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this post was submitted on 28 Nov 2025
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What?! Why don’t you have to do those things with Plex?
Because it does it for me? In Plex I just tick one box in settings to allow remote connections and then choose which libraries to share to which users and bam they can access all that content just by downloading the Plex app and logging in on their end.
No fucking about.
Doesn’t Jellyfin operate the same way?
I’m not sure there is any difference.
Plex has an automatic proxy service hosted by their public servers. If you haven't or can't configure port forwarding correctly, plex will route the connection through their own servers.
The problem is, that also means Plex co has total control over your server and the data sent between it and clients if they so choose. Anything from quietly logging the data sent back and fourth, to controlling who can connect and what they can do while they are.
Jellyfin has to be correctly exposed to the internet via port forwarding or tools like tailscale/a vpn; but it's entirely your server under your control. You have ultimate control over how your server can be accessed, but that also means you're responsible for actually setting that up.
Thanks! It’s been so long since I’ve used plex. I didn’t know they offered their own proxy service now.
No, not at all. Jellyfin you'd have to setup a proxy or some kind of VPN like tailscale for the remote client to be able to access the media. I started to try and figure it all out when I first set up my server but as I have said in another reply j dont really care to waste the time learning how to do it in a secure manner and minimise the friction on my other users so I dont know the ins and outs but jellyfin you absolutely can't just tick a box and share a library.
Also jellyfin meta data analysis was shit compared to Plex and so I'd have to spend even more time actually managing the server that I dont have to do with Plex.
Jellyfin is free open source software, they don't have the money to provide free proxies to their users.
I mean Plex is not free, you pay for those services.
It does not, not at all.