it won’t let you play your media without paying? That’s not true if so. You must be outside the network.

load more comments (4 replies)

[–] AtariDump@lemmy.world 44 points 10 hours ago (19 children)

In this thread:

An OP that doesn’t understand how their network is working
People rushing to suggest a solution that they fawn over because it’s open source. I have yet to see anyone recommend Emby.
“Tailscale will solve all your problems!” Great - how do I make that work on an LG TV that’s 100 miles away?

[–] surewhynotlem@lemmy.world 4 points 9 hours ago (1 children)

If #3 is your use case, then yeah, pony up the fees. Or learn to code I guess.

load more comments (1 replies)

[–] Psythik@lemm.ee 4 points 9 hours ago* (last edited 9 hours ago) (2 children)

I'll add to #2 (IDK if it's open source, though):

Give Stremio a try. Once you set it up (basically just add the Torrentio plug-in then whatever content catalogs you want), the workflow is much better and simpler than Plex.

You just browse it like Netflix: see something you want to watch, select it with your remote, then stream it immediately. No server to run, you don't have to build libraries, you don't even have download the content beforehand. Just select and watch. Could not be easier.

[–] neomachino@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 4 hours ago (1 children)

Is Streamio considered safe/private? I remember looking into it a while back and saw something about needing an account on their servers or something.

I used Kodi with addons for ages but switched to jellyfin because kodi felt too clunky and slow for my wife.

[–] Psythik@lemm.ee 1 points 4 hours ago* (last edited 4 hours ago)

I'm not the person to ask this kind of question to. I use DNS-level tracking protection in my router (via NextDNS), but I'm not a privacy expert.

If you're living in a country where censorship is a thing and/or privacy is of upmost importance, then you should still use a VPN in addition to a Debrid service with Stremio. Or you can nix the Debrid and just use a VPN if you don't mind more buffering and all the downsides that come with torrents. (VPNs can be setup to run on a TV through DNS settings either on your router or TV itself, though this may not be 100% secure. Again, I'm not an expert.)

[–] AtariDump@lemmy.world 4 points 8 hours ago (1 children)

Is it torrenting in the background? Because, if it is, then you need a VPN and I don’t know how to set one up on my LG TV. Would you happen to have a guide?

[–] Psythik@lemm.ee 1 points 6 hours ago* (last edited 5 hours ago) (3 children)

If you live in an area where you need a VPN to keep your ISP off your ass, well you're in luck because the Torrentio plug-in is compatible with Debrid services (Real-Debrid is a good one). They're cheaper than a VPN (less than €3/mo) and get you direct downloads which ISPs don't care about since you're not distributing files like you would with a torrent client. What's nice is that they work with any torrent—not just video—so you can download wherever you want at 1gbps speeds so long as the torrent has at least one seed. Since you're not actually interacting with the torrents themselves, there's no need for a VPN.

Setup is easy. The only thing you need to do is install the Stremio app on your TV, then open it and install the Torrentio plug-in. From there you configure your preferences like preferred resolution, language, etc, enter your Debrid service credentials if you have them; after that you install additional plug-ins for the kind of content you want. I'd recommend starting off with the Streaming Catalogs (lists popular content from Netflix, Amazon, Disney HBO, etc.)and Trakt.tv plug-ins (recommends content based on your viewing habits). There's also plug-ins for anime if that's your thing. Once you install the plug-ins you like, the only thing left to do is pick something to watch and enjoy. :)

You can also download the Stremio app to your phone and configure everything from there if you don't want to fumble with doing all of this with the TV remote. I'd recommend doing it this way so that all you have to do on the TV is fire up the Stremio app and enjoy.

load more comments (3 replies)

load more comments (17 replies)

[–] ISolox@lemmy.world 26 points 10 hours ago (2 children)

Why anyone still uses Plex for new setups is beyond me.

[–] CrazyLikeGollum@lemmy.world 5 points 8 hours ago

pretty much the only reason I still use Plex is because I like to be able to watch stuff during downtime at work and plex.tv isn't blocked on the work network while my private domain is.

