Linux Installation

Native Linux Installation

Censorarr can run natively on Debian/Ubuntu-family x86_64 Linux without Docker.

This is separate from the Docker/Linux installation. If you prefer containers, use Docker / Linux Installation.

Download

Open the Censorarr Releases page and download:

Censorarr-X.Y.Z-linux-amd64.deb

Latest release:

https://github.com/leestow/Censorarr/releases/latest

The package is built from the same Censorarr source as Windows, Docker, and Synology. GitHub Actions builds the native executable, creates the .deb, installs the package on a clean Ubuntu runner, and verifies that Censorarr's web API starts before the package is published.

Supported package target

The first native Linux package targets:

• Debian/Ubuntu-family distributions
• x86_64 / amd64
• systemd-based installations

Docker remains available for other Linux distributions.

Install

From the folder containing the downloaded package:

sudo apt install ./Censorarr-X.Y.Z-linux-amd64.deb

The package declares FFmpeg and the required Linux runtime libraries as dependencies, so apt can install them if needed.

Installed locations

Item	Location
Application	/opt/censorarr
Configuration/state	/var/lib/censorarr/config
Work files	/var/lib/censorarr/work
Whisper model cache	/var/lib/censorarr/config/models
Launcher/runtime logs	/var/lib/censorarr/logs
Service settings	/etc/default/censorarr
systemd service	censorarr.service
Default web UI	http://127.0.0.1:8087

Service commands

Check status:

sudo systemctl status censorarr

Restart:

sudo systemctl restart censorarr

Follow the systemd log:

journalctl -u censorarr -f

Censorarr's own configured log is stored under its persistent data directory.

First-run Setup Wizard

By default the native Linux web UI is local-only:

http://127.0.0.1:8087

Open it on the Linux machine and complete the Setup Wizard.

For Movies and TV folders, use real Linux paths such as:

/mnt/media/Movies
/mnt/media/TV
/srv/media/Movies
/home/user/Videos

The Browse... button starts at the Linux filesystem root during first-run setup. After setup completes, browsing and manual processing are constrained to the configured media roots.

Start with Dry Run enabled and test a small media set before switching to Apply mode.

Media permissions

The package creates a dedicated system account:

censorarr

That account must be able to read your source media and, in Apply mode, write to the media location.

The cleanest approach is usually to add censorarr to the group that already owns your media.

Example:

sudo usermod -aG media censorarr
sudo systemctl restart censorarr

Replace media with your real media group.

To inspect permissions:

namei -l /mnt/media/Movies
id censorarr

Avoid making your whole media library world-writable just to satisfy the service.

Headless server / LAN access

The package intentionally binds to localhost by default.

To make Censorarr available to other devices on your LAN:

sudo nano /etc/default/censorarr

Change:

CENSORARR_HOST=127.0.0.1

to:

CENSORARR_HOST=0.0.0.0

Before exposing it on the network, also set a web password:

WEB_USERNAME=admin
WEB_PASSWORD=choose-a-strong-password

Restart:

sudo systemctl restart censorarr

Then open:

http://SERVER-IP:8087

If a firewall is enabled, allow TCP port 8087 only from networks/devices that should reach Censorarr.

Local CPU and remote GPU

The native Linux package supports:

• local CPU faster-whisper transcription
• remote NVIDIA transcription through the optional Censorarr GPU Worker
• Auto mode with local fallback when configured

Local Whisper models are stored under:

/var/lib/censorarr/config/models

Updating

Download the new package and install it over the existing version:

sudo apt install ./Censorarr-X.Y.Z-linux-amd64.deb

The application under /opt/censorarr is replaced. Persistent configuration/state under /var/lib/censorarr and service settings under /etc/default/censorarr are preserved.

After updating:

sudo systemctl status censorarr
journalctl -u censorarr --since "5 minutes ago"

Uninstalling

Remove the package:

sudo apt remove censorarr

Runtime data under /var/lib/censorarr is intentionally preserved to prevent accidental loss.

If you truly want a clean reset, back up anything needed and remove the persistent directory manually after uninstalling.