docker.recipes

Transmission with VPN

intermediate

BitTorrent client with OpenVPN for anonymous downloading.

Overview

The haugene/transmission-openvpn Docker image combines the popular Transmission BitTorrent client with OpenVPN connectivity, creating a privacy-focused torrenting solution that routes all traffic through a VPN tunnel. This containerized approach emerged from the need to ensure complete anonymity when downloading torrents, as it prevents any BitTorrent traffic from leaking outside the encrypted VPN connection. The image includes built-in support for over 50 VPN providers and implements a kill switch mechanism that stops all torrenting activity if the VPN connection drops. This stack operates by establishing an OpenVPN tunnel first, then launching Transmission only after the secure connection is verified. All BitTorrent traffic flows exclusively through the VPN interface, while the web UI remains accessible through the container's network interface. The configuration includes the modern Flood web interface as an alternative to Transmission's default UI, providing better torrent management and a more responsive user experience. The setup automatically configures iptables rules to block non-VPN traffic and monitors the VPN connection status continuously. This solution targets privacy-conscious users, home media server administrators, and anyone operating in regions with restrictive internet policies who need reliable torrent downloading with guaranteed VPN protection. The containerized approach eliminates the complexity of manually configuring VPN routing rules and ensures that even container restarts maintain the secure connection hierarchy, making it ideal for unattended operation on home servers, NAS devices, and dedicated seedboxes.

Key Features

  • Built-in support for 50+ VPN providers including NordVPN, ExpressVPN, PIA, and Surfshark with pre-configured connection profiles
  • Automatic kill switch that terminates all BitTorrent connections if VPN tunnel drops, preventing IP address leaks
  • Flood web UI integration providing modern torrent management with drag-and-drop functionality and real-time statistics
  • Health check monitoring that verifies external IP address through VPN and restarts container if connection fails
  • Local network bypass allowing web UI access from internal networks while routing torrent traffic through VPN
  • Automatic port forwarding configuration for VPN providers that support it, improving torrent connectivity and speeds
  • RSS feed support for automatic torrent downloading with customizable filters and scheduling
  • Watch directory monitoring that automatically adds torrent files dropped into specified folders

Common Use Cases

  • 1Home media servers requiring anonymous downloading of Linux distributions and open-source content
  • 2Private trackers where IP address consistency and privacy are mandatory requirements
  • 3Remote seedbox operations on VPS or cloud instances with geographic content restrictions
  • 4Corporate networks where BitTorrent traffic needs to bypass content filtering and monitoring
  • 5Multi-user households sharing a single VPN subscription for torrent activities
  • 6Automated content acquisition systems that download based on RSS feeds or API triggers
  • 7Testing and development environments for torrent-based software distribution systems

Prerequisites

  • Valid VPN subscription with one of the 50+ supported providers and OpenVPN configuration credentials
  • Docker host with NET_ADMIN capability support for creating VPN tunnel interfaces
  • Minimum 512MB RAM allocation for container operation with active torrents and VPN overhead
  • Available TCP port 9091 for web interface access and sufficient disk space for download storage
  • Understanding of VPN provider's connection limits and simultaneous session policies
  • Basic knowledge of BitTorrent protocols and torrent file management for effective configuration

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

docker-compose.yml

docker-compose.yml
1services: 
2  transmission: 
3    image: haugene/transmission-openvpn:latest
4    container_name: transmission-vpn
5    cap_add: 
6      - NET_ADMIN
7    environment: 
8      - OPENVPN_PROVIDER=${VPN_PROVIDER}
9      - OPENVPN_CONFIG=${VPN_CONFIG}
10      - OPENVPN_USERNAME=${VPN_USERNAME}
11      - OPENVPN_PASSWORD=${VPN_PASSWORD}
12      - LOCAL_NETWORK=192.168.0.0/16
13      - TRANSMISSION_WEB_UI=flood-for-transmission
14      - TRANSMISSION_DOWNLOAD_DIR=/downloads/complete
15      - TRANSMISSION_INCOMPLETE_DIR=/downloads/incomplete
16      - TRANSMISSION_WATCH_DIR=/downloads/watch
17    volumes: 
18      - transmission-config:/config
19      - /path/to/downloads:/downloads
20    ports: 
21      - "9091:9091"
22    networks: 
23      - transmission-network
24    restart: unless-stopped
25
26volumes: 
27  transmission-config: 
28
29networks: 
30  transmission-network: 
31    driver: bridge

.env Template

.env
1# Transmission with VPN
2VPN_PROVIDER=PIA
3VPN_CONFIG=us_east
4VPN_USERNAME=your_vpn_username
5VPN_PASSWORD=your_vpn_password
6
7# Supported providers: PIA, NordVPN, Mullvad, etc.

Usage Notes

  1. 1Web UI at http://localhost:9091
  2. 2Traffic routed through VPN
  3. 3Kill switch if VPN drops
  4. 4Flood UI included
  5. 5Many VPN providers supported

Quick Start

terminal
1# 1. Create the compose file
2cat > docker-compose.yml << 'EOF'
3services:
4  transmission:
5    image: haugene/transmission-openvpn:latest
6    container_name: transmission-vpn
7    cap_add:
8      - NET_ADMIN
9    environment:
10      - OPENVPN_PROVIDER=${VPN_PROVIDER}
11      - OPENVPN_CONFIG=${VPN_CONFIG}
12      - OPENVPN_USERNAME=${VPN_USERNAME}
13      - OPENVPN_PASSWORD=${VPN_PASSWORD}
14      - LOCAL_NETWORK=192.168.0.0/16
15      - TRANSMISSION_WEB_UI=flood-for-transmission
16      - TRANSMISSION_DOWNLOAD_DIR=/downloads/complete
17      - TRANSMISSION_INCOMPLETE_DIR=/downloads/incomplete
18      - TRANSMISSION_WATCH_DIR=/downloads/watch
19    volumes:
20      - transmission-config:/config
21      - /path/to/downloads:/downloads
22    ports:
23      - "9091:9091"
24    networks:
25      - transmission-network
26    restart: unless-stopped
27
28volumes:
29  transmission-config:
30
31networks:
32  transmission-network:
33    driver: bridge
34EOF
35
36# 2. Create the .env file
37cat > .env << 'EOF'
38# Transmission with VPN
39VPN_PROVIDER=PIA
40VPN_CONFIG=us_east
41VPN_USERNAME=your_vpn_username
42VPN_PASSWORD=your_vpn_password
43
44# Supported providers: PIA, NordVPN, Mullvad, etc.
45EOF
46
47# 3. Start the services
48docker compose up -d
49
50# 4. View logs
51docker 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/transmission-vpn/run | bash

Troubleshooting

  • Container exits with 'OPENVPN_PROVIDER not set' error: Verify VPN_PROVIDER environment variable matches supported provider list exactly
  • Web UI accessible but torrents show 0 seeds/peers: Check if VPN provider supports port forwarding and enable TRANSMISSION_PORT_FORWARDING_ENABLED
  • VPN connection fails with authentication errors: Confirm VPN_USERNAME and VPN_PASSWORD match provider credentials and account is active
  • Downloads stop randomly and container restarts: VPN connection dropped, verify provider server stability and consider switching OPENVPN_CONFIG server
  • Cannot access web UI from local network: Ensure LOCAL_NETWORK environment variable includes your subnet range (e.g., 192.168.1.0/24)
  • Slow download speeds through VPN: Test different OPENVPN_CONFIG servers from your provider and enable port forwarding if supported

Community Notes

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Components

transmission-openvpn

Tags

#torrent#transmission#vpn#download#privacy

Category

Media & Entertainment

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