Lidarr

intermediate

Music collection manager for Usenet and BitTorrent.

Overview

Lidarr is an automated music collection manager that monitors, downloads, and organizes your music library from Usenet and BitTorrent sources. Originally forked from Sonarr in 2017, Lidarr focuses specifically on music acquisition and management, using MusicBrainz database integration to maintain accurate metadata and proper file organization. The application continuously monitors for new releases from your favorite artists and automatically downloads them when they become available through configured indexers. This Docker stack leverages the LinuxServer.io image to provide a containerized Lidarr instance with proper user permissions and timezone handling. The configuration maps essential directories for music storage and download monitoring, while exposing the web interface on port 8686. The setup allows Lidarr to integrate with download clients like SABnzbd, NZBGet, qBittorrent, or Deluge, and works particularly well when combined with Prowlarr for centralized indexer management. This stack is ideal for music enthusiasts, audiophiles, and home media server administrators who want to automate their music collection management. The containerized approach ensures consistent deployment across different environments while maintaining proper file permissions and providing easy backup and migration capabilities through Docker volumes.

Key Features

MusicBrainz integration for accurate artist and album metadata matching
Automatic monitoring of artist discographies with customizable metadata profiles
Support for multiple audio quality profiles and format preferences
Calendar view showing upcoming album releases from monitored artists
Manual and automatic search capabilities across configured indexers
Import existing music libraries with duplicate detection and quality upgrading
Comprehensive activity history and blacklist management for failed downloads
REST API for integration with mobile apps and third-party tools

Common Use Cases

1Home media server automation for personal music collection management
2Audiophile setups requiring specific quality profiles and format preferences
3Music library organization and cleanup with metadata standardization
4Automated monitoring of favorite artists for new album releases
5Integration with existing *arr stack ecosystems alongside Sonarr and Radarr
6Headless music acquisition for remote servers and NAS devices
7Quality upgrading workflows for replacing lower-quality existing files

Prerequisites

Minimum 512MB RAM allocated to the container for stable operation
Port 8686 available for web interface access
Existing download client (SABnzbd, NZBGet, qBittorrent, etc.) configured
Usenet provider account and/or BitTorrent indexer access for content sources
Basic understanding of metadata profiles and quality settings
Sufficient storage space for both downloads and organized music library

For development & testing. Review security settings, change default credentials, and test thoroughly before production use. See Terms

docker-compose.yml

1services: 
2  lidarr: 
3    image: linuxserver/lidarr:latest
4    container_name: lidarr
5    restart: unless-stopped
6    environment: 
7      PUID: 1000
8      PGID: 1000
9      TZ: UTC
10    volumes: 
11      - lidarr_config:/config
12      - /path/to/music:/music
13      - /path/to/downloads:/downloads
14    ports: 
15      - "8686:8686"
16
17volumes: 
18  lidarr_config:

.env Template

.env

1# Configure your music and download paths

Usage Notes

1Docs: https://wiki.servarr.com/lidarr
2Access at http://localhost:8686 - no default credentials
3Add indexers: Settings > Indexers (or use Prowlarr)
4Configure download client: Settings > Download Clients
5Add root folder for music library before importing artists
6Metadata profiles control what releases to grab (official, unofficial)

Quick Start

terminal

1# 1. Create the compose file
2cat > docker-compose.yml << 'EOF'
3services:
4  lidarr:
5    image: linuxserver/lidarr:latest
6    container_name: lidarr
7    restart: unless-stopped
8    environment:
9      PUID: 1000
10      PGID: 1000
11      TZ: UTC
12    volumes:
13      - lidarr_config:/config
14      - /path/to/music:/music
15      - /path/to/downloads:/downloads
16    ports:
17      - "8686:8686"
18
19volumes:
20  lidarr_config:
21EOF
22
23# 2. Create the .env file
24cat > .env << 'EOF'
25# Configure your music and download paths
26EOF
27
28# 3. Start the services
29docker compose up -d
30
31# 4. View logs
32docker compose logs -f

One-Liner

Run this command to download and set up the recipe in one step:

terminal

1curl -fsSL https://docker.recipes/api/recipes/lidarr/run | bash

Troubleshooting

Import fails with 'No files found are eligible for import': Verify file permissions match PUID/PGID and check supported audio formats in media management settings
Artist search returns no results: Confirm indexers are properly configured and responding in Settings > Indexers, test connectivity
Downloads stuck in queue: Check download client connection settings and ensure download paths are properly mapped between Lidarr and client
Metadata fetching errors: Verify MusicBrainz connectivity and consider adjusting API rate limiting in general settings
Permission denied errors on file operations: Ensure PUID/PGID environment variables match host user ownership of mounted volumes
Web interface not accessible: Confirm port 8686 mapping and check container logs for binding errors or startup issues

Community Notes

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