Build a private self-hosted media server with COMA

Install and open local admin

Install COMA on the machine that stores or can reach your media. Open the local admin screen, confirm the service is running, and keep the server online during first setup.

systemctl status coma
systemctl restart coma

Validate plan and server access

Open Admin > Licence. Validate the setup key and confirm your plan supports the number of servers you want to connect.

Create libraries

Add one library at a time. Use consistent folders for movies, TV, music, and home videos. After each scan, review duplicate and missing-file reports.

Configure users and permissions

Create accounts or profiles, then set view, play, download, and sharing permissions. Downloads should be enabled only for users and plans that need offline access.

Enable remote access

Use Cloudflare Tunnel or direct WAN access. Confirm HTTPS works, the external URL is correct, and /api/* is not cached by your proxy.

cloudflared tunnel list
curl -I https://your-coma-host.example

Verify playback and transcoding

Test Direct Play first, then a lower quality transcode. Check Admin > Transcodes for active jobs and failures. Confirm FFmpeg support before enabling hardware acceleration.

Back up and maintain

Schedule backups, keep installers signed, verify update signatures, and test restore on a quiet server with scans and transcodes stopped.

Prepare a safe support pack

Include COMA version, operating system, install type, logs around the error time, and screenshots. Do not include licence keys, API keys, payment secrets, or private database files unless requested.