Mac Mini NAS/Media Center

[AngelaHornung]

I was given a 2012 Mac Mini with an i7 that I upgraded to 16GB of RAM free of charge as it was heading to recycling. Currently the device has a 128GB SSD that I threw in. The machine fits in with my Mac set up and appears quite capable. My hope is to turn it into a NAS/Media Center to run a local mini personal Netflix for my network that I can load onto my Mac, Xbox Series X and iPhone while home. The media will be ripped backups of my blu-rays. I'm going to put in a second 5TB SSD to hold the actual files while the 128GB SSD will simply act as the boot drive and the device will be hooked to my network via an ethernet cable. Here is what I'm looking for:

 

• I need the device to run headless (by this I mean no peripherals, simply login via a web browser or terminal) that way I don't need a second keyboard, mouse and display or to change them around when needing to do something on the device.
• I need something that can put my movies back together as some of them when copied have the movie separated into a bunch of different clips each an independent section of the overall film.

 

Any suggestions?

[BoomerDutch]

Well the easy option that i know is using docker desktop and setup media stuff and WebUI like portainer-ce to manage docker through browser.

 

There's probably better way but unfortunately I'm not apple user.

 

If you haven't found better way for while then feel free to mention @BoomerDutch if you have decided to try this way.

[johnt]

I highly recommend Ubuntu Server for the main OS and then install docker/docker-compose plugin over it for your apps. I haven't found anything this combination can't handle. You will need a mouse, kb, and screen for your install. Ensure SSH is enabled during install (the installer prompts you for it) and when the OS is installed, you never need to connect a mouse and kb again.

 

I recommend Jellyfin for your media server if you are going to keep it on your LAN only. I would encourage you move to Plex if you want streaming outside your home regularly. You need a stronger program for the security if you are going to constantly leave a port open on your router to that app (for streaming outside your LAN). Also, make sure you establish a really strong password for it. If you want more polish and flexibility, I would also recommend Plex for this. The problem is that it isn't free to do more of the "advanced" things like hardware transcoding.

 

I have no clue what happened to your movie clips. It's possibly you have a less robust player that does not know how to handle files from a disc, or it's also possible that you ripped the movies incorrectly because it does not require more than copy and paste. Consider using a free program called handbrake to rip your discs into a single mp4/mkv file.

[AngelaHornung]

On 5/19/2025 at 4:48 PM, johnt said:

I highly recommend Ubuntu Server for the main OS and then install docker/docker-compose plugin over it for your apps. I haven't found anything this combination can't handle. You will need a mouse, kb, and screen for your install. Ensure SSH is enabled during install (the installer prompts you for it) and when the OS is installed, you never need to connect a mouse and kb again.

 

I recommend Jellyfin for your media server if you are going to keep it on your LAN only. I would encourage you move to Plex if you want streaming outside your home regularly. You need a stronger program for the security if you are going to constantly leave a port open on your router to that app (for streaming outside your LAN). Also, make sure you establish a really strong password for it. If you want more polish and flexibility, I would also recommend Plex for this. The problem is that it isn't free to do more of the "advanced" things like hardware transcoding.

 

I have no clue what happened to your movie clips. It's possibly you have a less robust player that does not know how to handle files from a disc, or it's also possible that you ripped the movies incorrectly because it does not require more than copy and paste. Consider using a free program called handbrake to rip your discs into a single mp4/mkv file.

For Plex what kind of security recommendations would be required? I've opened a port for a Minecraft server for a bit and as far as I'm aware I haven't had any issues yet (knock on wood). I'm interested in streaming remotely, though really the local stuff is what's required as I don't leave home often. Via Ubuntu Server I could just SSH and manage via terminal if I'm not mistaken (been a while since I've played with it).

[johnt]

7 hours ago, AngelaHornung said:

For Plex what kind of security recommendations would be required? I've opened a port for a Minecraft server for a bit and as far as I'm aware I haven't had any issues yet (knock on wood). I'm interested in streaming remotely, though really the local stuff is what's required as I don't leave home often. Via Ubuntu Server I could just SSH and manage via terminal if I'm not mistaken (been a while since I've played with it).

It's the other way around... Jellyfin is an open source project, so it's somewhat primitive in its security. It offers a password at the landing page, which to my knowledge, does not have any lock outs, maximum attempts, etc. Whereas Plex requires you to have an account to stream remotely and it does have 2 factor authentication if you enable it. Both offer file management, so you can technically delete files through the interface, so there is always that risk if someone hacks into your account. But that is why I suggest a real, strong password for your account. Don't use something easy. 

 

Edit: Also, Plex can be setup to send you notifications of account log ins, streaming attempts, etc. I have not heard as much functionality with Jellyfin.

 

But I would still start with Jellyfin for local streaming and then venture out.