Sonarr, Radarr, Prowlarr: Complete Arr Stack Setup Guide (2026)

The "arr stack" — Sonarr, Radarr, Prowlarr, and their companion apps — is the gold standard for automated media management on a home server. Set it up once, and new TV episodes and movies appear in Jellyfin or Plex automatically, organized and ready to watch, without any manual downloading.

This guide covers a complete arr stack on Docker Compose, tested on an Intel N100 mini PC running Ubuntu 24.04.

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What Is the Arr Stack?

The arr stack is a collection of open-source apps that work together to automate media acquisition:

Flow:

1. You add a TV show to Sonarr → it searches Prowlarr → Prowlarr checks your configured indexers → Sonarr sends download to qBittorrent → qBittorrent downloads → Sonarr renames + moves the file to your library → Jellyfin picks it up automatically

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Prerequisites

• Linux server (Ubuntu 24.04 recommended)
• Docker + Docker Compose installed
• At least 2TB storage (1TB for system + containers, 1TB+ for media)
• A usenet provider OR torrent indexers (see indexer section)

# Verify Docker is installed
docker --version
docker compose version

# Check available storage
df -h

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Directory Structure

Consistent directory structure is critical — the arr apps need to see the same paths as qBittorrent for "hardlinking" (instant file moves without copying):

/mnt/data/
├── torrents/           ← qBittorrent downloads here
│   ├── tv/
│   ├── movies/
│   └── incomplete/
├── media/              ← Arr apps move finished files here
│   ├── tv/             ← Sonarr manages this
│   ├── movies/         ← Radarr manages this
│   └── music/          ← Lidarr (if using)

# Create the directory structure
sudo mkdir -p /mnt/data/{torrents/{tv,movies,incomplete},media/{tv,movies,music}}

# Set permissions (replace 1000 with your UID: run `id` to check)
sudo chown -R 1000:1000 /mnt/data
sudo chmod -R 755 /mnt/data

Why one parent directory? When qBittorrent finishes downloading and Sonarr moves the file, if both point to the same underlying filesystem, the move is instantaneous (hardlink) — no copying. If they're on different filesystems, it physically copies the file (slow, uses double disk space temporarily).

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Docker Compose Setup

Create the stack directory:

mkdir -p ~/arr-stack
cd ~/arr-stack

Create docker-compose.yml:

version: "3.9"

networks:
  arr:
    driver: bridge

services:

  # ============================================================
  # qBittorrent — Download Client
  # ============================================================
  qbittorrent:
    image: lscr.io/linuxserver/qbittorrent:latest
    container_name: qbittorrent
    restart: unless-stopped
    networks:
      - arr
    ports:
      - "8080:8080"    # Web UI
      - "6881:6881"    # BitTorrent port
      - "6881:6881/udp"
    environment:
      PUID: "1000"
      PGID: "1000"
      TZ: "America/New_York"
      WEBUI_PORT: "8080"
    volumes:
      - ./config/qbittorrent:/config
      - /mnt/data/torrents:/downloads

  # ============================================================
  # Prowlarr — Indexer Manager (replaces Jackett)
  # ============================================================
  prowlarr:
    image: lscr.io/linuxserver/prowlarr:latest
    container_name: prowlarr
    restart: unless-stopped
    networks:
      - arr
    ports:
      - "9696:9696"
    environment:
      PUID: "1000"
      PGID: "1000"
      TZ: "America/New_York"
    volumes:
      - ./config/prowlarr:/config

  # ============================================================
  # Sonarr — TV Show Automation
  # ============================================================
  sonarr:
    image: lscr.io/linuxserver/sonarr:latest
    container_name: sonarr
    restart: unless-stopped
    networks:
      - arr
    ports:
      - "8989:8989"
    environment:
      PUID: "1000"
      PGID: "1000"
      TZ: "America/New_York"
    volumes:
      - ./config/sonarr:/config
      - /mnt/data:/data    # IMPORTANT: must see same root as qBittorrent

  # ============================================================
  # Radarr — Movie Automation
  # ============================================================
  radarr:
    image: lscr.io/linuxserver/radarr:latest
    container_name: radarr
    restart: unless-stopped
    networks:
      - arr
    ports:
      - "7878:7878"
    environment:
      PUID: "1000"
      PGID: "1000"
      TZ: "America/New_York"
    volumes:
      - ./config/radarr:/config
      - /mnt/data:/data    # Same root path as qBittorrent

  # ============================================================
  # Bazarr — Subtitle Automation
  # ============================================================
  bazarr:
    image: lscr.io/linuxserver/bazarr:latest
    container_name: bazarr
    restart: unless-stopped
    networks:
      - arr
    ports:
      - "6767:6767"
    environment:
      PUID: "1000"
      PGID: "1000"
      TZ: "America/New_York"
    volumes:
      - ./config/bazarr:/config
      - /mnt/data/media:/media    # Needs to see your media library

