Servarr Wiki
Whisparr Linux Installation
Linux installation guide for Lidarr
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Linux
Debian / Ubuntu
Last edited by
Administrator
02/05/2024

Linux

Debian / Ubuntu

Note: Raspberry Pi OS and Raspbian are both flavors of Debian

Easy Install

For the Debian / Ubuntu / Raspbian beginners there isn't an Apt Repository or Deb package.

If you want an easy life, follow this community provided and maintained Easy Install script for a base Debian (Raspbian / Raspberry Pi OS) / Ubuntu install.

For the official installation instructions that are 'Hands on' follow the Debian / Ubuntu Hands on Install steps further below.

Please see the *Arr Community Installation Script

Debian / Ubuntu Hands on Install

You'll need to install the binaries using the below commands.

The steps below will download Whisparr and install it into /opt
Whisparr will run under the user whisparr and group media; media is the commonly suggested group to run the *Arrs, download clients, and media server under.
Whisparr's configuration files will be stored in /var/lib/whisparr

  • Ensure you have the required prerequisite packages:
sudo apt install curl sqlite3

Warning: Ignoring the below prerequisites will result in a failed installation and non-functional application.

Installation Prerequisites
The below instructions are based on the following prerequisites. Change the instructions as needed to suit your specific needs if necessary.
* The user whisparr is created
* The user whisparr is part of the group media
* Your download clients and media server run as and are a part of the group media
* Your paths used by your download clients and media server are accessible (read/write) to the group media
* You created the directory /var/lib/whisparr and ensured the user whisparr has read/write permissions for it for it

By continuing below, you acknowledge that you have read and met the above requirements.

  • Download the correct binaries for your architecture.
    • You can determine your architecture with dpkg --print-architecture
      • AMD64 use arch=x64
      • ARM, armf, and armh use arch=arm
      • ARM64 use arch=arm64
wget --content-disposition 'http://whisparr.servarr.com/v1/update/nightly/updatefile?os=linux&runtime=netcore&arch=x64'
  • Uncompress the files:
tar -xvzf Whisparr*.linux*.tar.gz
  • Move the files to /opt/
sudo mv Whisparr /opt/

Note: This assumes you will run as the user whisparr and group media. You may change this to fit your usecase. It's important to choose these correctly to avoid permission issues with your media files. We suggest you keep at least the group name identical between your download client(s) and Whisparr.

  • Ensure ownership of the binary directory.
sudo chown whisparr:whisparr -R /opt/Whisparr
  • Configure systemd so Whisparr can autostart at boot.

The below systemd creation script will use a data directory of /var/lib/whisparr. Ensure it exists or modify it as needed. For the default data directory of /home/$USER/.config/Whisparr simply remove the -data argument. Note: that $USER is the User Whisparr runs as and is defined below.

cat << EOF | sudo tee /etc/systemd/system/whisparr.service > /dev/null
[Unit]
Description=Whisparr Daemon
After=syslog.target network.target
[Service]
User=whisparr
Group=media
Type=simple

ExecStart=/opt/Whisparr/Whisparr -nobrowser -data=/var/lib/whisparr/
TimeoutStopSec=20
KillMode=process
Restart=on-failure
[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target
EOF
  • Reload systemd:
sudo systemctl -q daemon-reload
  • Enable the Whisparr service:
sudo systemctl enable --now -q whisparr
  • (Optional) Remove the tarball:
rm Whisparr*.linux*.tar.gz

Typically to access the Whisparr web GUI browse to http://{Your server IP Address}:6969

If Whisparr did not appear to start, then check the status of the service:

sudo journalctl --since today -u whisparr

Uninstall

To uninstall and purge:

Warning: This will destroy your application data.

sudo systemctl stop whisparr
sudo rm -rf /opt/Whisparr
sudo rm -rf /var/lib/whisparr
sudo rm -rf /etc/systemd/system/whisparr.service
sudo systemctl -q daemon-reload

To uninstall and keep your application data:

sudo systemctl stop whisparr
sudo rm -rf /opt/Whisparr
sudo rm -rf /etc/systemd/system/whisparr.service
sudo systemctl -q daemon-reload