Radarr
Automated movie collection management with intelligent quality upgrades
Radarr is an independent fork of Sonarr reworked for automatically downloading movies via Usenet and BitTorrent. It monitors multiple sources for new releases, grabs them automatically, and upgrades quality when better versions become available. Inspired by CouchPotato, Radarr brings modern architecture and intelligent automation to movie library management.
🎬 Automatic Movie Downloads
Monitor movie releases and download automatically when available with quality selection
📊 Quality Profiles
Define custom quality profiles with resolution, codec, and size preferences for different categories
🔍 Metadata & Artwork
Automatic movie posters, fanart, descriptions, and ratings from multiple sources
🗂️ Smart Organization
Customizable file naming and folder structures with automatic renaming on import
🔄 Upgrade Management
Automatically upgrade existing movies when better quality releases become available
🌐 Multi-Indexer Support
Connect to multiple Usenet indexers and torrent trackers for maximum coverage
🔔 Notification System
Get notified when movies are grabbed, downloaded, or upgraded via Discord, Slack, Email, and more
⚙️ Custom Scripts
Run custom scripts on grab, download, rename, or import events for advanced automation
Installation
Prerequisites
- QuickBox Pro v3 installed and configured
- Download client installed (qBittorrent, Deluge, rTorrent, etc.)
- Media storage location configured (
/home/username/Media/Movies) - User account created on the server
What You Get
- Per-user installation with isolated configurations
- Automatic integration with your download clients
- Pre-configured nginx reverse proxy with SSL
- Auto-generated ports and API keys for security
- Systemd service for automatic startup and management
Basic Installation
Install Radarr (develop branch) for a specific user:
qb install radarr -u usernameDebian 11 (Bullseye) Compatibility
QuickBox Pro automatically applies a SQLite compatibility patch on Debian 11 systems during installation and updates—no manual intervention required.
Installation Commands
-u, --usernameRequiredSpecify the user for installation
-u john--nightlyInstall nightly branch for cutting-edge features
--4kInstall dedicated 4K instance (Radarr4K) with separate config and port
4K Instance
The --4k flag creates a separate Radarr4K instance dedicated to 4K/UHD content with its own port, configuration directory (~/.config/Radarr4K), and quality profiles—perfect for managing standard and 4K libraries separately without conflicts.
Update Branch Handling
When you run qb update radarr -u username, QuickBox automatically detects your current branch (develop or nightly) from config.xml and updates accordingly. You don’t need to specify --nightly unless you want to switch branches.
Directory Structure
Configuration Details
Standard instance:
- Install location:
/opt/username/Radarr/ - Config directory:
~/.config/Radarr/ - Database:
~/.config/Radarr/radarr.db - Service:
radarr@username.service - Default port:
7878(auto-generated if in use) - SSL port:
9898(auto-generated if in use)
4K instance (—4k flag):
- Install location:
/opt/username/Radarr4K/ - Config directory:
~/.config/Radarr4K/ - Database:
~/.config/Radarr4K/radarr.db - Service:
radarr4k@username.service - Ports: Auto-generated (typically
7879+)
Accessing Radarr
After installation, Radarr is accessible through QuickBox’s nginx reverse proxy with SSL:
https://your-server-ip/username/radarrhttps://your-server-ip/username/radarr4kQuickBox Dashboard Integration
Radarr is automatically integrated into your QuickBox dashboard. Find it in the Application Control panel with port, API key, and status information. Click the LAUNCH icon to open the web interface, or use the Package Management tab to install/remove applications.
Network Configuration
QuickBox automatically configures:
- URL Base:
/username/radarr(or/username/radarr4k) - Bind Address:
127.0.0.1(local only - proxied through nginx) - Port: Auto-assigned (typically
7878for standard,7879+for 4K) - SSL: Handled by nginx reverse proxy (port 443)
Initial Configuration
1. Configure Download Client
Navigate to Settings → Download Clients → Add (+) and select your client:
Download Client Examples
QuickBox-friendly paths and auth settings for the most common clients
Deluge
443/username/delugeFlood
443/username/floodNZBGet
443/username/nzbgetqBittorrent
443/qbittorrentrTorrent
443SABnzbd
443/username/sabnzbdTransmission
443/username/transmissionTest connection and save.
2. Add Indexers via Prowlarr (Recommended)
Prowlarr provides centralized indexer management:
- Install Prowlarr:
qb install prowlarr -u username - In Prowlarr, go to Settings → Apps
- Add Radarr as an application
- Indexers automatically sync to Radarr
Why Prowlarr?
When you add or remove indexers in Prowlarr, they automatically sync to Radarr (and Sonarr, Lidarr, etc.). This centralized management saves time and ensures consistency across all your *arr applications.
Alternative: Manual indexers via Settings → Indexers → Add (+)
3. Set Root Folder
Navigate to Settings → Media Management → Root Folders and add your movie directory:
- Standard instance:
/home/username/Media/Movies - 4K instance:
/home/username/Media/Movies-4K(separate folder recommended)
4. Quality Profiles & Upgrades
Configure quality preferences and automatic upgrades:
- Settings → Profiles
- Edit or create quality profile
- Set Upgrade Until to your desired maximum quality
- Enable Upgrades Allowed
Example workflow:
- Download WEBDL-1080p when movie is released
- Radarr automatically upgrades to Bluray-1080p when available
- Stops at your cutoff (e.g., Bluray-1080p) to avoid massive remuxes
Smart Upgrading
Set upgrade cutoffs to prevent endless upgrading. For example, setting cutoff to Bluray-1080p prevents automatic upgrades to 4K remuxes unless you specifically want them. This saves bandwidth and storage space.
