Ether: a self-hosted media server that speaks Jellyfin, Emby, Plex, Stremio and WebDAV from one install, with no local library
Disclosure: I'm the developer of Ether. It is free, GPL-3.0 open source, and I am not selling anything.
I hosted Plex for 10 years and was a software developer before AI coding tools came along. Over the last few years I got tired of two things: being locked into one company's client ecosystem, and babysitting a fragile stack of rclone mounts, zurg, containers, etc.
Ether is a single self-hosted server that speaks the native protocols of the media apps you already use, so you can switch away from Plex (or mix and match clients across your house) without rebuilding your server or maintaining a local disk library.
What it does
- One server for almost any client app: serves Jellyfin and Emby apps (Infuse, Swiftfin, official Jellyfin/Emby clients), Plex apps, Silo, Stremio, DLNA, and WebDAV from the same backend and watch state.
- No local library or mounts needed: streams on demand straight from debrid services (Real-Debrid, TorBox, and others) and Usenet RAR5 archives, with built-in indexer search (Newznab, Torznab, Prowlarr, Torrentio, and Stremio add-ons).
- Playable-only TMDB catalogue: builds its own catalogue from TMDB and only shows new movies once a playable release actually exists, so your home screen is not full of unplayable cinema listings.
- Home screen, collections, and Live TV: includes personalised Home rows, a collections studio, and Live TV with virtual channels.
- Easy to run anywhere: web owner console with guided setup in 19 languages, native installers for macOS, Windows, and Linux (deb/rpm), plus Docker, backed by SQLite or PostgreSQL with optional high-availability clustering.
Source code and install guides (GPL-3.0):
braedonsaunders/ether
Happy to answer questions, hear what clients you use, or take bug reports.
14 points · 12 comments
Real-Debrid straight into the official Plex apps. No zurg, no rclone, no arr stack. Free and open source.
>Ether is a self-hosted server that the official Plex apps see as a normal Plex Media Server. The library is the TMDB catalogue. Press Play and it streams a cached release from your Real-Debrid account. No mounts, no library scans, nothing to request or download first.
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>It covers most of the usual stack in one install:
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>What the usual stack doesn't do:
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>Your RD account:
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>Plex: every official app works (Apple TV, Roku, Fire TV, Shield, smart TVs, iOS, Android, web). Remote streaming needs Plex Pass or a Remote Watch Pass, same as any Plex server. It runs next to your existing PMS and can import your watch history from it.
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>Install: Docker (Unraid, TrueNAS and Synology templates), Windows, macOS, deb/rpm. Open :32400/ether/, sign in with Plex, paste your RD key, a source (Torrentio or your Prowlarr) and a free TMDB key.
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>GPL-3.0 and free: braedonsaunders/ether
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>It's v0.2, so expect rough edges. Built by a 10-year Plex host and long-time developer with heavy AI assistance, backed by 2,600+ tests and protocol checks against a real Plex server. Questions and bug reports welcome.
147 points · 141 comments
Mentions
Ether: a self-hosted media server that speaks Jellyfin, Emby, Plex, Stremio and WebDAV from one install, with no local library Disclosure: I'm the developer of Ether. It is free, GPL-3.0 open source, and I am not selling anything. I hosted Plex for 10 years and was a software developer before AI coding tools came along. Over the last few years I got tired of two things: being locked into one company's client ecosystem, and babysitting a fragile stack of rclone mounts, zurg, containers, etc. Ether is a single self-hosted server that speaks the native protocols of the media apps you already use, so you can switch away from Plex (or mix and match clients across your house) without rebuilding your server or maintaining a local disk library. What it does - One server for almost any client app: serves Jellyfin and Emby apps (Infuse, Swiftfin, official Jellyfin/Emby clients), Plex apps, Silo, Stremio, DLNA, and WebDAV from the same backend and watch state. - No local library or mounts needed: streams on demand straight from debrid services (Real-Debrid, TorBox, and others) and Usenet RAR5 archives, with built-in indexer search (Newznab, Torznab, Prowlarr, Torrentio, and Stremio add-ons). - Playable-only TMDB catalogue: builds its own catalogue from TMDB and only shows new movies once a playable release actually exists, so your home screen is not full of unplayable cinema listings. - Home screen, collections, and Live TV: includes personalised Home rows, a collections studio, and Live TV with virtual channels. - Easy to run anywhere: web owner console with guided setup in 19 languages, native installers for macOS, Windows, and Linux (deb/rpm), plus Docker, backed by SQLite or PostgreSQL with optional high-availability clustering. Source code and install guides (GPL-3.0): braedonsaunders/ether Happy to answer questions, hear what clients you use, or take bug reports.
Built a pure-Go server that speaks the Plex protocol natively. Open any official Plex app—the entire TMDB catalog is already there. Press Play and it streams byte ranges on the fly from Usenet RARs or Debrid. No *arr stack. No FUSE mounts. braedonsaunders/ether
Real-Debrid straight into the official Plex apps. No zurg, no rclone, no arr stack. Free and open source. >Ether is a self-hosted server that the official Plex apps see as a normal Plex Media Server. The library is the TMDB catalogue. Press Play and it streams a cached release from your Real-Debrid account. No mounts, no library scans, nothing to request or download first. > >It covers most of the usual stack in one install: > > > >What the usual stack doesn't do: > > > >Your RD account: > > > >Plex: every official app works (Apple TV, Roku, Fire TV, Shield, smart TVs, iOS, Android, web). Remote streaming needs Plex Pass or a Remote Watch Pass, same as any Plex server. It runs next to your existing PMS and can import your watch history from it. > >Install: Docker (Unraid, TrueNAS and Synology templates), Windows, macOS, deb/rpm. Open :32400/ether/, sign in with Plex, paste your RD key, a source (Torrentio or your Prowlarr) and a free TMDB key. > >GPL-3.0 and free: braedonsaunders/ether > >It's v0.2, so expect rough edges. Built by a 10-year Plex host and long-time developer with heavy AI assistance, backed by 2,600+ tests and protocol checks against a real Plex server. Questions and bug reports welcome.
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