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February 22, 2026

Run your own music streaming service. Ditch Spotify now. #music

Take back control of your music service. Own your music, own your service! Self host the music service that you're using.https://www.facebook.com/profile.p...

Alright, here's a blog post about running your own music streaming service using Navidrome!

Run Your Own Music Streaming Service: A How-To Guide with Navidrome

Tired of being at the mercy of big music streaming platforms? Ever feel like you should have more control over your own music library and how you listen to it? Well, you're in luck! In this post, we're diving deep into setting up your very own music streaming service using Navidrome, a simple and open-source music server that you can host at home. You'll learn how to install it with Docker, customize settings, and access your tunes from any device. Let's get started!

What Is Navidrome?

Navidrome is essentially a personal Spotify or Apple Music that you host. It allows you to:

  • Stream your entire music library from your own server
  • Access it from any device with a web browser
  • Create playlists
  • Avoid paying for premium streaming services and dealing with their limitations

The speaker in the video frames it nicely as a way to avoid both licensing issues and limitations on users or devices like you get from commercial services. Let's look into the install process.

Installing Navidrome with Docker on Portainer

The video walks through an installation process using Docker via Portainer. Here's how you do it step by step:

  1. Access Portainer:

    • Navigate to your Portainer instance in your web browser.

  2. Add a Stack:

    • In Portainer, go to "Stacks" then select "Add stack". This is like creating a new app deployment.

  3. Docker Compose File:

    • Navigate to the Navidrome docs on the install with Docker section, https://www.navidrome.org/docs/installation/docker/. This is a file that defines your Navidrome container. Note the speaker specifically states to copy the contents directly from the site and not others to avoid formatting errors.
    • Now back in your browser on Portainer's "create stack" screen, paste the code into the "Web editor"

  4. Configuration *The speaker then calls out that you need to configure the stack. These instructions are below.

  5. Customizing Your Stack:

    • You need to customize a couple of things.

  6. Find user info with ID:

    • Open up an SSH terminal or putty. This can be done by accessing your computer via the command line or connecting remotely through port 22 to the same machine.
    • Find the PID and GID by running the command 
      id username

  7. Modify the Docker Compose File

    • These changes will be made on the Stacks Web Editor on Portainer.

    • User (PUID and PGID): Find and replace the values here from what you found in the id command.

      • Why? Think of the PUID and PGID as digital fingerprints. When Docker containers are created, they run in a virtual environment, they need to know who they are acting on behalf of when they interact with your data. That's where these ID's come in.

    • Volumes: Define how your containers will access data. In the video's walkthrough, the author calls out to volumes need to be updated to include a new route so that the host machine can access the music folder you have on your machine.

  8. Environment Variables

    • Log Level: The log level is "Info", so this value can be left as is. This will show some information but not everything that Navidrome does. Setting it to debug would show everything.
    • Session Timeout: The session timeout is currently "24h", you don't need to make changes unless you want to change it.

  9. Deploy the Stack:

    • Once everything is set, click on "Deploy the stack" and wait for it to finish the installation.

  10. Access Navidrome:

    • Once deployed, you can access Navidrome in your web browser using the IP address. Follow that with the Port used, which by default is "4533".
    • Create an admin user. Followed by that, change your passwords and customize other settings.

Key Takeaways

  • Navidrome is a powerful and accessible way to manage and stream your own music library.
  • Docker simplifies installation and makes it consistent across different systems.
  • Configuration options allow you to tailor Navidrome to your specific needs and preferences.
  • By self-hosting, you take back control of your music listening experience.

Resources

  • Navidrome: [https://www.navidrome.org/](https://www.navidrome.org/)
  • Docker: [https://www.docker.com/](https://www.docker.com/)
  • Portainer: [https://www.portainer.io/](https://www.portainer.io/)
  • Navidrome Installation Guide for Docker: [https://www.navidrome.org/docs/installation/docker/](https://www.navidrome.org/docs/installation/docker/)
  • Facebook Link: [https://www.facebook.com/profile.p...](https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100088244946710)

Hope this helps, and that you can enjoy your tunes the way you want!

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