5. File Naming Configuration
Settings → Media Management:
Adding Movies
- Click Movies in the main menu
- Click Add New button
- Search for your movie by title
- Select the movie from search results
- Configure:
- Root Folder: Choose storage location
- Quality Profile: Select quality tier
- Monitor: Choose monitoring option
- Click Add Movie
Monitoring Options
Service Management
Radarr runs as a systemd service for reliability and automatic startup.
Standard Instance Commands
systemctl status radarr@usernamesystemctl restart radarr@usernamesystemctl stop radarr@usernamesystemctl start radarr@usernamejournalctl -u radarr@username -fsystemctl enable radarr@usernamesystemctl disable radarr@username4K Instance Commands
systemctl status radarr4k@usernamesystemctl restart radarr4k@usernamejournalctl -u radarr4k@username -fTroubleshooting
Radarr Won’t Start (Debian 11 Bullseye)
Symptoms
- Service fails to start on Debian 11
- SQLite version errors in logs
libsqlite3.sonot found errors- Database corruption on Debian 11
Resolution
- QuickBox automatically applies SQLite patch on Debian 11
- Check patch:
ls -la /opt/username/Radarr/libe_sqlite3.so - Update to apply patch:
qb update radarr -u username - View logs:
journalctl -u radarr@username -n 50
Port Conflicts
Check current port configuration:
grep '<Port>' ~/.config/Radarr/config.xml
# Standard: 7878, 4K: Auto-generated (typically 7879+)Downloads Not Appearing
Common Issues
- No releases found in manual search
- Movies not automatically downloading
- Download client connection errors
- Movie shows as monitored but nothing happens
Quick Fixes
- Verify indexers: Settings → Indexers → Test
- Check download client: Settings → Download Clients → Test
- Ensure movie is monitored (check monitor icon)
- Try manual search: Movie page → Manual Search icon
Permission Issues
qb fix permissions -u username
systemctl restart radarr@usernameDatabase Issues
Database Problems
- Database locked errors in logs
- Radarr becomes unresponsive
- Missing movies or corrupted data
- Slow loading or timeouts
Recovery Steps
- Backup database: cp ~/.config/Radarr/...cp ~/.config/Radarr/radarr.db ~/.config/Radarr/radarr.db.backup
- Vacuum database: sqlite3 ... "VACUUM;"sqlite3 ~/.config/Radarr/radarr.db "VACUUM;"
- Check database integrity: sqlite3 ... "PRAGMA integrity_check;"sqlite3 ~/.config/Radarr/radarr.db "PRAGMA integrity_check;"
- Reinstall to attempt repair:
qb reinstall radarr -u username
Best Practices
Do
- Use Prowlarr for centralized indexer management across all *arr apps
- Set reasonable quality profiles—avoid unnecessary 4K downloads if you don't need them
- Configure proper file naming for consistent library organization
- Set up automatic backups of your Radarr database (
~/.config/Radarr/radarr.db) - Use download client categories to separate Radarr downloads
- Set upgrade cutoffs to prevent endless quality chasing
- Use separate root folders for standard and 4K instances
- Enable notifications to track downloads and failed grabs
Don't
- Don't set upgrade cutoff too high (remuxes are huge and may not be necessary)
- Don't use too many indexers—causes rate limits and excessive API hits
- Don't download to system drive—use dedicated media storage
- Don't ignore failed download warnings—investigate and resolve issues
- Don't mix standard and 4K content in same instance—use separate 4K instance
- Don't disable authentication if Radarr is exposed to the internet
- Don't ignore database backups—corruption can happen and cause data loss
- Don't manually edit the database (
radarr.db)—use the web interface
Use Cases & Workflows
Automated Movie Collection
Building a complete movie library automatically with intelligent quality management.
Workflow:
- Add movies to Radarr (manually or via Jellyseerr/Ombi/Overseerr)
- Radarr monitors indexers for releases
- Downloads best available quality immediately
- Upgrades to better quality when available
- Organizes with consistent naming and structure
Multiple Quality Tiers
Manage different quality standards for various content types.
Setup:
- Standard HD collection: Main instance with 1080p quality profile
- 4K/UHD collection: 4K instance (
--4kflag) with 4K quality profiles - Archive collection: Separate quality profile for space-saving encodes
Quality Management Strategy
Example upgrade path:
- New release → Radarr grabs WEBDL-1080p immediately
- Bluray available → Radarr upgrades automatically to Bluray-1080p
- Remux released → Stops at cutoff (Bluray-1080p) to save space
Smart Quality Management
Configure different quality profiles for different genres. For example, use high-quality profiles for action movies with lots of detail, and more compressed profiles for dialogue-heavy dramas to save storage.
Related Applications
Indexers
Download Clients
Request Management
Subtitles
Additional Resources
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