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Blackcairn Media Stack -- Plex Automation Workflow

This document describes the architecture and workflow of the Blackcairn Media Stack.\ The stack automates media discovery, downloading, organisation, and playback using a set of integrated services.

Overview

The system consists of several cooperating services:

Service Purpose

Plex Media streaming server Overseerr User request portal Radarr Movie automation Sonarr TV automation Prowlarr Indexer manager qBittorrent Download client Gluetun VPN container for torrent traffic Tautulli Plex monitoring and analytics Homepage Dashboard / control portal

The system is deployed using Docker containers managed through Portainer.

Architecture

User interaction begins with Overseerr.\ Requests flow through Radarr or Sonarr, which then use Prowlarr to locate releases.\ Downloads are handled by qBittorrent running behind a VPN via Gluetun.

Once completed, media is imported into the library folders monitored by Plex.

User
  ↓
Overseerr
  ↓
Radarr / Sonarr
  ↓
Prowlarr
  ↓
qBittorrent (via Gluetun VPN)
  ↓
Downloads folder
  ↓
Radarr / Sonarr import
  ↓
Media library
  ↓
Plex

Container Network Design

All services run on the proxy Docker network so they can communicate internally without exposing unnecessary ports.

proxy network
 ├ Plex
 ├ Overseerr
 ├ Radarr
 ├ Sonarr
 ├ Prowlarr
 ├ qBittorrent
 ├ Gluetun
 ├ Tautulli
 └ Homepage

External access is provided through:

Nginx Proxy Manager

Example domains:

plex.blackcairn.uk
overseerr.blackcairn.uk
radarr.blackcairn.uk
sonarr.blackcairn.uk
prowlarr.blackcairn.uk
qbittorrent.blackcairn.uk
tautulli.blackcairn.uk
portal.blackcairn.uk

Storage Layout

The media stack uses the mounted drive:

/mnt/usb2

Directory structure:

/mnt/usb2
 ├ Movies
 ├ TV Shows
 ├ Downloads
 ├ Music
 └ AudioBooks

Inside containers this path is mapped as:

/data

Example mappings:

Host Path Container Path

/mnt/usb2/Movies /data/Movies /mnt/usb2/TV Shows /data/TV Shows /mnt/usb2/Downloads /data/Downloads

Download Workflow

1 Request

Users request content through Overseerr.

Example:

Request movie → Dune Part Two

2 Automation

Overseerr sends the request to:

  • Radarr (movies)
  • Sonarr (TV)

3 Indexing

Radarr / Sonarr query Prowlarr for indexers.

Prowlarr provides unified access to multiple torrent sources.

4 Download

Selected release is sent to:

qBittorrent

qBittorrent traffic routes through:

Gluetun VPN

This ensures torrent traffic is protected.

5 Import

After download completion:

Radarr / Sonarr automatically:

  • rename files
  • organise folder structure
  • move media to library folders

Example:

/data/Downloads
      ↓
/data/Movies/Dune Part Two (2024)

6 Library Update

Plex detects the new media automatically or via library refresh.

Media becomes available for streaming.

Monitoring

Tautulli

Tautulli provides:

  • playback history
  • current streams
  • bandwidth usage
  • server statistics

It integrates with Homepage widgets and optional notifications.

Homepage Dashboard

The portal displays live service status including:

  • Plex
  • Tautulli activity
  • qBittorrent downloads
  • Radarr queue
  • Sonarr queue
  • system monitoring tools

This provides a single-pane-of-glass view of the Blackcairn server.

Security Design

Key security measures:

  • Torrent traffic routed through VPN (Gluetun)
  • Reverse proxy with SSL certificates
  • Services accessible via internal Docker network
  • Secrets stored in environment variables where possible

Future Improvements

Planned enhancements include:

  • Cloudflare Tunnel for secure external access
  • Tailscale for private network connectivity
  • Kometa for automated Plex collections
  • Discord notifications for media events
  • Additional monitoring dashboards

Summary

The Blackcairn media stack provides a fully automated system for:

  • requesting media
  • downloading content
  • organising libraries
  • streaming through Plex

All managed through containerised infrastructure and a central dashboard.

This design provides a scalable, maintainable, and secure home media platform.