Let users request movies and TV shows with Overseerr — a self-hosted media request and discovery tool that integrates with Radarr, Sonarr, and Jellyfin.
Grab the automated bash script from GitHub to follow along with the video.
wget https://raw.githubusercontent.com/mhmdali94/Docker/main/media/overseerr/overseerr-ubuntu.sh
chmod +x overseerr-ubuntu.sh
sudo bash overseerr-ubuntu.shwget https://raw.githubusercontent.com/mhmdali94/Docker/main/media/overseerr/overseerr-ubuntu.shchmod +x overseerr-ubuntu.shThe script installs Docker if needed, then sets up the service automatically.
sudo bash overseerr-ubuntu.shOpen your browser and navigate to:
http://<your-server-ip>:5055In Settings → Services, add your Radarr instance for movies and Sonarr instance for TV shows. Overseerr sends approved requests directly to these services for automatic downloading.
| Port | Purpose |
|---|---|
| 5055 | Overseerr Web UI |
Overseerr is a free, open-source media request and management tool that sits on top of your media stack. Users can browse TMDB-powered movie and TV catalogs, request titles, and admins approve or auto-approve them. Approved requests are forwarded to Radarr or Sonarr which handle the download pipeline automatically.
Without Overseerr, managing a shared Plex or Jellyfin server means fielding constant messages asking you to download specific movies or shows, manually searching in Radarr and Sonarr, and notifying people when content is ready. Overseerr automates the entire workflow: request → approve → download → notify. Users feel like they have a real streaming service that responds to their requests. You get a structured queue instead of an inbox full of requests.
Overseerr serves its web UI on port 5055. Proxy through Nginx Proxy Manager with HTTPS — your users will access it from their phones and browsers externally. No other ports are needed. Overseerr communicates outbound to Radarr, Sonarr, TMDB, and your Plex/Jellyfin server — ensure these are reachable from the Overseerr container on your internal network.
Jellyseerr (Jellyfin-native fork of Overseerr — better Jellyfin integration, same interface), Petio (alternative request manager, different UI), Ombi (older request manager, more complex), Requestrr (Discord bot-only interface). Overseerr is the best choice for Plex-first setups; Jellyseerr is preferred for Jellyfin-only setups.
Skip Overseerr if you are the only person using your Plex or Jellyfin server — you can add content to Radarr/Sonarr directly. Also skip it if you do not have Radarr and Sonarr set up — Overseerr requires them to route requests. If your media server users are only on Jellyfin, use Jellyseerr (the Jellyfin-optimised fork) instead.
PrismaTechWork provides end-to-end infrastructure services — from initial deployment and security hardening to ongoing monitoring, automated backups, and dedicated support. Whether you need a single-server setup or a multi-site network, our team ensures your infrastructure is built right, secured properly, and maintained reliably.
Overseerr was originally built for Plex and has Plex SSO, Plex library sync, and Plex-specific features as its primary integration. Jellyseerr is a community fork optimised for Jellyfin — it has better Jellyfin OAuth, Jellyfin library awareness, and Emby support. Both share the same core UI and Radarr/Sonarr integration. If your primary media server is Plex, use Overseerr. If it is Jellyfin, use Jellyseerr. Both are actively maintained.
In Settings → Users, each user has an auto-approve setting per media type (movies and TV separately). Auto-approve users' requests go directly to Radarr/Sonarr without admin intervention. Non-auto-approve users' requests appear in the Requests queue where an admin reviews and approves or declines them. You can set different auto-approve levels: all users, specific users, or no one. Approved requests trigger the download immediately; declined requests notify the user with an optional reason.
Yes. Overseerr syncs with your Plex or Jellyfin library and displays availability status on every title. A green 'Available' badge shows content already in your library. An orange 'Partially Available' badge shows TV shows where some but not all seasons are present. This prevents duplicate requests and helps users see immediately whether something is ready to watch without submitting a request.
In Settings → Users, set request quotas per user: number of movie requests and TV show requests allowed per rolling time period (7, 14, or 30 days). Global defaults apply to all users, and individual users can have different quotas set on their profile. When a user reaches their quota, they cannot submit new requests until the oldest request falls outside the quota window. This prevents storage abuse on shared servers.
Overseerr passes requests to Radarr and Sonarr which handle quality. When you configure a Radarr or Sonarr service in Overseerr Settings, you select which quality profile and root folder to use. You can configure different profiles for different user tiers — trusted users get 4K requests routed to a 4K Radarr profile while standard users get 1080p. The actual downloading, indexer selection, and quality management all happen in Radarr/Sonarr.
Yes. Overseerr sends notifications at two points: when a request is approved (optional) and when the media becomes available in your library. Configure notification channels in Settings → Notifications: Telegram, Discord, email (SMTP), Slack, Pushover, ntfy, and webhook are all supported. Users receive their own notifications — they get an alert when their specific request is available, not all requests. You as admin receive notifications for all activity.
For TV shows, users can request an entire series, a specific season, or (with admin permission) individual episodes. Overseerr sends season requests to Sonarr which determines the correct series entry and season pack to download. The request status updates as each season is downloaded. If a show has some seasons already available and a user requests the missing ones, Overseerr handles the partial availability and routes only the missing seasons to Sonarr.
Yes — this is Overseerr's primary design goal. The interface is intentionally similar to Netflix and other streaming services. Users search by movie or show name, see the poster and description, and click 'Request'. They do not need to know what Radarr, Sonarr, or any other tool is. They receive a notification when their request is available. User testing consistently shows family members with no technical background can use Overseerr without any explanation.