How to self-host a Tautulli server

See who watched what on your Plex server. 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 Tautulli

Its configuration is written before the container ever starts — including the web address it lives at, so Tautulli 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 Tautulli and no port to open on your firewall.
Tautulli keeps a history of what has been watched on Plex, and by whom. Its opening setup asks for your own Plex account, so signing in is a step only you can take.

Why run Tautulli 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 Tautulli 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 Tautulli

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

Installing Tautulli

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 Tautulli 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:
  tautulli:
    image: lscr.io/linuxserver/tautulli:v2.17.2-ls237
    restart: unless-stopped
    ports:
      - "8181:8181"
    environment:
      - PUID=1000
      - PGID=1000
      - TZ=Etc/UTC
    volumes:
      - ./tautulli/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, Tautulli is one click and none of the above exists.

Common questions

Do I need to know Docker to run Tautulli?

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

What happens to my Tautulli data when it updates?

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

Can my family use Tautulli 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.

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

Can I remove Tautulli later?

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

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

Pairs well with: Audiobookshelf · Calibre-Web · The Lounge · how Tautulli connects to your other apps

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