How to run cross-seed on a seedbox you own

Seeds what you already downloaded on your other trackers too, automatically. Cresdock runs it on a server you own, from a catalogue, with no Docker and no reverse proxy to configure.

What Cresdock does for you with cross-seed

Its configuration is written before the container ever starts, so cross-seed comes up already set up rather than showing you a blank first-run form.
Reached through your panel login. There is no second password to invent for cross-seed and no port to open on your firewall.
Your Downloads and Media folders are already mounted, and they are the SAME folders your other apps see — so files land where the rest of your setup expects them, with no path mapping to work out.
cross-seed is set up against your torrent client — qBittorrent, Deluge or Transmission — and against Jackett before it first runs, so matches are added straight to the client without fetching any of it a second time.
Looking for matches on Prowlarr's sites, or asking Sonarr and Radarr what you already have, isn't set up for you — those stay yours to add in cross-seed's own settings, as does ruTorrent.

Why run cross-seed yourself

Running a client on your own always-on server means it keeps working when your laptop is shut, on a connection that isn't your home one.

What kind of server cross-seed needs

Disk is the constraint, not power. A torrent client is happy on a small server; what it needs is somewhere to put the files and a connection that isn't throttled. Cresdock meters what you use and pauses downloading rather than letting a disk fill, so a small server fails safely instead of breaking.

Cresdock itself is undemanding — it runs on a small rented server, an old desktop or a mini PC, on Ubuntu or Debian. Everything it installs shares that machine, so the honest question is not "will this app run" but "how much am I going to put on here in total".

Where to run cross-seed

cross-seed runs wherever Cresdock runs, and the choice is about the machine, not the app:

At home, on hardware you already own. A mini PC, an old desktop or a NAS that can run Debian. Cresdock works behind a home router with no port forwarding and no domain, so cross-seed is reachable on your own network first and from outside only if you choose.
On a rented server. A small VPS is enough for most apps and is the usual answer when cross-seed should be reachable from anywhere. The setup guide covers the specs and the one-command install.
Through a provider that runs Cresdock. Hosting companies deploy Cresdock workspaces for their customers, so cross-seed can come with a server you rent rather than one you set up — ask your provider, or see how providers offer it.

Installing cross-seed

Put Cresdock on a server
One line on any Ubuntu or Debian machine — a rented VPS, a spare PC, a home server. It sets itself up.
Pick cross-seed from the catalogue
Click Install. The panel pulls the image, writes the configuration, gets a certificate and starts it.
Open it from your dashboard
Its address and any login details are on its card. Start, stop, update, roll back or remove it from the same place, any time.

What this replaces

Doing it by hand means writing something like this, then keeping it working:

services:
  crossseed:
    image: ghcr.io/cross-seed/cross-seed:v6
    restart: unless-stopped
    ports:
      - "2468:2468"
    environment:
      - PUID=1000
      - PGID=1000
      - TZ=Etc/UTC
    volumes:
      - ./crossseed/config:/config
      - ./downloads:/downloads
      - ./media:/media

And that is the easy half. Still to do:

Install a reverse proxy and write a server block for it
Get a TLS certificate and set up automatic renewal
Create the folders above with the right ownership, or it will not start
Repeat all of it for the next app, and again on every server rebuild

On Cresdock, cross-seed is one click and none of the above exists.

Common questions

Do I need to know Docker to run cross-seed?

No. Cresdock installs cross-seed in one click from its catalogue: it pulls the image, writes the configuration, gets an HTTPS certificate and starts it. cross-seed's configuration is written before it first starts, so it opens already set up.

What happens to my files when cross-seed updates?

Cresdock changes cross-seed's own configuration only. Your downloads and your media are never touched by an update, a rebuild or a reinstall — that is a rule the software enforces, not a promise in a document.

Can other people on my server see my cross-seed downloads?

No. Each account's apps run on that account's own private network, and downloads land in that account's own folders — another user's apps cannot reach your cross-seed, and nobody's files are mixed with anybody else's.

Can I run cross-seed at home instead of on a VPS?

Yes. Cresdock runs on a mini PC, an old desktop or anything that boots Debian, behind a normal home router with no port forwarding, and cross-seed is reachable on your own network first. A rented server is only needed when cross-seed must be reachable from anywhere without a VPN.

Can I remove cross-seed later?

Yes. Cresdock removes cross-seed in one click, and asks whether to keep its configuration for a future reinstall. Nothing else you have installed is affected.

Looking for what cross-seed itself can do? That lives in its own documentation — this page is only about running it.

Pairs well with: Deluge · qBittorrent · how cross-seed connects to your other apps

Before you start: where to rent a server · what it needs to run · Cresdock vs QuickBox · the seedbox panel in full · sell workspaces to your customers