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Quick Start

briiianAuthored by briiian · Last updated
self-hosted

To use Cardinal Music, Photos, and Cinema, you will need to run Cardinal Media Server.

Cardinal Media Server is available for free on Docker Hub, and comes bundled with all of Cardinal's web apps.

Prerequisites​

You will need:

  • A computer with Docker running.

Docker Compose​

Use the sample docker-compose.yaml files below for your chosen release channel and database. Both SQLite and PostgreSQL are supported. If you aren't sure which database to use, go with SQLite.

These examples are designed to maximize ease of access, at the expense of hardening. Before you go live with your Media Server, you should visit the Deployment guide to optimize and secure your self-hosted setup.

SQLite​

docker-compose.yaml
services:
  cardinal-media-server-stable-sqlite:
    image: cardinalapps/media-server:stable
    container_name: cardinal-media-server-stable-sqlite
    ports:
      - 24900:24900
    volumes:
      - cardinal-media-server-stable-sqlite-data:/config
      - PATH_TO_MY_MUSIC_FILES:/music   # Update or remove this
      - PATH_TO_MY_PHOTO_FILES:/photos  # Update or remove this
      - PATH_TO_MY_TV_FILES:/tv         # Update or remove this
      - PATH_TO_MY_MOVIE_FILES:/movies  # Update or remove this
    restart: unless-stopped
volumes:
  cardinal-media-server-stable-sqlite-data:

PostgreSQL​

docker-compose.yaml
services:
  cardinal-media-server-stable-postgres:
    image: cardinalapps/media-server:stable
    container_name: cardinal-media-server-stable-postgres
    ports:
      - 24900:24900
    environment:
      - CARDINAL_POSTGRES=true
    volumes:
      - cardinal-media-server-stable-postgres-data:/config
      - PATH_TO_MY_MUSIC_FILES:/music   # Update or remove this
      - PATH_TO_MY_PHOTO_FILES:/photos  # Update or remove this
      - PATH_TO_MY_TV_FILES:/tv         # Update or remove this
      - PATH_TO_MY_MOVIE_FILES:/movies  # Update or remove this
    depends_on:
      cardinal-media-server-stable-postgres-db:
        condition: service_healthy
    restart: unless-stopped
  cardinal-media-server-stable-postgres-db:
    image: postgres:16
    container_name: cardinal-media-server-stable-postgres-db
    restart: always
    environment:
      - POSTGRES_USER=cardinal
      - POSTGRES_PASSWORD=cardinal
    healthcheck:
      test: ["CMD-SHELL", "pg_isready -U cardinal"]
      interval: 5s
      timeout: 5s
      retries: 5
    volumes:
      - cardinal-media-server-stable-postgres-db-data:/var/lib/postgresql/data
volumes:
  cardinal-media-server-stable-postgres-data:
  cardinal-media-server-stable-postgres-db-data:

Note 1: If you want to change either the POSTGRES_USER or POSTGRES_PASSWORD values, you must also pass them to the Cardinal environment.

Note 2: You cannot change the POSTGRES_USER or POSTGRES_PASSWORD values after PostgreSQL creates its volume.

Start the server​

Save your chosen example as docker-compose.yaml, then run this from the same folder:

docker compose up -d

Cardinal Media Server is now running on port 24900 of the machine you installed it on. Run the following command to see the full hostname. Look for the Welcome box.

docker compose logs -f

Note: You cannot use localhost or any loopback address. You must use your machine's LAN IP or public hostname.

Open the Admin Dashboard​

In your browser, go to:

<hostname>:24900

Where you will be guided through a short first-time setup.

Next steps​

Once you have Cardinal Media Server running, you should then:

  • Index your media: a necessary step before you can stream your music, photos, movies, and TV. See the Indexing guide.
  • Harden and optimize your setup: before you open up your server, consult the Deployment guide for information on how to secure your server, and how to optimize it for your environment.
  • Log in with Cardinal: claim your self-hosted apps with a free Cardinal account, and unlock cloud services in your apps. Entirely optional, but worth it. See the Accounts guide.

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