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+--- Thread: Companion project for self-managed accounts and remote access (/t-companion-project-for-self-managed-accounts-and-remote-access)
Companion project for self-managed accounts and remote access - soundscape - 2025-07-15
Hi all,
I’ve submitted the following feature request to Fider:
👉 https://features.jellyfin.org/posts/3384
That post outlines the basic idea, but I wanted to provide additional context and rationale here for discussion.
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## Acknowledging Existing Work
I'm aware of the existing SSO feature request:
➡️ https://features.jellyfin.org/posts/230
SSO/OIDC support would absolutely help — it would allow users to log in using providers like Google or Apple, and eliminate the need for the admin to manage every password. That’s a major improvement.
However, my suggestion goes further, proposing a broader, modular companion system — separate from Jellyfin core — to improve the **full account lifecycle and access experience**, especially for non-technical users.
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## The Problem
When sharing a Jellyfin server with friends or family, especially over the internet, the process is high-friction:
- Admin must manually create user accounts
- Passwords must be assigned and managed manually
- No password recovery/reset system exists
- No SSO today (pending the above feature request)
- No invite-based access or approval flows
- No built-in global relay access (unless self-configured via tunnels or proxies)
This means that even if remote access is set up securely (e.g., via Cloudflare Tunnel), **users still rely on the admin for basic account management**, making it impractical at scale.
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## The Proposal
Rather than changing Jellyfin core, I'm suggesting an **optional, open-source companion project** that could handle:
- ✅ Self-service user account creation (with optional approval)
- ✅ Password reset/recovery
- ✅ Integration with identity providers (Google, Apple, etc.) using OIDC/OAuth
- ✅ Invite-based account creation
- ✅ Optional relay-like remote access (Plex-style or brokered)
- ✅ Fully self-hostable or optionally community-hosted
The idea would be to create something akin to Bitwarden's model:
- The core remains self-hosted and private
- Users who want convenience can opt into hosted or federated tools
- Nothing is mandatory, and no part of this would require changing Jellyfin itself
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## Why It Matters
Right now, I can't share my server with more than one or two people without becoming tech support. Even if I manage secure remote access, I'm still stuck handling password resets, onboarding, and troubleshooting.
Plex solves this through a centralized identity system — but that comes with its own tradeoffs. I believe **Jellyfin can retain its philosophy** while still offering a way to make life easier for those of us sharing with less technical users.
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## My Role
I'm not a developer, so I can't build something like this myself — but I'd happily contribute:
- Testing and feedback
- UX suggestions
- Real-world use case input
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## Final Thought
This isn’t a request to centralize Jellyfin or change its principles. It’s a proposal to **enable an ecosystem** where users who want extra convenience and scalability can have it — through modular, community-driven tools that complement the project without diluting its goals.
Thanks for reading, and I’m curious whether others have hit the same pain points.
RE: Companion project for self-managed accounts and remote access - thornbill - 2025-07-18
Quote:making it impractical at scale
Jellyfin is a personal media server. Supporting scale beyond that is not and never will be a goal.