Setting up minidlna as a docker container

MiniDLNA is a DLNA/UPnP server. I used it on a Raspberry Pi to expose media folders to devices on my local network, like the TV. Here is the minimal docker-compose.yml I started with:

version: '3'

services:
  dlna:
    image: vladgh/minidlna
    container_name: minidlna
    restart: always
    volumes:
      - /mnt/movies:/media/movies
    network_mode: host
    environment:
      MINIDLNA_MEDIA_DIR: /media
      MINIDLNA_FRIENDLY_NAME: pc

Note

I’m using the vladgh image here because it supports arm, which I needed for a Raspberry Pi. Any MiniDLNA image with the same environment options should work.

If you need additional folders, you can set them up like this:

    volumes:
      - /mnt/audio:/media/audio
      - /mnt/video:/media/video
    environment:
      MINIDLNA_MEDIA_DIR_1: /media/audio
      MINIDLNA_MEDIA_DIR_2: /media/video
      MINIDLNA_FRIENDLY_NAME: pc

After that start your container as usual:

user@raspberrypi [~/apps/minidlna]
$ docker-compose up -d && docker-compose logs -f
[+] Running 1/1
 ⠿ Container minidlna  Started
minidlna  | === Set user and group identifier
minidlna  | === Set standard configuration
minidlna  | === Set configuration from environment variables
minidlna  | === Set permissions
minidlna  | === Generate scan/rebuild flags
minidlna  | === Start daemon
minidlna  | minidlna.c:1124: warn: Starting MiniDLNA version 1.3.0.
minidlna  | minidlna.c:395: warn: Creating new database at /minidlna/cache/files.db
minidlna  | minidlna.c:1193: warn: HTTP listening on port 8200
minidlna  | scanner.c:731: warn: Scanning /media
minidlna  | scanner.c:820: warn: Scanning /media finished (287 files)!

Check MiniDLNA’s documentation for reference.

Looking for an alternative?

If minidlna doesn’t work well for your setup, check out Gerbera as an alternative UPnP media server.