How to self-host an Overseerr server

Friends request movies/shows for your Plex; automation fetches them. 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 Overseerr

Its configuration is written before the container ever starts, so Overseerr comes up already set up rather than showing you a blank first-run form.
Given its own web address, with its own login seeded in advance. Overseerr can't live under a shared path, and apps like this are reached by clients that don't carry a browser session — so it gets a real password rather than being left open.
Gets its own web address and signs in with your Plex account — no separate Overseerr login.
Its setup wizard connects to your Sonarr/Radarr, and the panel hands you their API key and address on the app card so that step is copy-paste instead of hunting through settings.

Why run Overseerr yourself

Streaming services remove things. A film you paid to watch last year can simply stop being there, and nothing tells you in advance. Running your own means the library is whatever you put in it, and it stays.

What kind of server Overseerr needs

A media server is the one category where the hardware matters. Direct play — where the app hands the file straight to your TV or phone — costs almost nothing, and 2 GB of memory is plenty. Converting on the fly for a device that can't play the original is what gets expensive; if you expect that often, a machine with hardware video support pays for itself immediately.

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 Overseerr

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

Installing Overseerr

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 Overseerr 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:
  overseerr:
    image: lscr.io/linuxserver/overseerr:v1.35.0-ls159
    restart: unless-stopped
    ports:
      - "5055:5055"
    environment:
      - PUID=1000
      - PGID=1000
      - TZ=Etc/UTC
    volumes:
      - ./overseerr/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
Point a DNS record at the server, because Overseerr cannot run under a shared path
Repeat all of it for the next app, and again on every server rebuild

On Cresdock, Overseerr is one click and none of the above exists.

Common questions

Do I need to know Docker to run Overseerr?

No. Cresdock installs Overseerr in one click from its catalogue: it pulls the image, writes the configuration, gets an HTTPS certificate and starts it. Overseerr gets its own web address and its own certificate, because it cannot run under a shared path.

What happens to my Overseerr data when it updates?

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

How is Overseerr protected if it isn't behind the panel login?

It gets its own password, generated and set before it first starts, shown on its card in your dashboard. Apps end up here when they are reached by programs rather than a web browser, so a shared login can't be used.

Can my family use Overseerr too?

Yes. Cresdock is built for sharing a server: each person you add gets their own space, with their own apps and their own folders. The free plan covers one person, and adding more is what Pro is for. Overseerr also keeps its own accounts, so everyone signs in as themselves.

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

Can I remove Overseerr later?

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

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

Pairs well with: Plex · Tautulli · Paperless-ngx · how Overseerr connects to your other apps

Before you start: where to rent a server · what it needs to run · Cresdock vs CasaOS