Media server setup

Configure your media server to work with TorBox Media Center

TorBox Media Center organizes your TorBox media files so they can be easily discovered by media servers like Jellyfin, Emby, and Plex. This guide covers the general setup process for any media server.

Understanding Docker volume mapping

When you run TorBox Media Center inside a Docker container, it creates files in an isolated environment. Your media server needs to access those same files on your host system.

How volume mapping works

Docker volume mapping creates a bridge between paths inside the container and paths on your host system. The files appear at one path inside Docker and a different path on your actual computer.

Example configuration:

If you have TorBox Media Center files stored at /home/wamy/torbox/movies on your computer and you map it to /torbox/movies inside your Docker container, your media server needs to access the files at /home/wamy/torbox/movies not /torbox/movies.

TorBox Media Center configuration

This ensures that the files will be available on the host system at /home/wamy/torbox:

-v /home/wamy/torbox:/torbox
-e MOUNT_PATH=/torbox

Media server configuration

This ensures that your media server can see the TorBox Media Center files on the host system:

-v /home/wamy/torbox:/torbox-media-center

Then inside your media server container, set the library location to:

• /torbox-media-center/movies for movies
• /torbox-media-center/series for TV shows

File structure

TorBox Media Center organizes files into two main folders (unless RAW_MODE is enabled):

• movies/ - Contains all movie files
• series/ - Contains all TV show files organized by season

When metadata scanning is enabled, files are automatically organized:

• Movies: Title (Year).ext
• Series: Title/Season N/Title S01E01.ext

When metadata scanning is disabled, all video files are placed in the movies folder.

Common issues

Nothing showing up in the mounted space

This can happen due to:

1. Processing errors - Check your logs for any errors during the scraping phase where TorBox Media Center attempts to get your files.

2. Incorrect folder permissions - Make sure that Docker (or the user running Docker or the Python script) has access to the folder you have set.

   • Use the chown command to change the permissions: sudo chown -R $(whoami):$(whoami) /path/to/mount/folder

3. Folder doesn’t exist - If you aren’t using Docker or the easy setup scripts, the folder won’t exist beforehand. Create it manually.

Media server cannot see the files

When you run your media server inside a Docker container, it’s running in its own isolated world. This creates a path mapping issue:

• Your media files might appear at /torbox/movies inside Docker
• Those same files are actually located at /home/user/torbox/movies on your computer
• Your media server needs to access files on your real computer (outside Docker)
• If permissions aren’t set up correctly, the media server won’t be able to read your files

Always use the host system path when configuring your media server’s library locations, not the Docker container path.

Library setup

After configuring volume mapping:

1. Open your media server’s web interface
2. Navigate to library settings
3. Add a new library for Movies pointing to the movies folder
4. Add a new library for TV Shows pointing to the series folder
5. Configure your media server to scan for new content

The specific steps vary by media server. See the Jellyfin and Emby or Plex guides for platform-specific instructions.

Choosing a mounting method

TorBox Media Center supports two mounting methods:

• STRM - Recommended for Jellyfin and Emby. Creates small text files that point to your media.
• FUSE - Recommended for Plex and other players. Mounts files as a virtual filesystem.

See the Jellyfin and Emby guide for STRM setup or the Plex guide for FUSE setup.