So you want out of Big Streaming and their constant price increases? Good. You’re in the right place.
I’m Steve — online you’ll find me as KryptikWurm. I’ve been building, breaking, and rebuilding home media servers since before most people knew what Kodi, Jellyfin, or Plex were. This blog is the cheat sheet I wish I had when I started. No fluff. Just real-world homelab advice from someone who has been in the trenches for over a decade.
It all started in 2010. Cable TV was garbage. Streaming was a mess. I wanted a clean setup where my media actually worked for me — on my terms, on my hardware, with no monthly bill attached. So I built it. Then rebuilt it. Then dockerized it. Then Proxmox’d and LXC’d it. Then dockerized it again. And now? It runs like a dream. Mostly.
This site exists so you don’t have to make the same mistakes I did. Or at least not all of them.
What This Blog Is Really About
DIYMediaServer is your blueprint for ditching the noise and building a home media setup that is:
- Private — your data stays on your hardware
- Powerful — automation handles the boring parts
- Fully under your control — no subscriptions, no paywalls, no middlemen
I cover everything from the basics to the edge cases:
- Proxmox, LXC, and virtualized media stacks
- Docker, containers, and self-hosted apps
- Plex, Jellyfin, and the full Arr suite (Sonarr, Radarr, Prowlarr, and friends)
- Usenet, torrents, and end-to-end automation
- Storage strategies with MergerFS, SnapRAID, and ZFS
- Networking, VPNs, and remote access — without handing your data to Google
If you have ever screamed at Snap for breaking your stack, or sat through a 11PM “why won’t Sonarr start” panic, welcome. You’ve found your people.
My Philosophy
Keep it simple.
You don’t need enterprise gear or a wall of certifications to run a solid setup. You need the right tools, practical guidance, and a system that fits your life — not one you copied from a Reddit thread and don’t fully understand.
I’m not here to sell you on one right way. I’m here to help you find your way, and to keep you from throwing a perfectly good server out the window in the process.
Why I Built This
Because I spent years piecing together forum posts, Reddit rants, and half-finished YouTube tutorials. I wanted a place that cut through the noise — that teaches real solutions, not just dry step-by-step commands.
Whether you’re setting up your first NAS or tuning a 12-container media stack, the goal is the same: take control, dodge the landmines, and enjoy the build.
Join the Mission
Got a smarter way to run Sonarr in Docker? Want to argue about BTRFS vs. ZFS? Pull up a chair. This site is not just me on a soapbox — it’s a community of digital tinkerers who actually use their setups and are not afraid to break things along the way.
Find me on Bluesky, X, GitHub, or Reddit.
Let’s build smarter. Let’s build together.