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Kubernetes Deployment

This guide covers deploying Jellyfin on Kubernetes using the official Helm chart.

Prerequisites​

  • Kubernetes cluster (v1.19+)
  • Helm 3.x installed
  • kubectl configured for your cluster
  • Sufficient storage for media and configuration
  • Ingress controller (e.g. traefik) for external access (required for this tutorial, see official docs for alternatives)

Installation​

1. Add Helm Repository​

helm repo add jellyfin https://jellyfin.github.io/jellyfin-helm
helm repo update

2. Custom Installation​

For complete installation instructions and configuration options, see the official Jellyfin Helm chart repository.

Create a values.yaml file for customization:

# values.yaml
replicaCount: 1

image:
  pullPolicy: IfNotPresent

persistence:
  config:
    enabled: true
    size: 5Gi
    storageClass: ''
  media:
    enabled: true
    size: 100Gi
    storageClass: ''

ingress:
  enabled: true
  className: 'traefik'
  hosts:
    - host: jellyfin.example.com
      paths:
        - path: /
          pathType: Prefix

resources:
  limits:
    cpu: 2000m
    memory: 4Gi
  requests:
    cpu: 500m
    memory: 1Gi

nodeSelector: {}
tolerations: []
affinity: {}

Install with custom values:

helm install jellyfin jellyfin/jellyfin -f values.yaml

Configuration Options​

Service Types​

This guide covers ClusterIP service type (default) for internal access only, with external access via ingress controller. Alternatives include LoadBalancer and NodePort services.

Persistence​

Using Existing Persistent Volume Claims​

persistence:
  config:
    enabled: true
    existingClaim: 'jellyfin-config-pvc'
  media:
    enabled: true
    existingClaim: 'jellyfin-media-pvc'

Creating New PVCs via Helm​

persistence:
  config:
    enabled: true
    size: 5Gi
    storageClass: 'fast-ssd'
  media:
    enabled: true
    size: 100Gi
    storageClass: 'slow-hdd'

Ingress​

Basic Ingress Configuration​

ingress:
  enabled: true
  className: 'traefik'
  hosts:
    - host: jellyfin.example.com
      paths:
        - path: /
          pathType: Prefix

Advanced Ingress with TLS​

ingress:
  enabled: true
  className: 'traefik'
  annotations:
    traefik.ingress.kubernetes.io/router.entrypoints: websecure
    traefik.ingress.kubernetes.io/router.middlewares: default-jellyfin-buffering@kubernetescrd
  hosts:
    - host: jellyfin.example.com
      paths:
        - path: /
          pathType: Prefix
  tls:
    - secretName: jellyfin-tls
      hosts:
        - jellyfin.example.com

apiVersion: traefik.io/v1alpha1
kind: Middleware
metadata:
  name: jellyfin-buffering
  namespace: default
spec:
  buffering:
    maxRequestBodyBytes: 0

Accessing Jellyfin​

Port Forwarding (Development)​

kubectl port-forward svc/jellyfin 8096:8096

Access at: http://localhost:8096

External Access​

Once ingress is configured, access Jellyfin at your configured domain (e.g., https://jellyfin.example.com).

Monitoring​

Health Checks​

The chart includes readiness and liveness probes:

livenessProbe:
  httpGet:
    path: /health
    port: http
  initialDelaySeconds: 30
  periodSeconds: 10

readinessProbe:
  httpGet:
    path: /health
    port: http
  initialDelaySeconds: 5
  periodSeconds: 5

Metrics​

Enable Prometheus metrics if available:

metrics:
  enabled: true
  serviceMonitor:
    enabled: true

Troubleshooting​

Common Issues​

  1. Permission Denied: Ensure proper security context for media access
  2. Storage Issues: Verify persistent volume claims are bound
  3. Network Access: Check service type and ingress configuration

Debug Commands​

# Check pod status
kubectl get pods -l app.kubernetes.io/name=jellyfin

# View logs
kubectl logs -f deployment/jellyfin

# Check service
kubectl get svc jellyfin

# Describe pod for events
kubectl describe pod -l app.kubernetes.io/name=jellyfin

Upgrading​

# Update repository
helm repo update

# Upgrade installation
helm upgrade jellyfin jellyfin/jellyfin

# Check upgrade status
helm status jellyfin

Uninstalling​

# Remove Helm release
helm uninstall jellyfin

# Clean up persistent volumes (if needed)
kubectl delete pvc -l app.kubernetes.io/name=jellyfin

Advanced Configuration​

Hardware Acceleration​

For GPU acceleration, add device access and security context:

securityContext:
  privileged: true

resources:
  limits:
    gpu.intel.com/i915: 1
    # or nvidia.com/gpu: 1

extraVolumes:
  - name: dri
    hostPath:
      path: /dev/dri

extraVolumeMounts:
  - name: dri
    mountPath: /dev/dri

Multiple Media Sources​

Mount multiple media sources using additional volumes:

volumes:
  - name: movies
    persistentVolumeClaim:
      claimName: movies-pvc
  - name: tv
    persistentVolumeClaim:
      claimName: tv-pvc

volumeMounts:
  - name: movies
    mountPath: /movies
  - name: tv
    mountPath: /tv

Custom Environment Variables​

extraEnvVars:
  - name: JELLYFIN_PublishedServerUrl
    value: 'https://jellyfin.example.com'
  - name: JELLYFIN_CACHE_DIR
    value: '/cache'

For more configuration options, see the Jellyfin Helm chart documentation.