And no, using a hotspot off my phone on a personal computer isn't an option, both because the security requirements of my job site prevent us from using personal devices in the main area where I work and because the building itself is a massive concrete structure that blocks most cell signals.

load more comments (1 replies)

[–] psychadlligoat@piefed.social 30 points 10 hours ago* (last edited 10 hours ago) (1 children)

Someone else already said it and you've already swapped but I'll say it in detail:

when setting the server connection up you selected "ServerName (long string of numbers)" and not "ServerName (your IP - SECURE)"

this routes your connection through the Plex servers and makes it not a local connection anymore. this is extremely easy to do and forget you've done because it barely impacts performance

[–] grue@lemmy.world 20 points 9 hours ago (1 children)

In other words, it's a dark pattern that tricks users into letting Plex MITM their connection.

[–] kogasa@programming.dev 6 points 9 hours ago (2 children)

It gets around port forwarding/firewall issues that most people don't know how to deal with. But putting it behind a paywall kinda kills any chance of it being a benevolent feature.

[–] grue@lemmy.world 7 points 8 hours ago

Labeling it as "SECURE" (implying the other option is insecure) is enough to make it seem underhanded to me.

load more comments (1 replies)

[–] Kirk@startrek.website 117 points 13 hours ago (6 children)

Jellyfin is great, but in defense of Plex, they announced that remote streaming would require one of the two parties to have a Plex pass was coming back in March so I don't know if it's fair to say they are holding anything hostage.

[–] hedgehog@ttrpg.network 14 points 10 hours ago (1 children)

If they’re calling it remote streaming when you’re on the same (local) network, that’s not exactly intuitive. I’d say OP’s phrasing was fair.

[–] CmdrShepard49@sh.itjust.works 23 points 10 hours ago (3 children)

OP has a misconfigured server and isn't connecting to their server over LAN.

[–] gdog05@lemmy.world 6 points 9 hours ago (1 children)

But I keep hearing the value of Plex is that anyone can use it.

[–] Jimmycakes@lemmy.world 9 points 9 hours ago (1 children)

Yes anyone can use it even people who don't know how to configure their server

[–] gdog05@lemmy.world 6 points 9 hours ago (1 children)

The OP might disagree from what I'm seeing.

[–] hedgehog@ttrpg.network 5 points 9 hours ago (2 children)

OP is also in the allegedly ultra rare camp of “successfully configured Jellyfin and lived to tell the tale.” Not what I’d expect of someone unable to configure Plex correctly. I’ve not set up a Plex server myself but my guess is it wasn’t clear that it was misconfigured - it did work previously, after all.

[–] gdog05@lemmy.world 3 points 7 hours ago (1 children)

Well, with Plex constantly changing allowed abilities and such, it seems to me that this is the expected outcome.

[–] CmdrShepard49@sh.itjust.works 1 points 7 hours ago

This is one change (which isn't the cause of OP's problem) that they announced months ago. I've been using it for well over a decade and while I have had major issues with it in the past going so far as to setup Emby and buying a lifetime license for that, I would hardly say that they're "constantly changing allowed abilities."

Most people's issue with them is that they focus too much on adding new stuff that nobody asked for while ignoring longtime bugs. I can't recall a time they've ever locked anything behind a paywall that wasn't a brand new feature prior to this.

load more comments (1 replies)

load more comments (2 replies)

[–] ThePowerOfGeek@lemmy.world 49 points 13 hours ago (3 children)

I started down the Jellyfin path after they made that announcement. It's super easy to install, and in many ways the UI is nicer than Plex. But I ran into challenges getting my server safely accessible for users outside my LAN. And I haven't had the time to look into that further.

Would be great if there was a clean, easy way to set up the webserver portion so it's as easy to share content entirely as Plex. But I get they are a volunteer project with a lot on their plate.

[–] sudo@programming.dev 6 points 9 hours ago (2 children)

But I ran into challenges getting my server safely accessible for users outside my LAN

FWIW:

vps + domain (optional?)
connect vps to home server with wireguard (eg Tailscale)
reverse proxy on the VPS forwarding to jellyfin (eg Caddy)

Obviously not as trivial or seamless as Plex. Also I wouldn't try to complicate this setup by using docker for everything. But once its up you can basically host whatever you want on the WAN from your LAN.

[–] ThePowerOfGeek@lemmy.world 3 points 9 hours ago

Awesome, thanks for the tips!

load more comments (1 replies)

[–] easydnesto@sh.itjust.works 18 points 12 hours ago (2 children)

I have had great success with tailscale in this regard.

