How to run NZBHydra2 on a seedbox you own

Searches all your Usenet indexers at once, alongside SABnzbd. 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 NZBHydra2

Its configuration is written before the container ever starts — including the web address it lives at, so NZBHydra2 generates correct links from the first page load instead of half-working behind a prefix.
Reached through your panel login. There is no second password to invent for NZBHydra2 and no port to open on your firewall.
Sonarr, Radarr and Lidarr search your usenet sites through NZBHydra2 automatically, so that list only has to be kept in one place.
Your provider accounts go into NZBHydra2 itself — and so does sending a result straight to SABnzbd, which isn't set up for you.

Why run NZBHydra2 yourself

An always-on server downloads on its own schedule rather than yours, and finishes whether or not you are at the machine.

What kind of server NZBHydra2 needs

Usenet downloads fast enough that the disk and the unpacking are the bottleneck, not the network. Give it room for a download and its unpacked copy at the same time — briefly, both exist.

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 NZBHydra2

NZBHydra2 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 NZBHydra2 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 NZBHydra2 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 NZBHydra2 can come with a server you rent rather than one you set up — ask your provider, or see how providers offer it.

Installing NZBHydra2

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 NZBHydra2 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:
  nzbhydra:
    image: lscr.io/linuxserver/nzbhydra2:v8.9.0-ls98
    restart: unless-stopped
    ports:
      - "5076:5076"
    environment:
      - PUID=1000
      - PGID=1000
      - TZ=Etc/UTC
    volumes:
      - ./nzbhydra/config:/config

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, NZBHydra2 is one click and none of the above exists.

Common questions

Do I need to know Docker to run NZBHydra2?

No. Cresdock installs NZBHydra2 in one click from its catalogue: it pulls the image, writes the configuration, gets an HTTPS certificate and starts it. NZBHydra2's configuration is written before it first starts, so it opens already set up.

What happens to my NZBHydra2 data when it updates?

Cresdock updates the NZBHydra2 image and leaves its stored data in place. NZBHydra2 keeps its own files in its own folder, which survives an update, a rebuild and a reinstall — and Cresdock never writes into it.

Can other people on my server see my NZBHydra2 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 NZBHydra2, and nobody's files are mixed with anybody else's.

Can I run NZBHydra2 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 NZBHydra2 is reachable on your own network first. A rented server is only needed when NZBHydra2 must be reachable from anywhere without a VPN.

Can I remove NZBHydra2 later?

Yes. Cresdock removes NZBHydra2 in one click, and asks whether to keep its configuration for a future reinstall. Nothing else you have installed is affected.

Looking for what NZBHydra2 itself can do? That lives in its own documentation — this page is only about running it.

Pairs well with: SABnzbd · Sonarr · OpenVPN · how NZBHydra2 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