Jellyfin

Overview

Jellyfin is a free and open-source media server software used to build a personal media center, supporting the organization, playback, and management of movies, TV series, music, photos, live TV, and other content. It is a completely open-source fork of Emby (Emby became partially closed-source after 2018), independently maintained by the Jellyfin community, free from any company, advertisements, subscriptions, or tracking. Jellyfin is developed using .NET Core and uses FFmpeg as its transcoding engine, providing a web interface and multi-platform clients (Android, iOS, TV, browsers, etc.), supporting 4K HDR, Dolby Vision, hardware-accelerated transcoding, and DLNA.

History and Development

• Origins:
  • December 2018: Emby announced that some features would become closed-source and require payment. The community was dissatisfied, and core developers forked the project to create Jellyfin, officially becoming independent.
• Early Development:
  • 2019: Jellyfin 10.4 was released, marking complete independence, and community activity surged.
• Key Milestones:
  • 2020: Added support for hardware transcoding (Intel Quick Sync, NVIDIA NVENC, AMD VCN), Live TV + DVR.
  • 2021: Version 10.7 refactored the frontend (React + TypeScript), significantly improving performance.
  • 2023: Version 10.8 introduced a new dashboard and Podcasts support.
  • 2024: The 10.9 series was released, optimizing mobile clients and metadata fetching (TMDB, TheTVDB).
  • December 2025: Version 10.9.11 was released, fixing bugs and improving Android TV stability.
• Current Status:
  • Over 500 community contributors, over 30k GitHub stars, active Discord community, monthly updates.

Main Features

1. Media Library Management:
   • Automatic scanning of movies/TV series/music/photos, supporting metadata fetching (posters, summaries, actors, subtitles).
   • Multi-library support, collections, smart playlists.
2. Playback and Transcoding:
   • Direct Play or real-time transcoding (hardware acceleration supported for Intel/AMD/NVIDIA).
   • Supports 4K HDR, Dolby Vision, Dolby Atmos (depending on the client).
3. Client Ecosystem:
   • Web client (direct access via browser).
   • Official clients: Android, iOS, Android TV, Fire TV, Apple TV, Roku, Xbox, PS4/PS5.
   • Third-party: Infuse, Plex client (compatible), Kodi plugin.
4. Advanced Features:
   • Live TV + DVR (recording with TV card/IPTV source).
   • Podcasts support.
   • Multi-user management (viewing progress, permissions).
   • Parental controls, favorites, playlists.
   • Plugin ecosystem (Trakt, AniList, Intro Skip, Intro Manager, etc.).
5. Installation Methods:
   • Docker (most recommended, one-command deployment).
   • Windows/macOS/Linux native installation packages.
   • NAS packages (Synology, QNAP, TrueNAS).
   • One-click installation from Unraid, TrueNAS Scale app stores.

Advantages and Limitations

Advantages

• Completely free, no ads, no subscriptions: Unlike Plex/Emby, there's no paywall.
• Fully self-hosted: 100% of data is local, no cloud uploads.
• Privacy protection: Does not collect viewing history, no account registration required.
• Strong hardware transcoding: Supports Intel Quick Sync, NVIDIA NVENC, AMD VCN, smooth 4K transcoding.
• Active community: Rich plugins, fast updates, active Discord community.
• Cross-device experience: Web client + support for almost all smart TVs/mobile phones.

Limitations

• Interface is not as aesthetically pleasing as Plex/Emby: UI is more functional (significantly improved in 2025, but still not as polished as commercial products).
• Metadata fetching speed: Sometimes slower than Plex (can be optimized with plugins).
• Mobile clients: Official iOS/Android apps are not as feature-rich as Plex (third-party solutions are available).
• Live TV/DVR: Setup is more complex than Plex (requires manual configuration of TV sources). - Getting Started: Docker deployment is the simplest, but configuring the media library and metadata requires a learning curve.

Summary

Jellyfin is the strongest open-source media server in 2025, completely free, self-hosted, and privacy-focused. It supports multi-device playback, hardware transcoding, Live TV, and a plugin ecosystem. Compared to Plex (the most polished), Emby (more paid features), MediaPortal (a long-standing option), and Stremio (an aggregation platform), Jellyfin stands out for its open-source freedom and zero cost, making it the preferred media center for self-media creators and open-source enthusiasts.