Self-hosting Prowlarr the easy way

Prowlarr is an indexer manager and proxy built on the popular arr stack. It integrates with apps like Sonarr, Radarr, and Lidarr to manage all your indexers from a single UI. Instead of configuring indexers in each app separately, Prowlarr syncs them everywhere at once.

Sliplane is a managed container platform that makes self-hosting painless. With one-click deployment, you can get Prowlarr up and running in minutes - no server setup, no reverse proxy config, no infrastructure to maintain.

Prerequisites

Before deploying, ensure you have a Sliplane account (free trial available).

Quick start

Sliplane provides one-click deployment with presets.

Deploy Prowlarr >

1. Click the deploy button above
2. Select a project
3. Select a server. If you just signed up you get a 48-hour free trial server
4. Click Deploy!

About the preset

The one-click deploy above uses Sliplane's Prowlarr preset. Here's what's included:

• LinuxServer.io image (lscr.io/linuxserver/prowlarr) for reliable, well-maintained builds
• Specific version tag (2.3.5.5327-ls141) for stability - check Docker Hub for newer versions
• Persistent storage mounted to /config so your indexer configs, databases, and settings survive restarts and redeployments
• Timezone set to Europe/Berlin by default (customizable via the TZ environment variable)
• Health check on /ping to monitor container status

Next steps

Once Prowlarr is running, access it at the domain Sliplane provides (e.g. prowlarr-xxxx.sliplane.app).

First-time setup

Prowlarr has no default credentials. On first launch, the web UI walks you through initial setup. You'll want to:

1. Set an authentication method (Forms or Basic) under Settings > General > Security
2. Add your indexers under Indexers > Add Indexer
3. Connect your arr apps (Sonarr, Radarr, Lidarr, etc.) under Settings > Apps

Environment variables

You can customize these environment variables in the Sliplane service settings:

Logging

Prowlarr logs to STDOUT by default, which works well with Sliplane's built-in log viewer. You can also find log files inside the /config/logs/ directory on the persistent volume. For general Docker logging tips, check out our post on how to use Docker logs.

Troubleshooting

If Prowlarr isn't starting properly, check the logs in Sliplane's log viewer. Common issues include:

• Port conflicts: The preset is pre-configured to use port 9696 internally, so this should work out of the box
• Permission errors: Make sure PUID and PGID match if you're mounting external volumes
• Indexer connection issues: Check that your indexer credentials are correct and the indexer site is reachable

Cost comparison

Here's how Sliplane stacks up against other cloud providers for hosting Prowlarr:

FAQ

What is Prowlarr used for?

Prowlarr acts as a central hub for managing indexers across all your arr apps. Instead of adding and updating indexers in Sonarr, Radarr, and Lidarr individually, you configure them once in Prowlarr and it syncs everything automatically.

How do I connect Prowlarr to Sonarr or Radarr?

Go to Settings > Apps in Prowlarr and click the plus icon. Select the app you want to connect (Sonarr, Radarr, etc.), enter the URL and API key of that app, and save. Prowlarr will sync your indexers to the connected app automatically.

How do I update Prowlarr?

Change the image tag in your Sliplane service settings and redeploy. Check Docker Hub for the latest stable version. Your configuration is stored on the persistent volume, so it won't be lost during updates.

Can I run Prowlarr alongside other arr apps on Sliplane?

Yes. You can deploy Sonarr, Radarr, Lidarr, and other services as separate containers on the same Sliplane server. They can communicate with each other over Sliplane's internal network using their .internal hostnames.

Does Prowlarr support Usenet and torrents?

Yes. Prowlarr supports both Usenet (NZB) and torrent indexers. You can add any combination of indexer types and Prowlarr will route searches to the appropriate ones based on your configuration.