  # ============================================================
  # Overseerr — User-Friendly Request Interface
  # ============================================================
  overseerr:
    image: lscr.io/linuxserver/overseerr:latest
    container_name: overseerr
    restart: unless-stopped
    networks:
      - arr
    ports:
      - "5055:5055"
    environment:
      LOG_LEVEL: "debug"
      TZ: "America/New_York"
      PORT: "5055"
    volumes:
      - ./config/overseerr:/app/config

  # ============================================================
  # Jellyfin — Media Server (keep in sync with arr stack)
  # ============================================================
  jellyfin:
    image: jellyfin/jellyfin:latest
    container_name: jellyfin
    restart: unless-stopped
    networks:
      - arr
    ports:
      - "8096:8096"
    environment:
      JELLYFIN_PublishedServerUrl: "http://192.168.1.100:8096"
    volumes:
      - ./config/jellyfin:/config
      - ./cache/jellyfin:/cache
      - /mnt/data/media:/media:ro    # Read-only — only arr apps write here
    devices:
      - /dev/dri:/dev/dri            # Intel Quick Sync hardware transcoding
    group_add:
      - "render"
      - "video"

Start everything:

docker compose up -d
docker compose ps

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Configuration: Step by Step

Step 1: qBittorrent Setup

1. Open http://server:8080
2. Default login: admin / adminadmin (change this immediately)
3. Go to Tools → Options → Downloads:
   • Default save path: /downloads/incomplete
   • Keep incomplete torrents in: /downloads/incomplete
4. Go to Connection:
   • Port used for incoming connections: 6881 (forward this port on your router)
5. Go to BitTorrent:
   • ✅ Enable DHT
   • ✅ Enable PeX
   • ✅ Enable Local Peer Discovery
6. Important — Set download categories:
   • Right-click any download → Set category
   • Create categories: sonarr-tv, radarr-movies
   • Sonarr/Radarr will use these automatically

Step 2: Prowlarr Setup

Prowlarr is your indexer aggregator. It connects your indexers (where you search for content) to Sonarr and Radarr.

1. Open http://server:9696
2. Complete initial setup wizard
3. Add Indexers → Search for your indexers:
   • Public trackers (no account needed): 1337x, RARBG alternatives, YTS (movies only), EZTV (TV)
   • Private/semi-private trackers: require accounts but have better quality

Adding an indexer:

• Settings → Indexers → Add Indexer
• Search for the indexer name
• Configure any required credentials
• Test → Save

4. Connect Sonarr/Radarr to Prowlarr:

• Settings → Apps → Add Application
• Select Sonarr:
  • Prowlarr Server: http://prowlarr:9696
  • Sonarr Server: http://sonarr:8989
  • API Key: (get from Sonarr → Settings → General)
• Repeat for Radarr

This syncs all your Prowlarr indexers to Sonarr/Radarr automatically.

Step 3: Sonarr Setup

1. Open http://server:8989
2. Settings → Media Management:
   • Root Folders → Add: /data/media/tv
   • ✅ Rename Episodes: On
   • Episode Title Format: {Series Title} - S{season:00}E{episode:00} - {Episode Title}
   • ✅ Use Hardlinks instead of Copy: On
3. Settings → Download Clients:
   • Add → qBittorrent
   • Host: qbittorrent (Docker service name — containers resolve each other by name)
   • Port: 8080
   • Username: admin
   • Password: (your qBittorrent password)
   • Category: sonarr-tv
   • Remote Path Mappings: Not needed (same Docker network)
   • Test → Save
4. Settings → Quality (optional but recommended):
   • Use TRaSH Guides quality profiles (see Recyclarr below)

Step 4: Radarr Setup

Same process as Sonarr, but for movies:

1. Open http://server:7878
2. Settings → Media Management:
   • Root Folders: /data/media/movies
   • ✅ Rename Movies: On
   • Movie Folder Format: {Movie Title} ({Release Year})
   • ✅ Use Hardlinks: On
3. Settings → Download Clients:
   • Same qBittorrent config as Sonarr
   • Category: radarr-movies

Step 5: Add TV Shows and Movies

In Sonarr:

• Series → Add Series
• Search for show name
• Select quality profile (HD-1080p recommended to start)
• Root folder: /data/media/tv
• ✅ Season Folder: Yes
• Add & Search

In Radarr:

• Movies → Add Movie
• Search for movie
• Select quality profile
• Root folder: /data/media/movies
• Add Movie

Sonarr/Radarr will immediately start searching your Prowlarr indexers and send any matches to qBittorrent for download.

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Quality Profiles: TRaSH Guides

The TRaSH Guides (trash-guides.info) are the community standard for quality profiles in Sonarr and Radarr. They define exactly what file formats are acceptable, ranked by quality.

Recyclarr syncs these profiles automatically:

# Add to your docker-compose.yml
recyclarr:
  image: ghcr.io/recyclarr/recyclarr:latest
  container_name: recyclarr
  restart: unless-stopped
  networks:
    - arr
  environment:
    TZ: "America/New_York"
  volumes:
    - ./config/recyclarr:/config

After starting Recyclarr:

# Initialize config
docker exec recyclarr recyclarr config create

# Edit config to point to your Sonarr/Radarr
nano ~/arr-stack/config/recyclarr/recyclarr.yml

TRaSH Guides recyclarr.yml templates are available at their GitHub repository.