[–] Buelldozer@lemmy.today 10 points 9 hours ago (4 children)

The same tailscale that announced last week that they are going to start charging?

https://tailscale.com/kb/1251/pricing-faq

[–] Bubs@lemm.ee 10 points 8 hours ago* (last edited 8 hours ago) (3 children)

Took a quick look at the free tier,

3 users
100 devices
Basically all tailscale features

That seems pretty reasonable to me. Main account and two accounts to share. With just friends and family, I doubt most people will reach the 100 device limit.

load more comments (3 replies)

[–] Jason2357@lemmy.ca 3 points 7 hours ago

I’m willing to recommend Tailscale because I run headscale and it does basically everything a selfhoster needs. When the free version is passable, it’s harder to enshitify the commercial version.

[–] Archer@lemmy.world 3 points 8 hours ago

Says personal is still free? Not seeing what you’re saying

load more comments (1 replies)

[–] AtariDump@lemmy.world 6 points 10 hours ago (1 children)

That’s great until you try and get it working on your <insert person here that doesn’t live with you>’s TV via their streaming device.

load more comments (1 replies)

load more comments (4 replies)

[–] curbstickle@lemmy.dbzer0.com 38 points 13 hours ago (5 children)

Remote, yes, they announced you need Plex pass one side or the other for it to work.

Local, no, that shouldn't happen. Your device isn't reaching your Plex server locally.

To work around the remote issue, you can VPN to your local network.

But you're better off in the long haul with Jellyfin as you're doing now.

load more comments (5 replies)

[–] lambalicious@lemmy.sdf.org 20 points 12 hours ago (1 children)

Plex has paywalled my server!

Skill issue tbh.

load more comments (1 replies)

[–] atthecoast@feddit.nl 0 points 4 hours ago (4 children)

I’ve never seen the appeal. A simple smb share and Kodi work perfectly fine no?

load more comments (4 replies)

[–] tkw8@lemm.ee 17 points 13 hours ago* (last edited 13 hours ago) (22 children)

I've never been a Plex user. Always been with Jellyfin. I've heard that plexamp is a killer app but finamp has always been sufficient for my pretty basic needs. But I have a question for you (meant in good faith). You say,

I do get the point that making software should be able to sustain people but I dont see the move of plex as a fair thing to do. Yes, they have made great software but taking your home server hostage feels like the wrong move.

If Plex needs a sustainable business model, asking for donations isn't enough. So what is the move for them? What do they do to both fulfill their need for a sustainable business and also not upset their userbase? (I'm not defending Plex or this move of taking your server hostage, in any way.)

I'm genuinely curious how, with the benefit of 20/20 hindsight, they should have played this or at a minimum, made better moves than they did.

Very glad you're with jellyfin btw. You can check out some cool plugins at awesome-jellyfin.

load more comments (22 replies)

[–] fuckwit_mcbumcrumble@lemmy.dbzer0.com 13 points 13 hours ago (1 children)

Plex really needs to do a Tailscale style connection to your server. But instead they chose to keep their outdated method of funneling all of their traffic through their servers, and need to charge lots of money in order to pay for it.

[–] rezz@lemmy.world 17 points 12 hours ago* (last edited 12 hours ago) (1 children)

Considering both Plex and Tailscale are going toward VC exits, Headscale and Jellyfin is the only FOSS way atm.

[–] kogasa@programming.dev 3 points 9 hours ago (1 children)

I just use nginx on a tiny Hetzner vps acting as a reverse proxy for my home server. I dunno what the point of Tailscale is here, maybe better latency and fewer network hops in some cases if a p2p connection is possible? But I've never had any bandwidth or latency issues doing this

[–] Jason2357@lemmy.ca 2 points 7 hours ago (1 children)

If you are using wireguard from the VPS to your home server, it buys you nothing more. If you have mobile devices connecting directly to the home server, Tailscale will let them connect directly in most cases, which is nice.

[–] kogasa@programming.dev 2 points 6 hours ago

The direct connection is cool, I just wonder if a P2P connection is actually any better than going through a data center. There's gonna be intermediate servers right?

Do you need to have Tailscale set up on any network you want to use this on? Because I'm a fan of being able to just throw my domain or IP into any TV and log in

load more comments