Extra Privacy for Prowlarr 🔒

While downloading .torrent files isn’t usually illegal, some ISPs might try to block your access to indexers. Let’s fix that by putting Prowlarr behind your VPN!

Why Put Prowlarr Behind the VPN? 🤔

Bypass ISP Blocks: Some ISPs block torrent indexer websites
Extra Privacy: Keep your searches private
Better Access: Reach indexers that might be geo-blocked in your country

Configuration Steps 🛠️

We’ll need to modify two services in your docker-compose.yaml file: Prowlarr and Gluetun. Let’s do this step by step!

Step 1: Modify Prowlarr’s Config

First, let’s update Prowlarr to use the VPN network. Open your docker-compose.yaml and find the Prowlarr service:

prowlarr:
    image: lscr.io/linuxserver/prowlarr
    container_name: prowlarr
    # Delete or comment out the 'ports' section
    # ports:
    #   - 9696:9696
    network_mode: "service:gluetun"  # Add this line
    environment:
      - PUID=${PUID}
      - PGID=${PGID}
    volumes:
      - ${INSTALL_DIRECTORY}/config/prowlarr:/config
    restart: unless-stopped

Key changes:

Remove or comment out the ports section
Add network_mode: "service:gluetun"

Step 2: Update Gluetun’s Config

Now we need to tell Gluetun to handle Prowlarr’s traffic. Find the Gluetun service in your docker-compose.yaml:

gluetun:
    image: qmcgaw/gluetun:v3
    container_name: gluetun
    cap_add:
      - NET_ADMIN
    devices:
      - /dev/net/tun:/dev/net/tun
    ports:
      - 8888:8888/tcp   # HTTP proxy
      - 8388:8388/tcp   # Shadowsocks
      - 8388:8388/udp   # Shadowsocks
      - 8080:8080/tcp   # gluetun
      - 9696:9696/tcp   # Add this line for Prowlarr
    # Leave the rest as is

Key changes:

Add 9696:9696/tcp to the ports

Step 3: Apply the Changes 🔄

Save your changes and restart YAMS:

yams restart

Step 4: Update Prowlarr’s Application Connections 🔗

Because Prowlarr is now routing its traffic through the VPN (Gluetun), it won’t be able to resolve the internal Docker service names (like radarr, sonarr, lidarr) directly. You’ll need to update the “Host” or “Server” settings for your connected applications within Prowlarr’s “Apps” configuration to use their specific IP addresses.

Access Prowlarr: Go to http://your-ip:9696
Navigate to Settings > Apps: Click on the “Apps” tab.

Edit Each Application: For Radarr, Sonarr, and Lidarr, click on their respective entries to edit them.

For Sonarr:

Change the “Sonarr Server” URL from http://sonarr:8989 to http://172.18.0.13:8989.
Ensure “Prowlarr Server” is set to http://your-host-ip:9696 (replace your-host-ip with the actual IP address of your YAMS host, e.g., 192.168.0.190).
Click “Test” and then “Save”.

For Radarr:

Change the “Radarr Server” URL from http://radarr:7878 to http://172.18.0.14:7878.
Ensure “Prowlarr Server” is set to http://your-host-ip:9696 (replace your-host-ip with the actual IP address of your YAMS host, e.g., 192.168.0.190).
Click “Test” and then “Save”.

For Lidarr (Optional, if you want to use Lidarr):

If you haven’t added Lidarr yet, click the + button, select “Lidarr”.
Set “Prowlarr Server” to http://your-host-ip:9696 (replace your-host-ip with the actual IP address of your YAMS host, e.g., 192.168.0.190).
Set “Lidarr Server” to http://172.18.0.15:8686 (assuming Lidarr uses port 8686).
Paste your Lidarr API Key.
Click “Test” and then “Save”.

After updating all applications, click “Sync App Indexers” on the main Apps page.

Testing Your Setup 🎯

After YAMS restarts, check that:

You can still access Prowlarr at http://your-ip:9696
Your indexers still work
The search function works correctly

Troubleshooting 🔧

Can’t Access Prowlarr?

Check Gluetun’s logs:

docker logs gluetun

Verify your subnet setting is correct
Make sure the port mapping is right in both services

Indexers Not Working?

Check your VPN connection:

yams check-vpn

Try accessing an indexer manually through Prowlarr
Check Prowlarr’s logs for any errors

Still Having Issues?

Compare your configuration with the examples above
Make sure your VPN provider allows port forwarding
Try a different VPN server

Pro Tips 💡

Speed Matters: Choose a VPN server close to you for better performance
Regular Checks: Use yams check-vpn to verify your VPN is working
Monitor Logs: Keep an eye on both Prowlarr and Gluetun logs for issues

Need Help? 🆘

If you’re stuck:

Check the Common Issues page
Visit the YAMS Forum
Join our Discord or Matrix chat

Remember: Taking a few extra steps for privacy is always worth it! Stay safe out there! 🛡️

Advanced

Running Prowlarr Behind the VPN