plex-media-server

name	plex-media-server
description	Install, configure, and manage Plex Media Server. Stream your movies, TV shows, and music to any device.

Plex Media Server

Install, configure, and manage Plex Media Server. Stream your movies, TV shows, and music to any device.

Category: home, media API Key Required: No (Plex is free, Plex Pass optional)

What It Does

Sets up Plex Media Server so you can stream your personal media library to any device — phone, tablet, smart TV, laptop, game console. Your agent handles installation, library setup, organization, server health, and troubleshooting.

Setup

Step 1: Install Plex Media Server

Ubuntu/Debian:

echo deb https://downloads.plex.tv/repo/deb public main | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/plexmediaserver.list
curl https://downloads.plex.tv/plex-keys/PlexSign.key | sudo gpg --dearmor -o /etc/apt/trusted.gpg.d/plex.gpg
sudo apt update
sudo apt install plexmediaserver -y

Raspberry Pi (same as above, ARM supported).

Docker:

docker run -d \
  --name plex \
  --network host \
  -e PLEX_CLAIM="claim-XXXX" \
  -v /path/to/config:/config \
  -v /path/to/media:/media \
  plexinc/pms-docker

Get your claim token at: https://www.plex.tv/claim/

Step 2: Verify it's running

sudo systemctl status plexmediaserver
curl -s http://localhost:32400/identity

Web UI: http://YOUR_IP:32400/web

Step 3: Organize media folders

Plex expects this structure:

/media/
├── Movies/
│   └── Movie Name (2024)/
│       └── Movie Name (2024).mkv
├── TV Shows/
│   └── Show Name/
│       └── Season 01/
│           ├── Show Name - S01E01.mkv
│           └── Show Name - S01E02.mkv
├── Music/
│   └── Artist/
│       └── Album/
│           └── 01 - Track.mp3
└── Photos/

Step 4: Add libraries

Open http://YOUR_IP:32400/web, sign in with your Plex account, and add libraries pointing to each folder.

Step 5: Open firewall

sudo ufw allow 32400/tcp

Step 6: Fix permissions

sudo chown -R plex:plex /media

Agent Commands

Server status

sudo systemctl status plexmediaserver --no-pager
curl -s http://localhost:32400/identity | python3 -c "
import sys,xml.etree.ElementTree as ET
tree = ET.parse(sys.stdin)
r = tree.getroot()
print(f\"Plex {r.get('version','')} - {r.get('friendlyName','')}\")"

Library scan (refresh for new media)

# Scan all libraries
curl -s "http://localhost:32400/library/sections/all/refresh?X-Plex-Token=TOKEN"

# List library sections
curl -s "http://localhost:32400/library/sections?X-Plex-Token=TOKEN" | python3 -c "
import sys,xml.etree.ElementTree as ET
tree = ET.parse(sys.stdin)
for d in tree.findall('.//Directory'):
    print(f\"Section {d.get('key')}: {d.get('title')} ({d.get('type')}) - {d.get('totalSize',0)} items\")"

What's currently playing

curl -s "http://localhost:32400/status/sessions?X-Plex-Token=TOKEN" | python3 -c "
import sys,xml.etree.ElementTree as ET
tree = ET.parse(sys.stdin)
videos = tree.findall('.//Video')
if not videos: print('Nothing playing')
for v in videos:
    user = v.find('.//User')
    print(f\"{user.get('title','Unknown')} watching: {v.get('grandparentTitle','')} {v.get('title','')}\")"

Check disk space for media

df -h /media 2>/dev/null || df -h /
du -sh /media/*/ 2>/dev/null

Recently added

curl -s "http://localhost:32400/library/recentlyAdded?X-Plex-Token=TOKEN" | python3 -c "
import sys,xml.etree.ElementTree as ET
tree = ET.parse(sys.stdin)
for v in list(tree.findall('.//Video'))[:10] + list(tree.findall('.//Directory'))[:10]:
    print(f\"{v.get('title','')} ({v.get('year','')})\")"

Restart Plex

sudo systemctl restart plexmediaserver

Get Plex token

The user can find their token at: https://support.plex.tv/articles/204059436-finding-an-authentication-token-x-plex-token/

Or from the web UI: open any media item > "Get Info" > "View XML" — the token is in the URL.

Organizing Media

Rename movie files correctly

# Pattern: /Movies/Movie Name (Year)/Movie Name (Year).ext
mkdir -p "/media/Movies/Inception (2010)"
mv inception.mkv "/media/Movies/Inception (2010)/Inception (2010).mkv"

Rename TV episodes correctly

# Pattern: /TV Shows/Show/Season XX/Show - SXXEXX.ext
mkdir -p "/media/TV Shows/Breaking Bad/Season 01"
mv episode1.mkv "/media/TV Shows/Breaking Bad/Season 01/Breaking Bad - S01E01.mkv"

Troubleshooting

• Can't access web UI: Check sudo ufw status, ensure port 32400 is open
• Media not appearing: Check folder permissions (ls -la /media), run library scan
• Buffering: Check if transcoding — direct play is better. Use MP4/MKV H.264 for widest compatibility
• Remote access not working: Enable remote access in Plex settings, forward port 32400 on your router

Constraints

• Plex is free for local streaming. Plex Pass ($5/mo or $120 lifetime) adds hardware transcoding, mobile sync, skip intro
• 4K transcoding needs decent CPU or Intel QuickSync/NVIDIA GPU
• Large libraries (10TB+) may take hours for initial scan
• Requires sudo for installation and service management