mediarss

mediarss

An RSS feed generator for media (audio/video).

Self-Hosting

Prerequisites

• Docker
• A server or machine to host the application
• Basic understanding of Docker volumes for data persistence
• Media files organized in one or more directories on your host machine

Synology NAS Setup

If you're running this on a Synology NAS, follow these specific instructions:

1. Install Docker from the Synology Package Center if you haven't already.

2. Create a shared folder for the database files:

   • Open Control Panel → Shared Folder
   • Create a new shared folder named docker-data (or your preferred name)
   • Inside this folder, create a directory called mediarss

3. Note your media locations:

   • Synology typically stores media files in /volume1/[shared-folder-name]
   • You can mount any number of media directories from your Synology

4. Open Docker in Synology DSM:

   • Go to "Registry" and search for the mediarss image
   • Download the image
   • Go to "Container" and launch using the image

5. When setting up the container in the Synology Docker UI:

   • In the "Advanced Settings" → "Volume" tab:

     • Add a volume mount for the database:
       • Mount path: /data
       • Local path: /volume1/docker-data/mediarss
     • Add your media volume mounts (add as many as you need):
       • Mount path: /media/[your-name] (e.g., /media/shows, /media/personal, etc.)
       • Local path: /volume1/[your-folder]
       • Check "Read-only"

   • In the "Port Settings" tab:

     • Local Port: 8765 (or your preferred port)
     • Container Port: 8765

   • In the "Environment" tab:

     • Add the standard environment variables as needed
     • For multiple media paths, specify them in MEDIA_PATHS:
       • Variable: MEDIA_PATHS
       • Value: /media/shows:/media/personal (colon-separated list of your mount points)

The rest of the standard instructions apply for managing the container.

Quick Start (Non-Synology)

1. Pull the Docker image:

docker pull [your-image-name]

2. Create directories for persistent storage and ensure your media directories exist:

# Create directory for database storage
mkdir -p /path/to/your/data

# Your media directories should already exist

3. Run the container:

docker run -d \
  --name mediarss \
  -p 8765:8765 \
  -v /path/to/your/data:/data \
  -v /path/to/media1:/media/shows:ro \
  -v /path/to/media2:/media/personal:ro \
  -v /path/to/media3:/media/other:ro \
  -e MEDIA_PATHS=/media/shows:/media/personal:/media/other \
  [your-image-name]

Note: The :ro flag in the media volume mounts makes them read-only, which is recommended for security.

Volume Mounts

The application requires these volume mounts:

1. Database Volume (/data):

   • Purpose: Stores SQLite databases
   • Mount point: /data
   • Example: -v /path/to/your/data:/data

2. Media Volumes (any number allowed):

   • Purpose: Access to your media files
   • Mount point pattern: /media/[your-name]
   • Examples:
     • -v /path/to/media1:/media/shows:ro
     • -v /path/to/media2:/media/personal:ro
   • Should be mounted read-only (:ro)
   • Name the mount points anything that makes sense for your use case

Media Directory Structure

You can organize your media directories however you prefer. Here's an example structure:

/media/shows/
├── educational/
│   ├── course1/
│   └── course2/
└── entertainment/
    ├── show1/
    └── show2/

/media/personal/
├── family-videos/
└── recordings/

/media/other/
└── misc-media/

Environment Variables

The following environment variables can be configured:

• PORT: External port (default: 8765)
• INTERNAL_PORT: Internal port (default: 8765)
• DATABASE_PATH: Path to the main SQLite database (default: /data/sqlite.db)
• CACHE_DATABASE_PATH: Path to the cache SQLite database (default: /data/cache.db)
• MEDIA_PATHS: Colon-separated list of media directories inside container (e.g., /media/shows:/media/personal)

Database Persistence

The application uses SQLite for both the main database and cache storage. Both databases are stored in the /data directory inside the container:

• Main database: /data/sqlite.db
• Cache database: /data/cache.db

To ensure your data persists between container restarts and updates, you must mount a volume or bind mount to the /data directory as shown in the run command above.

Backup and Restore

To backup your databases, simply copy the files from your mounted data directory. For example:

# Stop the container before backup
docker stop mediarss

# Backup the databases
cp /path/to/your/data/sqlite.db /path/to/backup/sqlite.db
cp /path/to/your/data/cache.db /path/to/backup/cache.db

# Restart the container
docker start mediarss

To restore from backup:

# Stop the container
docker stop mediarss

# Restore the databases
cp /path/to/backup/sqlite.db /path/to/your/data/sqlite.db
cp /path/to/backup/cache.db /path/to/your/data/cache.db

# Restart the container
docker start mediarss

Upgrading

To upgrade to a new version:

# Pull the new image
docker pull [your-image-name]

# Stop the current container
docker stop mediarss

# Remove the old container
docker rm mediarss

# Run the new container (using the same data directory and media mount)
docker run -d \
  --name mediarss \
  -p 8765:8765 \
  -v /path/to/your/data:/data \
  -v /path/to/media1:/media/shows:ro \
  -v /path/to/media2:/media/personal:ro \
  -v /path/to/media3:/media/other:ro \
  -e MEDIA_PATHS=/media/shows:/media/personal:/media/other \
  [your-image-name]

Your data will be preserved as long as you use the same volume mount points.

Alternatives

Audiobookshelf is a fully featured audio media server. It doesn't support private RSS feeds and it's a little too much for what I want, so I built my own thing. But you might like it.