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NZBHydra2

NZBHydra2

Usenet meta-search aggregator for multiple indexers

NZBHydra2 is a meta search for NZB indexers. It provides easy access to a number of raw and newznab based indexers, allowing you to search all your indexers from one place and use it as an indexer source for tools like Sonarr, Radarr, or CouchPotato. QuickBox Pro installs NZBHydra2 from the latest GitHub release at /opt/username/NZBHydra2 with a Python 3 wrapper and automatic nginx reverse proxy configuration.

🔍 Unified Search

Search multiple Usenet indexers simultaneously from a single interface

📊 Statistics & History

Track search performance, download history, and indexer usage statistics

🔄 Automatic Fallback

Automatically retry failed searches on alternative indexers

⚙️ Indexer Management

Configure and prioritize indexers with custom search categories

🎯 API Integration

Newznab and Torznab API support for seamless *arr app integration

📈 Performance Tracking

Monitor response times, success rates, and indexer health from dashboard

No Java Required

NZBHydra2 v5+ ships a self-contained native binary—Java is not required. QuickBox Pro installs NZBHydra2 with a Python 3 wrapper and no additional runtime dependencies.

Installation

Symptoms

  • QuickBox Pro v3 installed and configured
  • Multiple Usenet indexers with API access
  • At least one *arr app installed (Sonarr, Radarr, etc.)
  • User account created on the server

Resolution

  • Use QuickBox's qb command for installation
  • No additional runtime dependencies required
  • Per-user installation with isolated settings

Basic Installation

Install NZBHydra2 for a specific user:

qb install nzbhydra2 -u username

CLI Commands

CommandDescription
qb install nzbhydra2 -u usernameInstall NZBHydra2 with automatic configuration
qb reinstall nzbhydra2 -u usernameReinstall NZBHydra2 (preserves configuration)
qb update nzbhydra2 -u usernameUpdate to latest GitHub release
qb remove nzbhydra2 -u usernameRemove NZBHydra2 and clean up files
qb help nzbhydra2Display comprehensive help information

Automatic Port Assignment

QuickBox automatically assigns ports starting at 5075 (auto-incremented per user). Find your assigned port in the QuickBox dashboard or in ~/.config/NZBHydra2/nzbhydra.yml.

Accessing NZBHydra2

After installation, access NZBHydra2 at:

https://your-server-ip/username/nzbhydra2

QuickBox Dashboard Integration

NZBHydra2 is automatically integrated into your QuickBox dashboard. Find it in the Service Control panel with port and status information. Click the LAUNCH icon to open the web interface.

Configuration and Files

NZBHydra2 paths and files
/
opt/
└── username/
│ └── NZBHydra2/# Application install directory
│ │ ├── core# NZBHydra2 native binary
│ │ ├── nzbhydra2wrapperPy3.py# Python 3 wrapper script (service entry point)
│ │ └── changelog.md# Release changelog
home/
└── username/
│ └── .config/
│ │ └── NZBHydra2/# User data and configuration
│ │ │ ├── nzbhydra.yml# Main configuration file
│ │ │ ├── logs//# Application log files
│ │ │ └── backup//# Internal backup directory
etc/
├── nginx/
│ └── software/
│ │ └── username.nzbhydra2.conf# Nginx reverse proxy configuration
└── systemd/
│ └── system/
│ │ └── nzbhydra2@username.service# Systemd service unit

Initial Configuration

1. Add Indexers

Configure your Usenet indexers:

  1. Navigate to Config → Indexers
  2. Click Add new indexer
  3. Select indexer type:
    • Newznab (most common)
    • Torznab (torrent indexers)
    • AnizB (anime-focused)
  4. Enter indexer details:
    • Name: Indexer name (e.g., “NZBGeek”)
    • URL: Indexer API URL
    • API Key: Your indexer API key
    • Search Categories: Configure categories to search
  5. Click Test to verify connection
  6. Save the indexer

Popular Usenet Indexers:

  • NZBGeek, NZBPlanet, NZBFinder
  • DrunkenSlug, DOGnzb, NZB.su
  • UsenetCrawler, NZBCat

2. Configure Search Settings

Optimize search behavior:

  1. Go to Config → Searching
  2. Configure options:
    • Generate queries: Enable query generation for better results
    • Timeout: Set search timeout (default: 20 seconds)
    • Remove trailing…: Clean up search queries
    • Forbid words: Block unwanted content
  3. Save configuration

3. Connect to *arr Applications

Link NZBHydra2 to your automation tools:

Sonarr/Radarr/Lidarr/Readarr:

  1. Open your *arr app
  2. Go to Settings → Indexers → Add (+)
  3. Select Newznab
  4. Enter NZBHydra2 connection details:
    • Name: “NZBHydra2”
    • URL: http://localhost:5075 (or your port)
    • API Path: /api
    • API Key: Copy from NZBHydra2 (Config → Main → API Key)
    • Categories: Select appropriate media types
  5. Click Test then Save

Single Indexer for All Apps

Configure NZBHydra2 once as an indexer in each *arr app. NZBHydra2 will automatically search all configured indexers and aggregate results.

