Docker Installation

This guide covers installing Cinephage using Docker Compose. Docker provides a simple, consistent deployment method that works on any platform.

Prefer Bare Metal?

If you want maximum performance or prefer not to use containers, see the Bare Metal Installation guide instead.

Prerequisites

Before starting, ensure you have:

Docker version 20.10 or later installed
Docker Compose version 2.0 or later installed
A TMDB API key (free registration required)
A server or computer with at least 2GB RAM

Check Docker Installation

docker --version
docker compose version

If these commands fail, install Docker first:

Quick Start

If you are familiar with Docker, here is the minimal configuration to get started:

docker-compose.yaml
services:
  cinephage:
    image: ghcr.io/moldytaint/cinephage:latest
    container_name: cinephage
    restart: unless-stopped
    ports:
      - '3000:3000'
    environment:
      - PUID=1000
      - PGID=1000
      - TZ=UTC
      - ORIGIN=http://localhost:3000
      - BETTER_AUTH_URL=http://localhost:3000
      - BETTER_AUTH_SECRET=CHANGE_ME
    volumes:
      - ./config:/config
      - /path/to/media:/media
      - /path/to/downloads:/downloads

Replace CHANGE_ME with a secure secret:

openssl rand -base64 32

Then run:

docker compose up -d

For detailed explanations of each option, continue reading below.

Step-by-Step Installation

Step 1: Create Project Directory

Create a directory for Cinephage and navigate into it:

mkdir cinephage
cd cinephage

This directory will store your configuration and Docker files.

Step 2: Create docker-compose.yaml

Create a file named docker-compose.yaml with the following content:

docker-compose.yaml
services:
  cinephage:
    image: ghcr.io/moldytaint/cinephage:latest
    container_name: cinephage
    restart: unless-stopped
    init: true
    security_opt:
      - no-new-privileges:true
    ports:
      - '3000:3000'
    env_file: .env
    volumes:
      - ./config:/config
      - /mnt/media:/media
      - /mnt/downloads:/downloads

Configuration Explained

Option	Value	Description
`image`	`ghcr.io/moldytaint/cinephage:latest`	Docker image to use. Use `latest` for stable releases or `dev` for bleeding edge.
`container_name`	`cinephage`	Name of the container for easier management
`restart`	`unless-stopped`	Automatically restart unless manually stopped
`ports`	`3000:3000`	Map host port 3000 to container port 3000
`env_file`	`.env`	Load environment variables from .env file (recommended)
`volumes`	Various	Mount host directories into the container

Volume Mounts

Update the volume paths to match your system:

Container Path	Host Path	Purpose
`/config`	`./config`	Database, cache, and settings (relative to compose file)
`/media`	`/mnt/media`	Your existing media library
`/downloads`	`/mnt/downloads`	Where download clients save files

Common path examples:

Linux server: /mnt/media, /mnt/downloads, /opt/cinephage/config
Synology NAS: /volume1/media, /volume1/downloads
Unraid: /mnt/user/media, /mnt/user/downloads
macOS: /Users/yourname/media, /Users/yourname/downloads

Important

Do not mount /app - this contains the application code and should not be modified.

Step 3: Create .env File

Create a file named .env in the same directory:

.env
# =============================================================================
# REQUIRED SETTINGS
# =============================================================================

# Server Configuration
HOST=0.0.0.0
PORT=3000

# ORIGIN - The URL you will use to access Cinephage
# Examples:
#   - Local: http://localhost:3000
#   - Local network: http://192.168.1.100:3000
#   - With reverse proxy: https://cinephage.yourdomain.com
ORIGIN=http://localhost:3000

# BETTER_AUTH_URL - Usually same as ORIGIN
BETTER_AUTH_URL=http://localhost:3000

# BETTER_AUTH_SECRET - Generate with: openssl rand -base64 32
# Keep this secret! Changing it invalidates all sessions.
BETTER_AUTH_SECRET=your-generated-secret-here

# =============================================================================
# SYSTEM SETTINGS
# =============================================================================

# User/Group IDs for file permissions
# Find yours with: id -u (user) and id -g (group)
PUID=1000
PGID=1000

# Timezone for logs and scheduled tasks
# See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_tz_database_time_zones
TZ=UTC

# =============================================================================
# OPTIONAL SETTINGS
# =============================================================================

# Log level: debug, info (default), warn, error
LOG_LEVEL=info

# Additional trusted origins (comma-separated)
# Use if accessing via multiple URLs
# BETTER_AUTH_TRUSTED_ORIGINS=http://cinephage.local,http://192.168.1.100:3000

# Public URL for generated links (if different from ORIGIN)
# PUBLIC_BASE_URL=https://cinephage.yourdomain.com

Required Environment Variables

Variable	Required	Description
`ORIGIN`	Yes	URL where you access Cinephage
`BETTER_AUTH_URL`	Yes	Authentication URL (usually same as ORIGIN)
`BETTER_AUTH_SECRET`	Yes	Secret key for session encryption
`PUID`	No*	User ID for file permissions (default: 1000)
`PGID`	No*	Group ID for file permissions (default: 1000)
`TZ`	No	Timezone (default: UTC)

*While not strictly required, PUID/PGID should match your host user to avoid permission issues.

