this post was submitted on 01 Dec 2025
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Your biggest issue self hosting JF will likely be port forwarding and the infrastructure required so external users can connect via WAN. Plex abstracts a lot of this away since you just have to open the port and Plex will access your library and broker the data between your server and the client. This now requires the server owner have a Plex Pass. The easiest way to host JF is allowing users LAN access via WireGuard (pivpn) but then you start hitting limitations to which devices they can install WireGuard on (smart tvs). I use Plex and JF, Plex for external users since I bought the lifetime pass 10 years ago, and JF as a backup as the enshittification of Plex continues full steam.
Don't port forward Jellyfin. That's terribly insecure. Just install tailscale or similar and invite the people you wish to allow access.
I don’t disagree with you. My earlier comment that mentions port forwarding and infrastructure comes from guides that direct admins to set up a tunnel through Cloudflare, expose JFs port at the router, and point the tunnel at it. Not only is it insecure and likely to offer poor performance, it’s probably a violation of CF ToS (tunneling video data). Going the Plex or pivpn routes will require a port being forwarded, Plex more a beginner option, pivpn only slightly more complicated, but both still expose an attack surface. Tailscale looks appealing from a security perspective, no port forwarding required, plus I find full mesh networks really neat. I just don’t want to rely on tailscale’s coordinated servers to stand between my network devices since I rely on WireGuard for more than media streaming. Tailscale is definitely a great solution for users with CGNAT-based ISPs though.
Tailscale actually uses wire guard as well. It can also be used as an exit node for mullvad so you can use tailscale as your full stack vpn solution.
Isn't that like inviting all your friends and family onto your LAN? That would seem to have its own security risks.