Prowlarr, Radarr, Sonarr and Flaresolverr are EASY

All of the guides talk about Docker containers, Trash-guides, Usenet, indexers, subscriptions, a whole ton of configurations and a bunch of people trying to sell you prebuilt solutions.  Plus more ARR services than you can remember.

Screw that noise.  

These are EASY.  You can level up from straight RSS feeds in practically no time.

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Well, OK, they're still a >bit< of work. 

But you DON'T need: Docker containers, Linux, JSON files, sabnzbd, nzbget, nzbgeek, special directory structures, paid subscriptions or any of that other sh!t that's probably either (i) scared you to death or (ii) scared you off completely.

These work pretty much like Plex, Kodi, Jellyfin, etc. and do just fine on their own, at least for starters.  

(And you have Plex, Kodi, Jellyfin or something similar already, or else you wouldn't be reading this.)

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Note: these WILL work on a machine that is running a VPN.

No, none of them actually run over the VPN.  That would break them, and they're too smart for that.  But they also won't stop your other programs from running over the VPN as intended.

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You do need a few pieces.  

Think of them as Lego.  They're all small, and they snap together.  They're practically applets, or little helper utilities.  

If you have them all, life WILL be easier.  Don't ask me how I know.

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Here's what you need to do:

1.  Download the x64 Windows executables:  Prowlarr  Flaresolverr  Radarr  Sonarr  

(If you want to do these in Docker, Linux, etc. instead, have at it.  This guide isn't for you, though, so I'm not sure why you're here.)

You will also need a torrent client, which you probably have, or you wouldn't be reading this.

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2.  Run them to install.  

If you want to just get your feet wet first, install Radarr first.  Then Prowlarr.

They will all install from network shares, except maybe Flaresolverr.  It loves to be different, and might not install right unless its run on a local drive.  

It's installation process also looks way different, but it will get there.

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3.  Access is via web interface.  

They will all open their interfaces on install, except Flaresolverr (again).  

(Flaresolverr is different because there isn't anything to set, so it has no UI to access.  You can open a status page that says it's running and that's it.)

Note their port numbers and bookmark them for future reference.  They are:

  • Radarr:  7878
  • Prowlarr: 9696
  • Sonarr: 8989
  • Flaresolverr: 8191

Follow the prompts.

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4.  Prowlarr and Radarr:  Set up per this guide.  

You can set up a bunch of popular trackers here for free, and without any additional software, signups, subscriptions, etc.

If you use Kodi, do NOT use the metadata / .nfo generator in Radarr / Sonarr.  Reports say they are not fully compatible.

->  4A.  If you get Cloudflare errors when setting up indexers in Prowlarr, use this guide.  (Skip to 1:14 to skip all the Linux crap.) 

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5.  Sonarr:  Set up per this guide.

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6.  Custom Formats:  Think of these as custom tags.

You can use these for:

  • Prioritizing certain downloads over others; and
  • Naming the media files per your preferences.

When setting up your file naming conventions:

  •  {Custom Formats} -> Will apply all of the matching custom formats to the file name in alphabetical order

  •  {Custom Formats:NameA} -> On match, will apply only this custom format to the file name

  •   {Custom Formats:NameA,NameB} -> Will apply the matching custom formats to the file name in the specified order

  •  {Custom Formats:-NameA,NameB} -> Will exclude the matching custom formats from the file name

For more info, see the Wiki on Movie Naming.

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That's it - that's got you started.  Figuring out what to do with it is up to you.

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Notes:

•  Radarr / Sonarr don't seem to need to scan your existing media.  So I suggest you point them to a test directory, rather than your actual media directories, until you've figured out how to make it work for you.

•  My media organization is hardly 'perfect' for these apps, but I have my reasons, and it works for me.  I imagine a lot of other people are in a similar situation.  Meaning we'll all have to make Sonarr / Radarr do what we want, rather than what the apps / devs want.  I think it's quite possible.

•  You can expand by setting up Lidarr (music), Bazarr (subtitles), Redarr (books / audiobooks), Softwarr and Whisparr, or by setting up Usenet capabilities.  But you don't need them to start.

•  A whole ton more stuff is available, covering every problem I can think of and a lot more besides.  Most are listed here.

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More here if and when I figure out more of this for myself.

 


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