Prerequisites
What highsea needs before you install it, from the machine and its folders to its ports and the accounts it uses.
Written for highsea 0.1.0. Check these before you pick an install guide.
A machine that stays on
highsea checks for new releases, downloads and imports around the clock, so run it on a machine that stays on, such as a home server, a NAS or a computer you leave running.
- A 64-bit processor. highsea's image is built for Intel and AMD (amd64) and for ARM (arm64). 32-bit systems can't run it.
- Docker with the Compose plugin. On Linux, install Docker Engine. On macOS and Windows, install Docker Desktop.
On a NAS, its own container app takes Docker's place. These have guides:
| NAS | Version | Guide |
|---|---|---|
| Unraid | 7 or later | Install on Unraid |
| Synology DSM | 7.2 or later, with Container Manager | Install on Synology |
| TrueNAS Community Edition | 25.04 or later | Install on TrueNAS |
Container Manager runs only on some Synology models. Synology lists them on its page.
Everything else highsea uses, such as ffmpeg for syncing subtitles and unar for archived releases, is inside its image, so there's nothing more to install.
Storage
- The image takes about 2 GB once it's downloaded.
- A config folder holds highsea's database, settings, logs and backups. Keep it on fast, reliable storage, such as an SSD.
- A data folder holds your downloads and your films together, with room for both. Keep them in one folder on one disk, or one share or dataset on a NAS, so highsea can hardlink a finished download into the library instead of copying it. Folders and hardlinks explains why.
highsea runs as the user and group that own these folders. The install guides show how to find their numbers.
Network
highsea uses these ports on the machine it runs on:
| Port | Protocol | What uses it |
|---|---|---|
| 3000 | TCP | The admin in your browser, and highsea's apps |
| 6881 | TCP and UDP | The torrent engine, for peers and the DHT |
| 7368 | UDP | Apps finding the server on your network |
| 8443 | TCP | Built-in HTTPS, only when you turn it on |
Nothing needs to be open to the internet to install highsea. To watch away from home later, see Watching away from home.
Accounts
- TMDB, needed. Film details, artwork and Discover come from TMDB. Make a free account, then copy the API key or the Read Access Token from TMDB's API page. Setup asks for it, and you can add it later in Settings.
- Indexers, needed to find releases. The public indexers in highsea's catalog need no account. A private tracker needs your own account with it.
- Subtitle providers, optional. OpenSubtitles.com, Subdl and SubSource. Some need an account of your own, and highsea says which.
- A VPN provider, optional, and recommended for torrents. highsea's own tunnel needs a provider that offers WireGuard, and Linux. Providers that offer only OpenVPN work through a gluetun container. A VPN for torrents has the details.
Next
When you have these, pick the guide for where highsea will run: