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Sonarr Deployment (Docker) - Role Overview

This page documents the Sonarr Docker deployment using Ansible, illustrating the workflow, architecture, and best practices for deploying this containerized application with version control, persistent storage, and integration with an external PostgreSQL database.

1. Overview

Sonarr is deployed in a Docker container using Ansible. Key steps include:

  • Stop existing container safely
  • Prepare persistent configuration and backup directories
  • Deploy templated Docker Compose and application configuration files
  • Version control the Docker image to prevent accidental upgrades
  • Start the container

Additionally, Sonarr connects to an external PostgreSQL database, separating storage from the application for improved reliability and scalability.

2. Persistent Configuration and Backups

Persistent storage ensures application data is preserved across container restarts:

  • Configuration directory: /config
  • Backup directory: /nfs/backups/sonarr

Example variables from the role:

sonarr_setup_config_dir: "/config"
sonarr_setup_backups_dir: "/nfs/backups/sonarr"
sonarr_setup_backup_filename: "{{ sonarr_setup_backup_prefix }}{{ ansible_date_time.date }}.sqlc"
  • Directories are created and owned by a dedicated system user
  • Supports NFS-mounted storage for centralized backups
  • Ensures container can read/write configs and backup files

3. Docker Image Version Control

The role pins a specific Docker image version:

sonarr_setup_version: 4.0.15.2941
sonarr_setup_docker_image_name: "sonarr:{{ sonarr_setup_version }}"
  • Avoids pulling latest automatically
  • Guarantees reproducible deployments
  • Allows testing and validation of known working versions

4. Deployment Workflow

The sequence for deploying Sonarr is:

  1. Stop and remove existing container
docker stop sonarr
docker rm sonarr
docker network prune -f
  1. Ensure persistent directories exist
mkdir -p {{ sonarr_setup_config_dir }}
mkdir -p {{ sonarr_setup_backups_dir }}
chown <user>:<group> {{ sonarr_setup_config_dir }}
  1. Deploy configuration files and Docker Compose
  • docker-compose.yml
  • config.xml (application-specific configuration)
  1. Prune unused Docker images (optional)
docker image prune -f
  1. Pull the pinned Docker image
docker-compose -f {{ sonarr_setup_config_dir }}/docker-compose.yml pull
  1. Start the container
docker-compose -f {{ sonarr_setup_config_dir }}/docker-compose.yml up -d

5. Architecture Diagram

                 ┌──────────────────────────────┐
                 │  Host / Docker Environment   │
                 │                              │
                 │ ┌──────────────────────────┐ │
                 │ │ Sonarr Container         │ │
                 │ │ - Pinned Image           │ │
                 │ │ - Config & Backup Volumes│ │
                 │ │ - Exposed Ports 8989/9898│ │
                 │ └──────────────────────────┘ │
                 │                              │
                 └────────────────▲─────────────┘
                                 │ Access
                 ┌───────────────┴─────────────┐
                 │ Users / Clients             │
                 │ Web Browser / API           │
                 └───────────────▲─────────────┘
                                 │ Database Connection
                 ┌───────────────┴─────────────┐
                 │ External PostgreSQL Server  │
                 │ - Database: sonarr-main     │
                 │ - User: sonarr              │
                 │ - Port: 5432                │
                 └─────────────────────────────┘
  • Config directory is mounted inside the container
  • Backups can reside on NFS for centralized storage
  • Container connects to external PostgreSQL for data persistence

6. Key Features

  • Automated deployment via Ansible
  • Persistent configuration and backups
  • Pinned Docker image version for reproducibility
  • Optional NFS storage for backups
  • Integration with external PostgreSQL for database separation
  • Reusable workflow applicable to other home lab containerized apps

7. Summary

The Sonarr deployment role demonstrates a robust, production-like container workflow:

  • Safe, repeatable container start/stop sequences
  • Version-controlled Docker images to prevent accidental updates
  • Persistent storage and automated backups for configuration and data
  • Separation of application and database layers using PostgreSQL
  • Template-driven configuration to allow scalable and consistent deployments

This workflow can be adapted for other containerized applications in the home lab, ensuring maintainability, reliability, and consistent infrastructure-as-code practices.

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