Best VPS for Jellyseerr (2026): Tested and Ranked Picks
Jellyseerr is a request management app that lets your users browse and request movies and shows, then hands those requests off to Sonarr and Radarr. Because it is lightweight but needs to stay online for users, a VPS is an ideal home for it. The best VPS for Jellyseerr in 2026 is one with steady uptime, modest resources, and room to sit alongside the rest of your media stack. This guide ranks the best options.
VPS Comparison for Jellyseerr
| Provider | Best For | Resource Profile | Why It Fits Jellyseerr |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hetzner Cloud | Best all-round value | Fast NVMe | Snappy UI, strong European network |
| DigitalOcean | Easiest setup | Predictable specs | One-click Docker droplets |
| Contabo | Running the full stack | Generous storage | Room for Jellyseerr plus media apps |
What Is Jellyseerr and Why Self-Host It
Jellyseerr is a free, open-source request platform for Jellyfin, Plex, and Emby libraries. It provides a friendly interface where household members or friends can search for content and submit requests, which are then automatically routed to Sonarr and Radarr for fulfillment. Self-hosting it on a VPS keeps the request portal reachable at any time, which matters when other people rely on it.
How to Deploy Jellyseerr on a VPS
Docker Compose is the recommended deployment method and keeps Jellyseerr easy to update.
- Create a VPS with a recent Ubuntu or Debian LTS release.
- Install Docker and the Compose plugin.
- Add a Jellyseerr service to your compose file with a mapped config volume.
- Set the TZ environment variable for correct scheduling and timestamps.
- Start it with docker compose up -d and open the setup wizard on port 5055.
- Connect it to your Jellyfin or Plex server and to Sonarr and Radarr, then secure it behind a reverse proxy with HTTPS.
Recommended VPS Specs for Jellyseerr
Jellyseerr is genuinely lightweight and runs well on 1 vCPU and 1 to 2 GB of RAM as a standalone service. In practice it usually shares a VPS with the media server and the automation apps it talks to, so plan capacity around the whole stack rather than Jellyseerr alone. If it lives with Jellyfin plus Sonarr and Radarr, target 2 vCPU and 4 GB RAM at minimum.
Recommended pick: for a standalone request portal, a small 1 vCPU / 2 GB plan is plenty and keeps costs low. Hetzner offers responsive small instances, while Contabo makes sense if you want to host the entire media stack on one box. Compare specs in our budget VPS ranking.
Common Gotchas
- Jellyseerr needs network access to your media server and to Sonarr and Radarr. Keep them on the same Docker network or provide reachable addresses.
- Set the correct TZ so scheduled scans and request timestamps line up with your locale.
- Because real users hit the portal, always place it behind a reverse proxy with TLS rather than exposing the raw port.
- Keep the app updated. Request platforms track upstream media server APIs, and staying current avoids sync breakage.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Jellyseerr resource intensive on a VPS?
No. Jellyseerr is one of the lighter apps in a media stack and runs comfortably on 1 vCPU and 1 to 2 GB of RAM by itself. The heavier resource demands come from the media server and download clients it connects to, so size your VPS around the full stack if you host everything together.
Can I run Jellyseerr on the same VPS as Jellyfin?
Yes. Hosting Jellyseerr alongside Jellyfin, Sonarr, and Radarr on one VPS is a common and efficient setup. A 2 vCPU / 4 GB server handles the request portal and automation apps together, though transcoding-heavy Jellyfin use may call for more CPU.
Which VPS is best for a shared request portal?
If the portal serves several people, prioritize uptime and a responsive network. Hetzner and DigitalOcean both deliver reliable performance for this use case. If you want everything on one affordable box, Contabo gives you the storage headroom. See our Hetzner review for details.
For a full provider comparison, visit our complete VPS ranking.