Getting Started

aura runs as a single Docker container. It serves its web interface on port 3000, and keeps everything it needs (database, logs, backups) in a /config folder.

Before You Start

You’ll need:

• Docker, or a NAS or server that runs Docker containers, such as Unraid or Synology.
• A media server: Plex, Emby, Jellyfin or Silo, and an API token for it.
• A MediUX API token, so aura can browse MediUX sets. See MediUX settings for how to get one.

Install aura

Docker ComposeThe recommended way: a small file that describes the container.

Docker RunA single command, or building the image yourself.

UnraidInstall aura from Unraid Community Apps.

First Start

The first time aura starts, it opens the Onboarding page to set it up. It opens again later if the configuration ever needs fixing, for example when the media server can’t be reached.

1. Enter the setup code. So nobody else on your network can set up aura before you, the setup page asks for a code that aura prints in its logs. Get it with a command like docker logs aura:

   aura is in setup mode. Enter this setup code on the setup page: K7QM-3RXA

   The code changes every time aura starts, and is only needed while setting up. If authentication is already set up, you log in instead.

2. Go through the steps. Onboarding walks through the same sections as the Settings page: MediUX, your main media server, other media servers, authentication, images, Sonarr & Radarr, labels & tags, notifications and logging. Only MediUX and the main media server are required. Everything else can be set up later.

3. Review and finish. aura checks the connections, saves the settings, and loads your libraries. Larger libraries take a few minutes the first time.

The Config Folder

aura stores its database (AURA.db, which also holds your settings and saved sets) and its logs in the /config folder. See Config File & Environment Variables to change these locations.

Use a local filesystem

The /config folder must be on a local filesystem. A Docker volume or bind mount is fine, including on a NAS, but a network share (NFS or SMB) is not supported. The database relies on file locking that network shares don’t reliably provide.

• While aura is running, AURA.db-wal and AURA.db-shm files appear next to AURA.db. They’re part of the database, and aura removes them when it stops. To copy the database by hand, stop aura first, or copy all three files together.
• aura backs up the database every day to /config/backups, and keeps the last 7 backups. See Backups to change this or restore a backup.
• aura also backs up the database before each database update, for example AURA_backup_v7_to_v8_<timestamp>.db.

Health Check

The aura image has a built-in health check, so Docker, Unraid and Portainer show whether aura is healthy. Every 30 seconds it calls http://127.0.0.1:8888/api/health inside the container.

• /api/health doesn’t need a login. It answers with aura’s status (ok, starting or setup), its version, and whether the database can be read.
• If the database can’t be read, the container is marked unhealthy after 3 failed checks.
• A media server that can’t be reached doesn’t make aura unhealthy, because restarting aura wouldn’t fix it.