What is Media & Streaming?
Self-hosted media servers let you stream your personal music, movie, and photo collections to any device, anywhere. Plex and Jellyfin turn your VPS into a personal Netflix — complete with beautiful interfaces, automatic metadata, and multi-user support.
Navidrome is a lightweight music streaming server that replaces Spotify for your personal music library. Immich provides a Google Photos alternative with automatic backup, AI-powered search, and shared albums.
The key consideration for media hosting is storage and bandwidth. You'll want a provider with generous bandwidth allowances and the option to attach large storage volumes for your media library.
$ apt list --installable
Popular Media & Streaming Software
Top open-source tools you can self-host on your VPS.
Jellyfin
Free and open-source media system. Stream movies, TV shows, music, and photos. No premium tier — all features are free, forever.
Read our guidePlex
The most popular media server. Beautiful interface, automatic metadata, watch together, and apps for every device. Free with optional Plex Pass.
Official siteNavidrome
Lightweight, self-hosted music server. Compatible with Subsonic/Airsonic apps. Stream your music library from any device with minimal resources.
Official siteImmich
Self-hosted Google Photos alternative. Automatic backup, ML-powered search, facial recognition, and shared albums. Active development with rapid improvements.
Official siteVPS Specifications
What you need to run media & streaming workloads.
$ top --providers --for=media
Best Providers for Media & Streaming
Hand-picked based on specs, pricing, and suitability for media & streaming workloads.
Contabo
Unlimited bandwidth and massive storage — ideal for media streaming workloads
Get Started
Hetzner
20TB bandwidth with affordable storage volumes for large media libraries
Get Started
$ man media
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a VPS handle media transcoding?
CPU transcoding works for 1-2 simultaneous streams on a 2-4 vCPU server. For multiple streams, use direct play (no transcoding) by ensuring your media is in compatible formats.
How much bandwidth does streaming use?
A typical 1080p movie stream uses 5-10 Mbps, consuming about 2-4GB per hour. A 4TB bandwidth allowance supports roughly 1,000+ hours of streaming per month.
Is Jellyfin better than Plex?
Jellyfin is fully open-source with all features free. Plex has a more polished interface and better app ecosystem but locks some features behind Plex Pass ($5/mo or $120 lifetime).
Can I use Immich to replace Google Photos?
Yes. Immich offers automatic photo/video backup from mobile devices, ML-powered search, facial recognition, and shared albums — matching most Google Photos features.
How much storage do I need for media?
Depends on your library. Music: ~100MB per album. Movies: 2-8GB each at 1080p. Photos: ~5MB each. A 200GB VPS holds a decent starter library; expand with attached volumes as needed.
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