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Nginx Proxy Manager Configuration Guide

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Nginx Proxy Manager Configuration Guide

This guide explains how to properly configure Nginx Proxy Manager (NPM) as a reverse proxy for Tidarr to ensure real-time updates work correctly.

Table of Contents

The Problem

When accessing Tidarr through Nginx Proxy Manager (HTTPS reverse proxy), you may experience:

  • Downloads appear to not start or hang
  • No real-time progress updates in the UI
  • Processing queue doesn't update automatically
  • Terminal output window remains empty

However, accessing Tidarr directly via IP address (e.g., http://192.168.1.100:8484) works perfectly with real-time updates.

Understanding the Issue

SSE vs WebSockets

Important: Tidarr uses Server-Sent Events (SSE), not WebSockets, for real-time updates.

  • Enabling "WebSocket Support" in Nginx Proxy Manager will not fix this issue
  • The problem is caused by Nginx buffering SSE responses instead of streaming them

How Tidarr Uses SSE

Tidarr has two SSE endpoints:

  1. /api/stream-processing - Broadcasts processing queue updates to all connected clients
  2. /api/stream-item-output/:id - Sends real-time download output logs to the terminal dialog

Both endpoints require special Nginx configuration to work through a reverse proxy.

Solution

You need to configure Nginx Proxy Manager to disable buffering and allow long-lived connections for SSE endpoints.

Required Nginx Directives

# Disable buffering for SSE
proxy_buffering off;
proxy_cache off;

# Allow long-lived connections (24 hours)
proxy_read_timeout 86400s;

# Ensure proper SSE streaming
chunked_transfer_encoding off;

# Remove interfering headers
proxy_set_header Connection '';

Step-by-Step Configuration

1. Access Nginx Proxy Manager

Log in to your Nginx Proxy Manager web interface (usually at http://your-server:81).

2. Create or Edit Proxy Host

  1. Go to Hosts → Proxy Hosts
  2. Click Add Proxy Host (or edit existing Tidarr proxy)
  3. Fill in the Details tab:
    • Domain Names: tidarr.yourdomain.com
    • Scheme: http
    • Forward Hostname / IP: tidarr (or your Tidarr container name/IP)
    • Forward Port: 8484
    • Cache Assets: OFF
    • Block Common Exploits: ON
    • WebSocket Support: OFF (not needed for SSE)

3. Configure SSL (Optional but Recommended)

  1. Go to the SSL tab
  2. Select your SSL certificate or use Request a new SSL Certificate
  3. Enable Force SSL if desired

4. Add Advanced Configuration

  1. Go to the Advanced tab
  2. Add the following configuration:
# SSE configuration for /api/stream-processing endpoint
location /api/stream-processing {
    proxy_pass http://tidarr:8484;

    # Disable buffering for SSE
    proxy_buffering off;
    proxy_cache off;

    # Allow long-lived connections
    proxy_read_timeout 86400s;

    # Ensure proper SSE streaming
    chunked_transfer_encoding off;

    # Remove interfering headers
    proxy_set_header Connection '';

    # Forward necessary headers
    proxy_set_header Host $host;
    proxy_set_header X-Real-IP $remote_addr;
    proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-For $proxy_add_x_forwarded_for;
    proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-Proto $scheme;
}

# SSE configuration for /api/stream-item-output endpoint
location /api/stream-item-output {
    proxy_pass http://tidarr:8484;

    # Disable buffering for SSE
    proxy_buffering off;
    proxy_cache off;

    # Allow long-lived connections
    proxy_read_timeout 86400s;

    # Ensure proper SSE streaming
    chunked_transfer_encoding off;

    # Remove interfering headers
    proxy_set_header Connection '';

    # Forward necessary headers
    proxy_set_header Host $host;
    proxy_set_header X-Real-IP $remote_addr;
    proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-For $proxy_add_x_forwarded_for;
    proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-Proto $scheme;
}

Note: Replace tidarr:8484 with your actual Tidarr hostname/IP and port if different.

5. Save and Test

  1. Click Save
  2. Wait for Nginx to reload (usually a few seconds)
  3. Access Tidarr via your domain (e.g., https://tidarr.yourdomain.com)
  4. Add a download and verify that:
    • Processing queue updates in real-time
    • Progress bars update automatically
    • Terminal output shows download logs

Troubleshooting

Still Not Working?

1. Check Nginx Proxy Manager Logs

Access your NPM container logs:

docker logs nginx-proxy-manager

Look for any errors related to your proxy host configuration.

2. Verify Tidarr is Accessible Directly

Test that Tidarr works when accessed directly:

curl http://tidarr:8484/api/settings

3. Test SSE Endpoint Directly

Open your browser's developer console (F12) and check the Network tab:

  1. Filter by "stream"
  2. Start a download
  3. You should see active connections to /api/stream-processing and /api/stream-item-output/:id
  4. Check the response type is text/event-stream

4. Browser Cache

Clear your browser cache or test in an incognito/private window.

5. Check Docker Network

If using Docker Compose, ensure NPM and Tidarr are on the same network or can communicate:

docker network ls
docker network inspect <network_name>

Common Mistakes

  • Enabling "WebSocket Support" in NPM (not needed for SSE)
  • Not adding the advanced configuration for /api/stream-processing and /api/stream-item-output endpoints
  • Using wrong Tidarr hostname/IP in proxy configuration
  • Having proxy_buffering on (default Nginx behavior)

Configuration Example (Docker Compose)

If you're running both NPM and Tidarr with Docker Compose, ensure they're on the same network:

version: '3.8'

services:
  nginx-proxy-manager:
    image: jc21/nginx-proxy-manager:latest
    container_name: nginx-proxy-manager
    ports:
      - "80:80"
      - "81:81"
      - "443:443"
    volumes:
      - npm_data:/data
      - npm_letsencrypt:/etc/letsencrypt
    networks:
      - proxy_network

  tidarr:
    image: ghcr.io/cstaelen/tidarr:latest
    container_name: tidarr
    environment:
      - ADMIN_PASSWORD=your_password
      - PUID=1000
      - PGID=1000
    volumes:
      - ./shared:/shared
      - ./library:/music
    networks:
      - proxy_network

networks:
  proxy_network:
    driver: bridge

volumes:
  npm_data:
  npm_letsencrypt:

In this setup, use http://tidarr:8484 as the forward address in NPM.

Additional Resources

Credits

This guide is based on the solution found in Issue #425.

Thanks to the community for identifying and solving this issue!

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