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Bazarr: Automatic Subtitles

1. Open http://server:6767
2. Settings → Languages:
   • Enabled languages: English, and any other languages you need
3. Settings → Providers:
   • Add OpenSubtitles.com (free account required)
   • Add Subscene (optional)
4. Settings → Sonarr/Radarr:
   • Sonarr URL: http://sonarr:8989
   • API Key: (from Sonarr settings)
   • Path Mappings: /data/media

Bazarr will automatically download subtitles for everything in your library and new content as it arrives.

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Overseerr: The User-Friendly Frontend

If family or friends want to request content without logging into Sonarr/Radarr directly, Overseerr is the answer.

1. Open http://server:5055
2. Sign in with your Plex/Jellyfin account
3. Settings → Plex/Jellyfin:
   • Connect your media server
4. Settings → Services:
   • Add Sonarr instance
   • Add Radarr instance
5. Settings → Users:
   • Invite users by email OR enable local login

Users see a Netflix-like interface, request content, and it automatically sends to Sonarr/Radarr.

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Power Consumption on Intel N100

Full arr stack (qBittorrent, Prowlarr, Sonarr, Radarr, Bazarr, Overseerr, Jellyfin) on Beelink EQ12:

The N100's Quick Sync handles 4K HEVC hardware transcoding at lower power than software 1080p transcoding on a Raspberry Pi.

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Hardlinks Explained

Hardlinks are critical for efficient storage. When Sonarr moves a downloaded file to your media library:

Without hardlinks (Copy):

/downloads/incomplete/Show.S01E01.mkv  (4GB)
→ Copy creates:
/media/tv/Show/Season 1/Show - S01E01.mkv  (4GB)
→ Now 8GB used, then qBittorrent's version deleted

With hardlinks:

/downloads/incomplete/Show.S01E01.mkv  (4GB, 1 inode)
→ Hardlink creates:
/media/tv/Show/Season 1/Show - S01E01.mkv  (same inode, no extra space)
→ Still only 4GB used
→ qBittorrent continues seeding via /downloads path
→ When seeding complete, qBittorrent deletes its path, media path remains

Requirements for hardlinks:

• Both paths must be on the same filesystem
• This is why /data must be mounted the same way in both qBittorrent and Sonarr containers

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Common Issues and Fixes

Sonarr says "no files found" after download: Check path mappings. The path qBittorrent reports must match what Sonarr can access. In Docker, use the service name (qbittorrent) not localhost.

Permission errors when moving files:

# Check ownership
ls -la /mnt/data
# Fix permissions
sudo chown -R 1000:1000 /mnt/data

Prowlarr not finding results:

• Verify your indexers are configured and tested
• Check Prowlarr → Indexers → search for your term manually
• Some indexers have daily rate limits

qBittorrent download stuck at 0%:

• Port 6881 must be forwarded in your router
• Check if your ISP blocks BitTorrent ports (try port 51413)
• Verify DHT and PeX are enabled in qBittorrent settings

Jellyfin not picking up new files:

• Sonarr/Radarr trigger a Jellyfin library scan after moving files
• Verify the Jellyfin API key in Sonarr/Radarr settings → Notifications
• Or manually trigger: Jellyfin → Libraries → Scan Library

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Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Is this legal?

Downloading copyrighted content without permission is illegal in most countries. This guide covers the technical setup of the arr stack software, which has legitimate uses including downloading public domain content, Linux ISOs, legal free torrents, and content you own. Whether and how you use these tools is your own responsibility.

Q: Do I need a VPN with qBittorrent?

Using a VPN with qBittorrent prevents your ISP from seeing your torrent traffic and hides your IP from other peers. A kill switch (that stops downloads if VPN disconnects) is important. Add Gluetun container as a VPN client and route qBittorrent's traffic through it.

Q: What's the difference between Prowlarr and Jackett?

Both aggregate indexers for Sonarr/Radarr. Prowlarr is the newer, actively maintained successor with native Sonarr/Radarr integration (no Cardigann needed). New setups should use Prowlarr.

Q: How much RAM does the arr stack use?

An 8GB N100 system handles this stack with 6.5GB remaining.

Q: Can I add Lidarr for music?

Yes. Lidarr is the music equivalent of Sonarr/Radarr. The same Docker pattern applies — mount /data, connect to Prowlarr and qBittorrent, set root folder to /data/media/music. Navidrome then serves your music library.

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Service URLs Quick Reference

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Related Guides

• Docker Compose Home Server: Full 15-Service Stack
• Jellyfin vs Plex vs Emby: Which Media Server Is Best?
• Jellyfin Setup Guide on Intel N100
• Navidrome: Self-Hosted Music Streaming for Your NAS
• N100 Mini PC Power Optimization Guide