How to set up Unpackerr without Docker

Unzips finished downloads so your automation can import 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 Unpackerr

Its configuration is written before the container ever starts, so Unpackerr 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 Unpackerr 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.
Unpackerr is connected to Sonarr, Radarr and Lidarr as soon as they're installed: anything that arrives packed up is opened, so they can file it away.

Why run Unpackerr yourself

The whole point of these tools is that they run unattended. On a desktop that gets shut down, they simply miss things.

What kind of server Unpackerr needs

These are small, patient programs. They spend most of their time asleep and wake up to check for something new, so 1 GB of memory covers several of them at once. What they need is to be running when you aren't watching.

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 Unpackerr

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

Installing Unpackerr

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 Unpackerr 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:
  unpackerr:
    image: golift/unpackerr:0.15
    restart: unless-stopped
    ports:
      - "5656:5656"
    environment:
      - PUID=1000
      - PGID=1000
      - TZ=Etc/UTC
    volumes:
      - ./unpackerr/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, Unpackerr is one click and none of the above exists.

Common questions

Do I need to know Docker to run Unpackerr?

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

What happens to my files when Unpackerr updates?

Cresdock changes Unpackerr'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 I run Unpackerr 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 Unpackerr is reachable on your own network first. A rented server is only needed when Unpackerr must be reachable from anywhere without a VPN.

Can I remove Unpackerr later?

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

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

Pairs well with: autobrr · Bazarr · Uptime Kuma · how Unpackerr 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