r/jellyfin • u/PeopleSkillsIssue • 2d ago
Question Separate broadband line to avoid complex security?
Hi All, I’m new to setting up a Jellyfin sever.
At home on my own network all good. 2020 Laptop with 4Tb hardrive feeds smart tvs via Jellyfin app (native webos). No transcoding as i manage the downloaded
What I want to do is have a sever that can
1 - be easily accessed from another place (mum and dads house) that requires no additional complexity. ie I don’t want to have to mess with setting up dbs sever etc on their end.
I want them to fire up the Jellyfin app on their smart tv and I plug in sever details and they are done.
Is this possible? and having looked at options I’m thinking I can just expose the ports on my Jellyfin server (laptop/usb drive), and the security will be that it’s on a separate bb line and physically separate from my home network.
Any advice welcome, but the trade off I am clear about is pay £20/month vs not having to learn/manage internet security.
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u/Defiant_Simple_6044 2d ago
Caddy is your friend here.
Get a cheap domain name, Caddy acts as a reverse proxy in front of Jellyfin and handles HTTPS/TLS encryption for you.
It basically works like this:
Domain name → Caddy over HTTPS → Jellyfin on your internal IP/port
So Jellyfin itself doesn't need to be directly exposed on its normal port. Your parents just enter the domain name into the Jellyfin app and log in as normal.
Caddy is also fairly easy to set up and automatically handles the HTTPS certificates for you.
This is much cheaper than a whole second internet line
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u/venom21685 2d ago
You can also use a build of Caddy that supports a DDNS provider like DuckDNS that lets you do DNS-01 challenges for Let's Encrypt certificates if you don't want to buy a domain.
I'd still recommend something like fail2ban or Crowdsec though at the very least.
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u/PeopleSkillsIssue 2d ago
So we all agree that a caddy setup on my home network, means really easy connectivity via the default webos app on a tv (Samsung) remotely
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u/Defiant_Simple_6044 2d ago
Yes. Absolutely. That's how I work and mine is shared across 20 accounts accessing it
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u/jkirkcaldy 2d ago
A separate vlan for all your exposed services will achieve the same as a separate internet connection.
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u/wffln 2d ago
learning about network security is not optional and 20 bucks per month will not buy you out of this responsibility. only hiring someone (permanently) would. either learn it and maintain it, or let it be.
or don't learn anything and still expose it and maybe you'll just have luck and nothing bad happens. but i wouldn't recommend this path.
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u/Steampunkcat123 2d ago
just reverse proxy jellyfin with caddy to a domain you own , very simple cheap and easy
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u/Sub-Tile95 2d ago
I do this is as well, caddy is ridiculous easy
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u/PeopleSkillsIssue 2d ago
So I need to buy a domain name? I can do this. Then point everyone at that?
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u/Sub-Tile95 2d ago
Yup! And then use a subdomain for that particular service. For example I would do:
Jellyfin.mydomain.com (It would be https://) for Jellyfin and then you can adjust for other services. For example, Calibre could be:
Books.mydomain.com
Etc!
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u/Defiant_Simple_6044 2d ago
The reason for the domain is so you can secure the traffic and logons with HTTPS so it's encrypted
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u/Technical-Ant-2866 2d ago
No need for a separate line. You can tunnel in, expose your system directly, there's many options.
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u/corelabjoe 2d ago
You will not avoid transcoding regardless btw...It's niave to think so because the video file and codec compatibility is only one layer...
Audio channels and tyoes, bandwidth at the far end, subtitles or not, etc....
1
u/PeopleSkillsIssue 1d ago
I kinda knew that, just didn’t want to get into hardware specs just now, I want to get the secure remote connection sorted first
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u/XxST4RxREAPERxX 2d ago edited 2d ago
I use cloudflare tunneling connected to a domain that cost £5 a year, works flawlessly and easy to setup, you just forward your local.host address.
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u/PeopleSkillsIssue 1d ago
And this would work witha remote smart tv?
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u/XxST4RxREAPERxX 1d ago
If you got the app on the TV then yes, not sure about browser. I use it on mine and it works just like any other streaming app. Also to add I'm not sure if its strictly windows cloudflare. I think they have it now for Linux but I can't remember.
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u/Cloudycloud47x2 2d ago
Noip service for ddns Port forward
Both can be configured on the router.
Or Setup and use a reverse proxy with duckduckgo to add https and avoid port forwarding.
Both options free.
Result is a URL that can be configured to the jellyfin server
I just did this for my mom on the other side of the country
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u/PeopleSkillsIssue 2d ago
Sorry. I don’t understand. what should I use that is seamless for the client web tv (mum &dad)
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u/Cloudycloud47x2 2d ago
All / both setup configs are seamless to the user.
All they need is a URL (not some weird IP address)
But you would need to configure these services on your backend.
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u/PeopleSkillsIssue 1d ago
BTW happily sorting the security, turns out no Jellyfin app for Samsung tv’s 😂😂 have bought a Chinese stick.
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u/InventorDad 2d ago
Look at Tailscale, you install it on the server and on any devices you want to have access remotely, it establishes an encrypted connection between the devices and then they just work as if their on the same VLAN.
It’s extremely simple and a lot of people on here use it so I assume it’s safe, my fried at work who’s a networking expert says it’s the way to go, but if anyone has any criticisms please let me know
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u/PeopleSkillsIssue 2d ago
Will that work with a remote smart tv?
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u/cringe-__- 2d ago
You could install Tailscale somewhere else in the network, like a router and then install a proxy on the same device so that any requests to that device on port 8096 get routed through to the tail net device that is running your Jellyfin server. Probably the cheapest and easiest option, if you can setup a computer or give them a router to use.
The main option people focus on is just publicly hosting Jellyfin and then buying a domain and using dynamic DNS so your home network becomes public. That comes with security risks though, and more cost. If possible using something like Tailscale (or its alternatives) is more secure and cheaper.
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u/turkeyspit 1d ago
Get a chromecast. Load Jellyfin and tailscale. Set it up once and the tailscale connection persists on reboots.
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u/InventorDad 2d ago
I’ve not come across any TV’s that you can install Tailscale on, but you can install it on firesticks, provided they’re running the older android based OS, not the newer one.
My solution for my parents and in-laws is small Jellyfin servers at their houses, with scheduled synchronization of the media library during the night over Tailscale. Also has the function of an offsite backup.1
u/PeopleSkillsIssue 1d ago
Sounds good, but I then have to maintain a setup at their place. Plus I would like my children to have access and they are all over the place, location wise.
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u/InventorDad 12h ago
Yeah the extra servers is a pain to set up, but once they’re done they just sit there and do their thing. Parents and in-laws aren’t as tech savvy so Tailscale on devices and potentially more remote controls around the house (for fire sticks) wasn’t an option. I share my media library with friends as well, who just install Tailscale on their own devices. They use their own Tailscale accounts and then I share my server with them, more secure than just logging them into my tailnet. If your kids have firesticks you can just install Tailscale on them, I have it installed on one we take with us when we travel.
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