go install github.com/anacrolix/dms@latest

Go must be installed and $GOPATH/bin (or $HOME/go/bin) must be in your PATH.

docker pull ghcr.io/anacrolix/dms:latest
docker run -d --network host -v /path/to/media:/dmsdir ghcr.io/anacrolix/dms:latest

--network host is required for SSDP/UPnP discovery to work.

A sample service file is provided at helpers/systemd/dms.service. Copy it to /etc/systemd/system/ and adjust the ExecStart path and media directory as needed.

Install the service file at helpers/bsd/dms to /etc/rc.d or /usr/local/etc/rc.d, then add to /etc/rc.conf:

dms_enable="YES"
dms_root="/path/to/my/media"   # optional
dms_user="myuser"              # optional

Pre-built binaries use dynamic linking that doesn't work on NixOS. Install from source instead:

go install github.com/anacrolix/dms@latest

Pass -config /path/to/config.json. Example:

{
  "path": "/path/to/media",
  "friendlyName": "My Media Server",
  "noTranscode": true,
  "deviceIcon": "/path/to/icon.png",
  "deviceIconSizes": ["48:512", "128:512"]
}

Config file keys match the flag names (camelCase). Note: allowedIps in config files was broken before v1.7.2 — upgrade if you see issues.

dms serves a single root path. To serve multiple directories, create a parent directory and use symlinks:

mkdir ~/media
ln -s /path/to/movies ~/media/movies
ln -s /path/to/music ~/media/music
dms -path ~/media

Use -allowedIps with a comma-separated list of IPs or CIDR ranges:

dms -allowedIps 192.168.1.0/24,10.0.0.1

Use -http :8080 (default is :1338). To listen on IPv6 only: -http [::]:1338. To listen on all interfaces including IPv6: -http [::]:1338.

dms -friendlyName "Living Room Server"

dms -ignoreHidden -ignoreUnreadable

dms -ignore thumbnails,thumbs,.git

dms -notifyInterval 60s

Default is 30s.

dms -ifname eth0

ffmpeg (or avconv) is optional. Without it, dms serves files directly. With it, dms can:

• Transcode video to mpeg2 PAL-DVD or WebM/VP8 (e.g. for Chromecast)
• Generate thumbnails (requires ffmpegthumbnailer separately)

dms -noTranscode

Or in config: "noTranscode": true

dms -forceTranscodeTo chromecast   # WebM/VP8
dms -forceTranscodeTo vp8          # VP8

dms -noProbe

This disables bitrate/duration metadata but improves startup time on large libraries.

dms scans directories on demand rather than at startup, but older versions had a bug where childCount triggered a full recursive scan. This was fixed — upgrade to v1.7.0 or later.

Subtitle files are served, but client support varies. Most DLNA renderers need to handle subtitle loading themselves. This is a known limitation — see issue #140.

Yes, audio files are served directly. If they're not appearing, check that the files have standard media extensions and are readable. Run with -logHeaders to see what the client is requesting.

dms prefers ffmpeg/ffprobe and falls back to avconv/avprobe. Ensure ffmpeg is in your PATH and it will be used automatically.

Enable dynamic streams with -allowDynamicStreams and create a .dms.json file in your media directory:

{
  "Title": "My Camera",
  "Resources": [
    {
      "MimeType": "video/webm",
      "Command": "ffmpeg -i rtsp://camera-ip:554/stream -c:v copy -c:a copy -f matroska -"
    }
  ]
}

• Panasonic Viera TVs
• BubbleUPnP and AirWire (Android)
• Chromecast
• VLC (desktop and mobile)
• LG Smart TVs (with varying success)
• Roku devices
• Apple TV 4K (via VLC or 8player)
• iOS VLC and 8player

Samsung TVs can be picky about DLNA conformance. Try:

1. Running without transcoding: dms -noTranscode
2. If pause/seek doesn't work, this is a known issue (#165) — Samsung requires specific DLNA headers for transport control.
3. For Samsung Frame TVs, ensure you're on v1.6.0 or later (#110).

Try the -stallEventSubscribe workaround:

dms -stallEventSubscribe

This was added specifically for older LG TVs that send malformed event subscription requests.

Windows 10's DLNA discovery uses UPnP multicast. Make sure:

• Your firewall allows UDP port 1900 (SSDP) and TCP port 1338 (HTTP)
• dms is bound to the correct network interface (-ifname)
• You're on the same subnet (DLNA does not cross routers by default)

DLNA relies on multicast which doesn't cross network boundaries. Use dlna-proxy to bridge between segments.

With very large libraries (e.g. 26k+ tracks), each browse triggers ffprobe on new files, which accumulates processes. Use -noProbe to disable ffprobe entirely, or use -noTranscode -noProbe if you don't need transcoding features. See issue #105.

1. Ensure dms is running and listening: curl http://localhost:1338/rootDesc.xml
2. Check that UDP port 1900 is not blocked by a firewall
3. Try specifying the interface: dms -ifname eth0
4. On multi-homed hosts, try each interface name until one works
5. If using Docker, ensure --network host is set

This is normal — it happens when a client stops playback before the transcode is finished. The errors are benign. See issue #129.

This was fixed in a recent version. Upgrade to the latest release. If still broken, ensure the symlink target is readable by the user running dms.

Always use an absolute path with -path:

dms -path /home/user/media   # correct
dms -path ~/media            # may not work in all shells

There is no -verbose flag currently (#126). Run with -logHeaders to see HTTP request/response headers. Transcode logs go to ~/.dms/log/ by default; change with -transcodeLogPattern.

dms -transcodeLogPattern /dev/null

A close of closed channel panic on Close() was fixed in v1.7.0. Upgrade if you're hitting this.