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/
🌐 Reverse-Proxy Ready
nginx location /username/nzbget with HTTP auth backed by htpasswd
📜 Post-Processing
Built-in scripts copied to /home/
🔐 TLS Artifacts
Self-signed certs and CA bundle created under /home/
Usenet Provider Required
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
Prerequisites
- QuickBox Pro v3 installed and up to date
- Target QuickBox user exists (qb user create)
- Usenet provider + indexer credentials ready
- Dashboard/nginx working over HTTPS (QuickBox default)
What you get
- Per-user NZBGet binary/config at
/opt/username/NZBGetand/home/username/.config/NZBGet - Reverse-proxied access at
https://yourserver.com/username/nzbget/ - Auto-assigned Control/Secure ports written to service + nginx (check dashboard or
/etc/nginx/software/username.nzbget.conf) - Managed systemd service
nzbget@usernamewith journalctl logs
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.
Proxy details
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.
First Login
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@usernameService definition highlights:
[Unit]
Description=NZBGet Daemon
Documentation=http://nzbget.net/Documentation
After=network.target
[Service]
Type=forking
User=%i
Group=%i
ExecStart=/opt/%i/NZBGet/nzbget -c /home/%i/.config/NZBGet/nzbget.conf -D
ExecStop=/opt/%i/NZBGet/nzbget -Q
ExecReload=/opt/%i/NZBGet/nzbget -O
KillMode=process
Restart=on-failure
[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.targetService file values explained
-c /home/%i/.config/NZBGet/nzbget.conf: Specifies the user config file location.-D: Starts NZBGet as a daemon (forks to background).-Q: Stops NZBGet gracefully.-O: Reloads the NZBGet configuration without stopping the service.
%iis replaced with the username when the service is started (e.g.,nzbget@username).Type=forkingindicates that the service will fork a child process and the parent will exit, which is typical for daemon processes.KillMode=processensures that only the main process is killed on stop/restart, leaving any child processes intact.Restart=on-failureconfigures the service to automatically restart if it crashes.
Logs
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.
What the script does
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/Not seeing the URL Base option?
If you are not seeing the URL Base field, click the cog icon to enable advanced settings in the download client configuration.
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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