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Plex

Plex is the media server / streaming front-end for the stack — it indexes the libraries the arr apps fill and streams them to clients (TV apps, phones, web, Plex Amp). This page covers the container as it runs here; the full stack compose* lives on the Media Server page.

Plex Support · LinuxServer image docs · Get a claim token

Container

Runs from the LinuxServer.io image in host networking mode — Plex relies on a number of ports plus local discovery (GDM/DLNA), and host mode is the recommended setup.

  plex:
    image: lscr.io/linuxserver/plex:latest
    container_name: plex
    network_mode: host
    environment:
      - PUID=${PUID}
      - PGID=${GUID}
      - TZ=${TZ}
      - VERSION=docker
      - PLEX_CLAIM=${PLEX_CLAIM}   # from https://www.plex.tv/claim (first run only)
    devices:
      - /dev/dri:/dev/dri          # Intel QuickSync HW transcode (8th-gen+)
    volumes:
      - ${APPDATA_PATH}/plex/config:/config
      - ${APPDATA_PATH}/plex/transcode:/transcode
      - ${MEDIA_DATA}/media:/data/media
    restart: unless-stopped

Note

network_mode: host means the ports: block is ignored — Plex binds 32400 (and its discovery ports) directly on the host. Keep the media mount read-only to Plex's needs: Plex only reads media, the *arr apps write it.

First run & claiming the server

The PLEX_CLAIM token links a brand-new server to your account automatically on first boot.

  1. While logged in, open plex.tv/claim and copy the claim-xxxx token into PLEX_CLAIM in your .env.
  2. docker compose up -d plex within ~4 minutes — the token expires that fast.
  3. Browse to http://<server-ip>:32400/web, finish the setup wizard, and add libraries pointing at /data/media/....

Tip

The claim token is only needed for the very first launch. Once the server is associated with your account you can blank PLEX_CLAIM — subsequent restarts keep the association from the /config volume.

Libraries & naming

Plex matches files to metadata by naming convention. Follow Plex's naming so matches are clean:

  • Movies: Movie Name (Year)/Movie Name (Year).ext
  • TV: Show Name (Year)/Season 01/Show Name - S01E01.ext

Radarr and Sonarr already produce Plex-friendly names — see TRaSH Guides for the recommended naming schemes and quality settings that keep Plex, Radarr, and Sonarr agreeing on file layout.

Hardware transcoding (QuickSync)

Direct Play (client plays the file as-is) is always best. When a client needs a different format/bitrate, Plex transcodes — and hardware transcoding offloads that to the Intel iGPU instead of hammering the CPU.

Requires Plex Pass

Hardware-accelerated streaming is a Plex Pass feature. Without it, transcoding is CPU-only.

  • Passing /dev/dri into the container exposes the Intel iGPU for QuickSync (Intel 8th-gen or newer).
  • Enable it: Settings → Transcoder → "Use hardware acceleration when available".
  • Verify: play a file that forces a transcode and check the Dashboard — the session should show "(hw)" next to Transcode.
  • The /transcode mount is scratch space for in-progress transcodes; put it on fast storage (SSD/NVMe), or map it to /dev/shm (RAM) if you have the memory to spare.

Remote access

  • Built-in: Settings → Remote Access. Plex can set up a port mapping (UPnP) or you forward 32400/tcp manually.
  • Reverse proxy / tunnel: front it with a reverse proxy or a Cloudflare Tunnel instead of opening the port — see Networking. Set the custom access URL under Settings → Network → Custom server access URLs.

Sources