Generate BETTER_AUTH_SECRET

Run one of these commands on your host:

# Using openssl
openssl rand -base64 32

# Using Node.js
node -e "console.log(require('crypto').randomBytes(32).toString('base64'))"

Copy the output and paste it as the BETTER_AUTH_SECRET value.

Keep This Secret Safe

Store it like a password
Back it up with your configuration
Changing it will invalidate all user sessions and API keys

Step 4: Start Cinephage

Launch the container:

docker compose up -d

This will:

Download the Cinephage image (if not present)
Create the container
Start the application in the background

First Startup Note

On first startup, Cinephage will download the Camoufox browser (~80MB) for Captcha Solver functionality. This is a one-time download stored in your /config volume.

Step 5: Verify Installation

Check that the container is running:

docker compose ps

View the logs:

docker compose logs -f

You should see output like:

cinephage  | Starting Cinephage...
cinephage  | Listening on 0.0.0.0:3000
cinephage  | Ready! Access the web interface at http://localhost:3000

Press Ctrl+C to exit the log view (the container continues running).

Step 6: Access Cinephage

Open your web browser and navigate to your configured ORIGIN:

If using http://localhost:3000: Open http://localhost:3000
If using an IP address: Replace localhost with your server IP

You should see the Cinephage setup wizard. Follow the on-screen instructions to:

Create an admin account
Enter your TMDB API key
Configure root folders

Post-Installation

Updating Cinephage

To update to the latest version:

cd cinephage
docker compose pull
docker compose up -d

Viewing Logs

# Follow logs in real-time
docker compose logs -f

# View last 100 lines
docker compose logs --tail=100

# View logs since last start
docker compose logs --since=5m

Common Docker Commands

# Stop Cinephage
docker compose down

# Stop and remove volumes (WARNING: deletes data!)
docker compose down -v

# Restart Cinephage
docker compose restart

# Check container status
docker compose ps

# Execute commands inside container
docker compose exec cinephage sh

# Backup config directory
cp -r config config-backup-$(date +%Y%m%d)

Docker Image Tags

Tag	Description	Use Case
`latest`	Current stable release	Recommended for most users
`dev`	Latest development build	Testing new features
`v1.2.3`	Specific version	Pin to a specific release

To use a different tag, modify your docker-compose.yaml:

image: ghcr.io/moldytaint/cinephage:dev

Troubleshooting

Permission Denied Errors

If you see permission errors accessing media files:

Check your PUID/PGID match your host user:
```
id -u  # Get UID
id -g  # Get GID
```
Update .env with correct values and restart:
```
docker compose restart
```
Fix ownership of existing files:
```
sudo chown -R $(id -u):$(id -g) config/
```

Port Already in Use

If port 3000 is already in use, change the port mapping:

ports:
  - '3001:3000'  # Use host port 3001 instead

Update your .env:

PORT=3000  # Keep container port as 3000
ORIGIN=http://localhost:3001  # Update access URL

Cannot Access Web Interface

Check firewall rules:
```
sudo ufw status
sudo ufw allow 3000/tcp
```
Verify ORIGIN is set correctly (must match your access URL)
Check container logs for errors:
```
docker compose logs -f
```

For more troubleshooting help, see the Troubleshooting Guide.

Next Steps

Initial Setup - Configure download clients, indexers, and quality profiles
Environment Variables Reference - Complete list of configuration options
Backup and Restore - Protect your data

Prerequisites​

Check Docker Installation​

Quick Start​

Step-by-Step Installation​

Step 1: Create Project Directory​

Step 2: Create docker-compose.yaml​

Configuration Explained​

Volume Mounts​

Step 3: Create .env File​

Required Environment Variables​

Generate BETTER_AUTH_SECRET​

Step 4: Start Cinephage​

Step 5: Verify Installation​

Step 6: Access Cinephage​

Post-Installation​

Updating Cinephage​

Viewing Logs​

Common Docker Commands​

Docker Image Tags​

Troubleshooting​

Permission Denied Errors​

Port Already in Use​

Cannot Access Web Interface​

Next Steps​

See Also​