Installation

Runtime matrix (pick the row that matches your host)

Host	Container runtime	Status today	What to do
Bazzite (immutable, SteamOS/Deck)	Docker Engine + Compose v2	Active / validated for full stack	Use Docker Compose v2 for the full stack; validate with sudo docker compose ps and docker compose version.
Bazzite (scoped/light services only)	Podman rootless	Available but not full-stack supported	Use only when a specific scoped service explicitly documents Podman support.
Generic Linux	Docker + Compose v2	Install via distro packages or Docker CE	Ensure docker compose version works.
Minimal / no daemon	Podman rootless	Use podman compose equivalents	Some compose v2 features may differ.

Historical note: older setup notes warned not to reboot while long rsync/transfers were running. Current docs treat Docker Engine + Compose v2 as the validated full-stack runtime.

Prerequisites

• 8–16 GB RAM (more helps indexing/transcoding)
• Storage mounted and writable (see paths below)
• For Docker: working docker compose version
• For Podman: podman --version and podman info --debug

Paths (used by the stack)

• Media root (books): /var/mnt/fast8tb/Cloud/OneDrive
  • Comics: /var/mnt/fast8tb/Cloud/OneDrive/Books/Comics
  • Ebooks (planned layout): /var/mnt/fast8tb/Cloud/OneDrive/Books/Ebooks
  • Audiobooks: /var/mnt/fast8tb/Cloud/OneDrive/Books/Audiobooks
  • Configs: /var/mnt/fast8tb/Cloud/OneDrive/*Config
• Media root (video): /var/mnt/fast8tb/Local/media
• OneDrive source (GVFS): /run/user/1000/gvfs/onedrive:host=gmail.com,user=J3lanzone/Bundles_b896e2bb7ca3447691823a44c4ad6ad7/Books/Comics/

Clone and configure

git clone https://github.com/Aristoddle/usenet-media-stack.git
cd usenet-media-stack
cp .env.example .env   # fill in your API keys (Prowlarr/NZBs, etc.)

First bring-up (after choosing runtime)

• Reading Stack (portable): docker compose -f docker-compose.reading.yml up -d - includes Komga, Kavita, Audiobookshelf, Prowlarr, and portable download clients. Works without external drive pool.
• Full Stack (with pool): docker compose up -d - adds Plex, Sonarr, Radarr, Tdarr, and pool-dependent services.
• Smart Start (auto-detect): ./scripts/smart-start.sh up - detects available storage and starts appropriate stack.

Verify

• Komga: http://localhost:8081 (after comics sync, add library /comics).
• Reading stack (after Docker): Audiobookshelf :13378.

Notes on OneDrive comics sync

• Active user service: rsync-comics.service (systemd-run). Monitor: journalctl --user -u rsync-comics -f.
• Do not reboot until that job and other transfers finish.