A lightweight, self-hosted dashboard for monitoring multiple Plex, Emby, and Jellyfin media servers in a unified interface.
- Unified Monitoring: View active sessions from multiple Plex, Emby, and Jellyfin servers in a single grid.
- Search & Filter: Instantly filter servers and users. Matching user sessions are displayed directly on the server card with visual icons.
- Real-time Updates: Auto-refreshing status for "Now Watching" and dashboard users.
- Dynamic Server Management: Easily add and edit servers using a modal interface with protocol selection and validation.
- Server Administration: Check for updates, install updates, and remotely restart servers via SSH (Linux) or API (Emby/Jellyfin).
- Library Management: List and trigger scans for media libraries on connected Plex, Emby, and Jellyfin servers.
- User Management: Built-in authentication with Admin and Viewer roles.
- Backup & Restore: Create and restore full system backups (ZIP) to safeguard your configuration.
- Logging System: Comprehensive system logging with a built-in "tailable" log viewer.
- Detailed Media Info: View rich media metadata, movie posters, technical details (Codecs, Resolution, Bitrate), and file paths for active sessions.
- Mobile Friendly: Responsive dark-mode UI ("MultiDash") that adapts to any screen size.
- Secure: Encrypted storage for API keys and tokens.
Secure login system with role-based access control.
Filter servers by name or currently active user. Matches are highlighted directly on the grid.
Easily add, edit, and reorder your media servers via a user-friendly modal.
View detailed server status, SSH connection state, and perform administration tasks.
Check for and install server updates directly from the dashboard (Linux/SSH only).
View rich metadata, movie posters, technical badges (resolution, codecs), and file paths for active streams.
Generate and manage SSH keys for secure server administration.
Create full backups of your dashboard configuration (servers, users, keys) and restore them easily.
Manage dashboard users directly from the interface.
View detailed system and error logs with a live tail view.
MultiDash is ready to run in Docker.
Using Docker Compose
-
Clone the repository:
git clone https://github.com/Tophicles/dash.git cd dash -
Start the container:
docker-compose up -d
-
Access the dashboard at
http://localhost:6262.
Using Docker CLI
-
Build the image:
docker build -t multidash . -
Run the container (mounting a volume for persistence):
docker run -d \ -p 6262:80 \ -v multidash-config:/config \ --name multidash \ multidash
- Web server (Apache/Nginx) with PHP 7.4+
- Write permissions for the installation directory (for JSON databases and logs)
php-curlandphp-opensslextensions enabledssh-keygen(optional, for SSH server management)
-
Clone the repository:
git clone https://github.com/yourusername/multidash.git /var/www/html/dash cd /var/www/html/dash -
Set Permissions: Ensure the web server user (e.g.,
www-data) can write to the directory.chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/html/dash chmod -R 755 /var/www/html/dash
-
Run the Wizard: Navigate to
http://your-server/dash/in your browser. You will be redirected to the setup wizard to create your admin account. -
Add Servers: Log in and use the "Add Server" button in the menu to connect your Plex, Emby, or Jellyfin instances.
- Emby/Jellyfin: Requires your server URL and an API Key.
- Plex: Requires your server URL and an X-Plex-Token.
To enable "Restart Server" and viewing real-time system stats via SSH, you must configure your media servers to accept secure, key-based SSH commands. This feature supports Linux.
Click the SSH Keys button in the top menu (under "Menu") to open the key manager. Click "Generate New Key Pair" and copy the generated Public Key.
We provide a helper script to automate the secure setup process on Linux.
- Run the Unified Command:
Open the server in the dashboard, click the SSH (Disconnected) badge, and copy the unified command.
curl -sL https://your-dashboard/os_helpers/linux_setup.sh | sudo bash -s -- "YOUR_PUBLIC_KEY"
If you prefer to configure the server manually, follow these steps:
Step 1: Create a restricted user
sudo adduser --disabled-password --gecos "" mediasvcStep 2: Add Public Key Paste the Public Key from the dashboard into the authorized_keys file:
sudo mkdir -p /home/mediasvc/.ssh
sudo bash -c 'echo "YOUR_PUBLIC_KEY_HERE" >> /home/mediasvc/.ssh/authorized_keys'
sudo chown -R mediasvc:mediasvc /home/mediasvc/.ssh
sudo chmod 700 /home/mediasvc/.ssh
sudo chmod 600 /home/mediasvc/.ssh/authorized_keysStep 3: Restrict sudo access Allow the user to only run specific service commands without a password:
sudo bash -c 'cat >> /etc/sudoers.d/mediasvc' << 'EOF'
mediasvc ALL=(ALL) NOPASSWD: \
/bin/systemctl start plexmediaserver, \
/bin/systemctl stop plexmediaserver, \
/bin/systemctl restart plexmediaserver, \
/bin/systemctl start emby-server, \
/bin/systemctl stop emby-server, \
/bin/systemctl restart emby-server, \
/bin/systemctl start jellyfin, \
/bin/systemctl stop jellyfin, \
/bin/systemctl restart jellyfin, \
/usr/bin/dpkg -i /tmp/multidash_update.deb
EOF
sudo chmod 440 /etc/sudoers.d/mediasvcStep 4: Lock down SSH access (Optional but Recommended)
Restrict what this user can do over SSH in /etc/ssh/sshd_config:
sudo bash -c 'cat >> /etc/ssh/sshd_config' << 'EOF'
# BEGIN MEDIASVC-MULTIDASH
Match User mediasvc
AllowTcpForwarding no
X11Forwarding no
PermitTTY no
# END MEDIASVC-MULTIDASH
EOF
sudo systemctl reload sshThe above instructions adhere to the Principle of Least Privilege:
- Restricted User: The
mediasvcuser has no password and cannot be logged into interactively via password. - Limited Sudo: The
sudoersfile explicitly whitelists only thesystemctl start/stop/restartcommands anddpkgfor specific updates. This user cannot modify files (except via dpkg), install other software, or access other parts of the system as root. - SSH Lockdown: The
sshd_configsettings prevent port forwarding (tunneling), X11 forwarding, and TTY allocation. This means even if an attacker gains access to the private key, they cannot get an interactive shell or use your server as a pivot point to attack your network. They can only execute the whitelisted commands.
In the Add/Edit Server modal for your server:
- Select Linux as the Operating System.
- If your server uses a standard SSH port (22), no further configuration is needed.
- The dashboard will automatically connect to the server's IP (derived from the Proxy URL) as the
mediasvcuser. You can verify connectivity using the Check SSH button.
Data is stored in local JSON files (no database required):
users.json: User accounts (passwords are hashed).servers.json: Server configurations (API keys/tokens are encrypted).activity.json: Tracks active dashboard users.watcher_state.json: Tracks media playback state for logging.dashboard.log: System event logs.key.php: Auto-generated encryption key (do not share this file!).keys/: Stores generated SSH key pairs (protected).
- Encryption: API keys and tokens are encrypted using AES-256-CBC.
- SSH Keys: Private keys are stored with strict
0600permissions and blocked from web access. - File Access: Direct access to
.jsonand.logfiles is blocked via.htaccess(ensure AllowOverride is enabled in Apache). - HTTPS: It is strongly recommended to run this dashboard behind HTTPS, especially if exposed to the internet.
See DEPLOYMENT.md for detailed deployment instructions including Nginx configuration examples.