Deploy with Docker Compose

Use this route for Linux or Docker Desktop. You need Docker with Compose v2 and images supported by your host:

docker version
docker compose version

Prepare host folders

Choose durable download, media, and config directories. Grant the numeric host user/group in your .env the required access. Replace /volume1/... examples with real absolute paths on this host. Docker Desktop must be allowed to share those folders with containers.

The generated default mounts support imports through copies; downloads and final libraries are separate container mounts. Hardlinks need a different, deliberately designed shared-mount layout. See paths and permissions.

Generate and start

Follow the Plundarr quick start. If you generated elsewhere, transfer the whole project directory and run from the directory containing docker-compose.yml and .env:

docker compose config --quiet
docker compose up --detach --pull always
docker compose ps

Start only one copy. Check Privateerr and Gluetun locally before continuing to qBittorrent:

docker compose logs --tail 100 privateerr gluetun qbittorrent

Confirm the healthy tunnel and sign in to the downloader. Then connect the applications. Troubleshooting follows the same layers.

Host requirements

Gluetun needs /dev/net/tun and its declared network capability. The firewall must allow the intended Web UI ports from trusted clients. Hardware transcoding needs host-specific device/group configuration; it is not automatically portable between Linux and Docker Desktop.

Back up application state, the private .env, and external settings separately from media and caches. Follow updates and backups.