HomelabARR CE Local Mode¶

Local Mode provides a simplified deployment option for HomelabARR CE applications, allowing direct IP:PORT access without the complexity of Traefik reverse proxy, Authelia authentication, or Cloudflare configuration.

Perfect for local networks, testing environments, or users who prefer direct container access.

Overview¶

What is Local Mode?¶

Local Mode deploys HomelabARR CE applications as standalone Docker containers with direct port mappings to your host system. Each service is accessible via http://localhost:PORT or http://YOUR_SERVER_IP:PORT.

Key Differences from Full Mode¶

Available Local Mode Templates¶

Currently supported applications with working local mode templates:

• Plex Media Server - Port 32400
• Radarr Movie Manager - Port 7878
• qBittorrent Download Client - Port 8082

Quick Start¶

Prerequisites¶

• Ubuntu 22.04 LTS (or compatible Linux distribution)
• Docker and Docker Compose installed
• 4GB RAM minimum
• Git installed

1. Clone Repository¶

git clone https://github.com/smashingtags/homelabarr-ce.git
cd homelabarr-ce

2. Set Permissions¶

chmod +x install.sh
chmod +x apps/.config/*.yml

3. Prepare Environment¶

cd apps/.config
cp .env.example .env

Edit the .env file with your preferences:

# Core Settings
ID=1000
TZ=America/New_York
UMASK=002
RESTARTAPP=unless-stopped
SECURITYOPS=no-new-privileges
SECURITYOPSSET=true

# Application Data Path
APPFOLDER=/opt/appdata

# Container Images
PLEXIMAGE=lscr.io/linuxserver/plex:latest
RADARRIMAGE=lscr.io/linuxserver/radarr:latest
QBITORRENTIMAGE=lscr.io/linuxserver/qbittorrent:latest

# Theme Settings (Optional)
PLEXTHEME=dark
RADARRTHEME=dark
QBITORRENTTHEME=dark

4. Deploy Applications¶

Option A: Interactive Deployment Script (Recommended)¶

Use the included deployment script for an easy interactive experience:

# Make script executable
chmod +x deploy-local.sh

# Run interactive deployment
./deploy-local.sh

The script provides: - ✨ Interactive menu for deploying applications - 🔄 Health checks and port conflict detection - 📊 Container status monitoring - 📄 Log viewing capabilities - 📯 Bulk deployment/management options

Option B: Manual Deployment¶

Deploy Plex Media Server:

docker compose -f plex-local-template.yml --env-file .env up -d

Access Plex at: http://localhost:32400

Deploy Radarr (Movie Management)¶

docker compose -f radarr-local-template.yml --env-file .env up -d

Access Radarr at: http://localhost:7878

Deploy qBittorrent (Download Client)¶

docker compose -f qbittorrent-local-template.yml --env-file .env up -d

Access qBittorrent at: http://localhost:8082

Deploy Multiple Services¶

# Deploy all three services
docker compose -f plex-local-template.yml --env-file .env up -d
docker compose -f radarr-local-template.yml --env-file .env up -d
docker compose -f qbittorrent-local-template.yml --env-file .env up -d

# Or use multiple compose files
docker compose -f plex-local-template.yml -f radarr-local-template.yml --env-file .env up -d

Port Assignments¶

Local Mode uses the following port allocation strategy to avoid conflicts:

Current Port Mappings¶

• Plex: 32400
• Radarr: 7878
• qBittorrent: 8082 (WebUI) + 7889 (DHT)

Network Configuration¶

Docker Network¶

Local Mode creates a dedicated bridge network for inter-container communication:

networks:
  homelabarr-local:
    driver: bridge

All local mode containers join this network while also exposing ports to the host system.

