NZBGet
High-performance Usenet downloader with web interface
NZBGet is a binary downloader that retrieves files from Usenet based on NZB files. Written in C++, NZBGet is renowned for its extraordinary performance and efficiency—using minimal CPU and memory while maximizing download speeds. On QuickBox, NZBGet runs as a per-user daemon with its binary at /opt/username/NZBGet/nzbget and a web interface published through the nginx reverse proxy.
Per-User Binary
Dedicated binary in /opt/<user>/NZBGet with user-owned permissions
Reverse-Proxy Ready
nginx location /username/nzbget with HTTP auth backed by htpasswd
Post-Processing
Built-in scripts copied to /home/<user>/.config/NZBGet/scripts
TLS Artifacts
Self-signed certs and CA bundle created under /home/<user>/.ssl
NZBGet requires a Usenet provider subscription and an indexer to obtain NZB files. Configure your provider credentials in the NZBGet web interface after installation.
Installation
Have your Usenet provider (news server) and indexer credentials ready — you enter them in the NZBGet web interface after installation.
Install from the Dashboard
Open App Dashboard → Package Management (/dashboard?mode=packages), find NZBGet in the catalog (browse Download Clients or search), and click Install. The dashboard streams the install log live and NZBGet appears in your Application Control panel when it finishes. Reinstall, Update, and Remove are available from the same panel.
What you see and can manage is gated by your account: admins manage any user’s apps; regular users manage their own. For the full package flow see App Management.
Install from the CLI (automation)
The CLI runs the same install and is suited to automation and scripting:
qb install nzbget -u usernameCLI Options
-u, --usernameRequiredTarget QuickBox username for install/remove/update operations
Directory Layout
Network & Access
NZBGet binds to localhost on auto-assigned Control/Secure ports (defaults start at 6789/6791 if free). QuickBox publishes the UI through nginx at:
https://yourserver.com/username/nzbget/Auth: nginx uses Basic Auth with /etc/htpasswd.d/htpasswd.username (your QuickBox credentials). Upstream NZBGet control credentials are set to the same username/password and bound to 127.0.0.1.
Traffic terminates at nginx over HTTPS, then proxies to http://127.0.0.1:<assigned_port>/username/nzbget (port is assigned during install and written to the service/nginx configs). The self-signed SecurePort is present but not used by the reverse proxy.
After installation, access the web interface to configure your Usenet provider (news servers), indexers, and download categories.
Services
NZBGet uses a templated systemd unit (nzbget@.service) running as a forking daemon:
# Check status
systemctl status nzbget@username
# View logs
journalctl -u nzbget@username -f
# Restart service
systemctl restart nzbget@username
# Reload configuration
systemctl reload nzbget@usernameThe service starts NZBGet as a forking daemon and restarts it automatically on failure.
Runtime logs live at /home/username/.config/NZBGet/nzbget.log.
FileBot Post-Processing (courtesy setup)
QuickBox can wire NZBGet to FileBot during FileBot installation:
- Install FileBot with the NZBGet option:
qb install filebot -u username -o nzbget -mp /path/to/media- QuickBox drops
~/.config/NZBGet/scripts/nzbget-postprocess.shand rewrites it with your username and media path. - In NZBGet → Settings → Extension Scripts, add
nzbget-postprocess.shand enable it for relevant categories.
Invokes /usr/local/bin/username/filebot with the AMC preset, duplicates to your media path, skips conflicts, and honors /home/username/.filebot/.excludes.
Integrations
NZBGet Integrations
NZBGet works seamlessly with media automation tools.
Configuration
You can connect *arr apps directly to NZBGet by providing the following details in their download client settings:
localhost443/username/nzbget/If you are not seeing the URL Base field, click the cog icon to enable advanced settings in the download client configuration.
Troubleshooting
Downloads / browse index page not loading
QuickBox builds a per-user nginx fancyindex view of each user’s completed downloads, and NZBGet’s completed folder is included in it. This browse index is a single shared per-user config — /etc/nginx/software/username.dlindex.conf — that covers every download client that user has installed, not NZBGet alone. It has no service of its own.
Symptoms
- The per-user downloads / file-browse index page fails to load — returns a 502 or 404, shows blank, or errors — while the rest of the dashboard works normally
- Only the directory-listing page is affected; NZBGet itself keeps running
Resolution
- Rebuild for one user: qb fix dlindex -u username
- Rebuild for all users: qb fix dlindex
- The fix re-renders /etc/nginx/software/username.dlindex.conf, runs nginx -t, and reloads nginx only on a successful test
- See the qb fix reference: /docs/cli-reference/fix#fix-dlindex
The same fix applies to the browse page for every download client — see the Download Clients overview.
Best Practices
Do
- Configure multiple news servers for redundancy and completion.
- Use SSL connections to your Usenet provider.
- Keep categories aligned with your
`*arr`apps and FileBot scripts. - Use
qb update nzbgetto pull the latest nzbgetcom/nzbget binary.
Don't
- Do not manually edit systemd or nginx files—use
qbcommands. - Do not store completed downloads in the intermediate folder.
Additional Resources
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