Service Management

NZBHydra2 runs as a systemd service for reliability and automatic startup.

systemctl status nzbhydra2@username     # Check status
systemctl restart nzbhydra2@username    # Restart service
journalctl -u nzbhydra2@username -f     # View live logs
systemctl enable nzbhydra2@username     # Start on boot
systemctl disable nzbhydra2@username    # Prevent auto-start

Troubleshooting

NZBHydra2 Won’t Start

Check the service journal for errors:

journalctl -u nzbhydra2@username -f

Verify the Python wrapper and native binary are executable:

ls -la /opt/username/NZBHydra2/core /opt/username/NZBHydra2/nzbhydra2wrapperPy3.py

If permissions are wrong, reinstall to fix them:

qb reinstall nzbhydra2 -u username

v4 Dashboard Operation Logs

When installing or updating via the QuickBox dashboard, operation logs are written to /opt/v4-dashboard/var/log/username/package-install-{jobId}.log and can be viewed in the dashboard’s log viewer.

Indexer Connection Failures

Symptoms

  • Indexer test fails with API errors
  • Searches return no results from specific indexers
  • Timeout errors during searches
  • Invalid API key errors

Resolution

  • Verify API key is correct on indexer website
  • Check indexer URL includes full API endpoint
  • Test indexer directly in their web interface
  • Increase timeout in Config → Searching
  • Check indexer status page for downtime

Dependency Issues

If the service fails to start after an update, verify Python 3 is available:

# Check Python 3 is available (used by wrapper script)
python3 --version
 
# Reinstall to refresh all files and permissions
qb reinstall nzbhydra2 -u username

Permission Issues

qb fix permissions -u username
systemctl restart nzbhydra2@username

Configuration Reset

# Backup current configuration
cp ~/.config/NZBHydra2/nzbhydra.yml ~/.config/NZBHydra2/nzbhydra.yml.backup
 
# Stop service
systemctl stop nzbhydra2@username
 
# Remove configuration (will be regenerated)
rm ~/.config/NZBHydra2/nzbhydra.yml
 
# Restart service
systemctl start nzbhydra2@username

Best Practices

Do

  • Add multiple indexers for comprehensive coverage and redundancy
  • Monitor indexer statistics to identify underperforming sources
  • Configure appropriate search categories for each indexer
  • Use query generation for improved search results
  • Keep NZBHydra2 updated via qb update nzbhydra2
  • Set reasonable timeouts to balance speed and completeness
  • Review search history to optimize indexer priorities
  • Document indexer API keys in a secure password manager

Don't

  • Don't add too many slow indexers—they'll delay all searches
  • Don't share your NZBHydra2 API key publicly—grants full access
  • Don't ignore failed indexers—remove or fix them to improve performance
  • Don't use extremely short timeouts—may miss slower indexers
  • Don't forget to test indexers after adding them
  • Don't manually edit nzbhydra.yml while service is running
  • Don't expose NZBHydra2 directly to the internet without authentication
  • Don't manually edit service unit files—use qb reinstall to refresh them

FAQ

No. NZBHydra2 v5+ ships a self-contained native core binary for AMD64 and ARM64 — Java is not needed. QuickBox Pro does not install Java for NZBHydra2. Only the generic release (for exotic architectures) still requires Java 17.
The application files are installed to /opt/username/NZBHydra2. User configuration and data are stored at /home/username/.config/NZBHydra2/, with the main config at nzbhydra.yml.
Open the NZBHydra2 web interface, go to Config → Main, and look for the API Key field. Use this key when adding NZBHydra2 as an indexer in Sonarr, Radarr, or other *arr apps.
Yes. QuickBox installs NZBHydra2 per-user with isolated configuration directories and auto-incremented ports starting from 5075. Each user gets their own service unit (nzbhydra2@username) and nginx reverse proxy path.

Use Cases

  • Search multiple Usenet indexers simultaneously from a single interface
  • Aggregate results with duplicate detection and prioritization
  • Fallback to alternative indexers when primary sources fail

Automation Integration

  • Single indexer configuration in Sonarr, Radarr, and other *arr apps
  • Automatic retry logic when individual indexers return no results
  • Centralized API key management for all indexers

Statistics & Monitoring

  • Track which indexers return the best results for your content
  • Monitor response times and success rates
  • Identify failing or slow indexers before they impact downloads
🎬

Media Management

Sonarr ⭐Radarr ⭐LidarrReadarr
⬇️

Download Clients

SABnzbd ⭐NZBGet
🔍

Related Indexers

ProwlarrJackett

Additional Resources

NZBHydra2 GitHub Repository

Official source code and releases

NZBHydra2 Wiki

Comprehensive documentation and guides

NZBHydra2 Discord

Official community support server

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Media server operators sharing configs, getting support, and shaping the future of QuickBox Pro.

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