Accessing from Other Devices¶

To access services from other devices on your network, replace localhost with your server's IP address:

# Find your server IP
ip addr show | grep "inet " | grep -v 127.0.0.1

# Access from other devices
http://192.168.1.100:32400  # Replace with your actual IP

Firewall Considerations¶

Ensure your firewall allows traffic on the required ports:

# Ubuntu/Debian UFW firewall
sudo ufw allow 32400  # Plex
sudo ufw allow 7878   # Radarr
sudo ufw allow 8082   # qBittorrent

# Or allow range
sudo ufw allow 7800:8200/tcp

Volume Management¶

Storage Structure¶

Local Mode maintains the same volume structure as Full Mode:

/opt/appdata/           # Application configurations
├── plex/
│   └── database/       # Plex configuration and database
├── radarr/             # Radarr configuration
└── qbittorrent/        # qBittorrent configuration

/mnt/                   # Media storage (unionfs mount)
├── downloads/          # Download client storage
├── movies/             # Movie library
├── tv/                 # TV show library
└── music/              # Music library

UnionFS Integration¶

Local Mode templates include UnionFS volume support:

volumes:
  unionfs:
    driver: local
    driver_opts:
      mountpoint: /mnt

This provides the same unified storage experience as Full Mode.

Management Commands¶

Service Management¶

# View running containers
docker compose -f plex-local-template.yml ps

# Stop service
docker compose -f plex-local-template.yml down

# Restart service
docker compose -f plex-local-template.yml restart

# Update service
docker compose -f plex-local-template.yml pull
docker compose -f plex-local-template.yml up -d

Logs and Monitoring¶

# View logs
docker compose -f plex-local-template.yml logs -f

# Check container stats
docker stats

# Health check status
docker compose -f plex-local-template.yml ps

Backup and Maintenance¶

# Backup application data
sudo tar -czf appdata-backup.tar.gz /opt/appdata/

# Clean up unused images
docker system prune -f

# Update all containers
docker compose -f plex-local-template.yml pull
docker compose -f radarr-local-template.yml pull
docker compose -f qbittorrent-local-template.yml pull

Configuration Details¶

Environment Variables¶

Local Mode templates support all standard HomelabARR CE environment variables:

Theme Support¶

Local Mode maintains full Theme Park integration:

environment:
  - "DOCKER_MODS=ghcr.io/themepark-dev/theme.park:plex"
  - "TP_THEME=${PLEXTHEME}"
  - "TP_ADDON=${PLEXADDON}"

Available themes: dark, plex, space-gray, aquamarine, and many more.

Security Options¶

Security settings are preserved from Full Mode:

security_opt:
  - "no-new-privileges:true"
deploy:
  resources:
    limits:
      memory: 4G
    reservations:
      memory: 1G

Troubleshooting¶

Common Issues¶

Port Already in Use¶

# Check what's using a port
sudo lsof -i :32400

# Change port in compose file if needed
ports:
  - "32401:32400"  # Use different host port

Permission Issues¶

# Fix ownership of app data
sudo chown -R 1000:1000 /opt/appdata/

# Check container user
docker exec plex id

Network Access Issues¶

# Verify network creation
docker network ls | grep homelabarr-local

# Test container connectivity
docker exec plex ping radarr

Container Won't Start¶

# Check logs for errors
docker compose -f plex-local-template.yml logs

# Validate compose file
docker compose -f plex-local-template.yml config

Health Checks¶

Plex includes built-in health monitoring:

# Check health status
docker inspect plex | grep -A 10 "Health"

# Manual health check
docker exec plex curl -f http://localhost:32400/identity

Performance Tuning¶

Memory Limits¶

deploy:
  resources:
    limits:
      memory: 4G      # Adjust based on available RAM
    reservations:
      memory: 1G      # Minimum guaranteed memory

Storage Optimization¶

# Enable Docker BuildKit for better caching
export DOCKER_BUILDKIT=1

# Use faster Docker storage driver
# Edit /etc/docker/daemon.json
{
  "storage-driver": "overlay2"
}

Expanding Local Mode¶

Adding New Services¶

To create additional local mode templates:

