Windows vs Linux, Docker vs Direct

[Elarem]

I'm getting close to purchasing a dedicated unit to host my server and was curious what other folks considered when making the decision of running Jellyfin on either Windows vs Linux, as well as running it in Docker vs directly and if there are any general pros and cons to consider. Appreciate any advice!

[Efficient_Good_5784]

If you're planning on using Docker, you're better off using Linux. Docker works best on Linux.

As for Docker vs direct installs, it depends on your preference.

Using Docker, you're isolating the service and only passing it relevant things like the media and the necessary hardware. You generally don't have to worry about software you launch with containers interfering with the rest of your system and causing conflicts. And when you delete a container, you can be sure that whatever you launched is removed from your system. And another nice thing is that you can launch multiple Jellyfin servers with Docker for testing or backup purposes (just make sure each container uses a different port).

Drawbacks to Docker would be that you need to make sure to mount the config folder outside of the container so you don't nuke your server by accident. Updating a Docker container isn't like updating a direct install. The update process involves making a new container with the updated image, then deleting the old container.

You can run Jellyfin directly and also use Docker for other things too.

As for Windows vs Linux, I would recommend Linux as it's more stable for server use in my experience. Though I would use whichever you're most comfortable with.

[pxr5]

I bought a N100 mini PC and intended to use linux/Docker. It came with Win11 Pro so I just installed Jellyfin straight to it initially and it works absolutely fine and I've had no issues with it at all (transcoding works great too). I may just leave it with as headless Win11 as it now has other purposes.