1. Copy existing template:

   cp plex-local-template.yml myapp-local-template.yml
   

2. Modify configuration:

3. Change service name and container name
4. Update image reference
5. Assign unique port
6. Adjust environment variables

7. Remove Traefik-specific labels

8. Add network definition:

   networks:
     homelabarr-local:
       driver: bridge
   

9. Test deployment:

   docker compose -f myapp-local-template.yml config
   docker compose -f myapp-local-template.yml up -d
   

Integration with Full Mode¶

Local Mode and Full Mode can coexist:

• Use different container names
• Assign different ports
• Use separate networks
• Deploy in different directories

This allows testing Local Mode while maintaining Full Mode production services.

Migration¶

From Full Mode to Local Mode¶

1. Backup configurations:

   sudo tar -czf homelabarr-backup.tar.gz /opt/appdata/
   

2. Stop Full Mode services:

   sudo homelabarr
   # Use interface to stop services
   

3. Deploy Local Mode:

   cd /path/to/homelabarr-ce/apps/.config
   docker compose -f plex-local-template.yml --env-file .env up -d
   

4. Restore configurations: Existing /opt/appdata/ configurations should work directly.

From Local Mode to Full Mode¶

1. Stop Local Mode containers:

   docker compose -f plex-local-template.yml down
   

2. Install HomelabARR CE Full Mode:

   # See Quick Start guide for installation: https://smashingtags.github.io/homelabarr-ce/guides/quick-start/
   

3. Deploy through HomelabARR CE interface:

   sudo homelabarr -i
   

Existing application data remains compatible between modes.

Support and Community¶

Getting Help¶

• GitHub Issues: Report bugs and request features
• Discord Community: Join our Discord server
• Documentation: Full HomelabARR CE Wiki

Contributing¶

Local Mode templates follow standard HomelabARR CE contribution guidelines:

1. Fork the repository
2. Create local mode templates in apps/.config/
3. Test thoroughly with validation
4. Submit pull request with documentation
5. Follow existing naming conventions

What's Next?¶

Local Mode is actively being expanded with additional service templates. Planned additions include:

• Sonarr (TV show management)
• Jellyfin (alternative media server)
• Overseerr (media requests)
• SABnzbd (usenet downloader)
• Tautulli (Plex monitoring)

Stay tuned for updates and contribute your own templates!

Quick Reference¶

Essential Commands¶

# Interactive deployment (recommended)
./deploy-local.sh

# Manual deployments
docker compose -f plex-local-template.yml --env-file .env up -d
docker compose -f radarr-local-template.yml --env-file .env up -d
docker compose -f qbittorrent-local-template.yml --env-file .env up -d

# Stop services
docker compose -f plex-local-template.yml down

# View logs
docker compose -f plex-local-template.yml logs -f

# Check status
docker ps

Default Access URLs¶

• Plex Media Server: http://localhost:32400
• Radarr Movie Manager: http://localhost:7878
• qBittorrent Download Client: http://localhost:8082

File Locations¶

• Templates: /path/to/homelabarr-ce/apps/.config/
• Environment: /path/to/homelabarr-ce/apps/.config/.env
• App Data: /opt/appdata/ (or as configured in .env)
• Media: /mnt/ (UnionFS mount)

🎉 Local Mode Setup Complete!¶

Congratulations! You've successfully set up HomelabARR CE in Local Mode. Your simplified media server stack is now running and accessible on your local network.

What's Next?¶

• Start adding your media files to the configured directories
• Explore additional applications from our collection
• Consider upgrading to Full Mode when you're ready for external access
• Join our Discord community for tips and support

Support Development¶

If Local Mode helped you get started with self-hosting, consider supporting the project:

☕ Support on Ko-fi - Help us maintain Local Mode and develop new features for the community!

Local Mode provides a bridge between complexity and functionality, making HomelabARR CE accessible to users of all technical levels.