qBittorrent-nox is a special version of the popular qBittorrent torrent client, optimized for use on headless servers or systems without a graphical user interface (GUI). The term "nox" in qBittorrent-nox stands for "no X," meaning that this client does not require an X Window System environment. Instead, qBittorrent-nox offers a web interface for user interaction, making it an ideal solution for servers and remotely managed machines.
This tutorial article appeared on Tanoba.com first
There are currently two ways to install qbittorrent-nox. Personally, I prefer to install the static qbittorrent-nox from a Github repository as it is very up-to-date. In this tutorial we will cover the manual installation of qbittorrent-nox.
Change to your user directory, e.g. /home/username.
Go to the repository of userdocs, they provide the latest binary versions of qbittorrent-nox in their repository. The link to this is: https://github.com/userdocs/qbittorrent-nox-static
Then go to the release page(here). This version "x86_64-qbittorrent-nox" is ideal for root servers as it runs on x86_64 target systems. Preferably use LibTorrent 2.x as it is compatible with the Torrent 2.0 protocol. Open the context menu and copy the link by right-clicking on it.
In your console, while you are in your home directory, create a folder called "bin" and change to this folder.
After you have navigated to the new folder, start the download of the binary qbittorrent-nox program file with the command "wget":
Make sure that you include the apostrophe (') and insert the previously copied link between the two apostrophes. Then specify the destination by inserting "-O" and naming the destination "qbittorrent-nox" after it. In this example it looks like this:
The download should now be started and completed. Use ls -l to check whether the download was successful. Finally, make the binary file executable with chmod +x qbittorrent-nox, as in the following example:
qbittorrent-nox has been successfully installed in your user directory. However, the configuration is still missing to add qbittorrent-nox to the autostart of the systemd daemon so that it is started automatically with every boot process. To do this, you need root rights to carry out the configuration.
Switch to root mode by entering su under Debian or sudo bash under Ubuntu.
You will be asked for the root password. As soon as you are in the root shell, use the "cd" command to navigate to the /etc/systemd directory.
Now we need to create a systemd system file in the "system" folder. Depending on your preference, you can do this either with the nano editor or with vi .
I personally prefer the nano editor as it is easy to use. Enter the command "nano" to open the editor. The following command serves as an example.
The service file is called qbittorrent-nox.service. You are now in the editor and see an empty file. You can insert the following content by copying the text from here and pasting it into the console.
It is self-explanatory that the daemon is started after network.target, i.e. after the network interfaces have been configured at boot time.
In the lines User= and Group= enter your user name under which qbittorrent-nox is executed. In this example, I have used "sdreher".
In the ExecStart= line, enter the full path to the qbittorrent-nox binary file and the desired WebUI port. In this case, for example, it is port 31337.
The rest says that the limits, such as the maximum number of open files, have been increased so that qBittorrent can work reliably. When shutting down and stopping, it sends a signal to the process to stop the running torrents before qBittorrent is terminated.
Now save your system file. In the nano editor, this is done by pressing Ctrl+X and then confirming the save. Under vi this is confirmed with :wq.
If you want to add the system file to the boot process, you can do this with the following command:
It should now have been added to the autostart. If you want to deactivate it again, use the following command:
Now start your own qbittorrent daemon by executing the following command. If you want to stop the daemon, use the "stop" command instead.
Now exit the root shell by entering the command 'exit'. If the process was started correctly, it should be displayed under the command 'ps x' and be accessible via port 31337 on your server. Call it up with your web browser and configure qBittorrent by redefining the password. Initially it is set to 'User admin' and 'Password adminadmin'. These options can be found in the qBittorrent WebUI.
Congratulations on installing qBittorrent-nox yourself.
This tutorial article appeared on Tanoba.com first
Installation
Log in to the target server with your known access data via SSH.There are currently two ways to install qbittorrent-nox. Personally, I prefer to install the static qbittorrent-nox from a Github repository as it is very up-to-date. In this tutorial we will cover the manual installation of qbittorrent-nox.
Change to your user directory, e.g. /home/username.
Go to the repository of userdocs, they provide the latest binary versions of qbittorrent-nox in their repository. The link to this is: https://github.com/userdocs/qbittorrent-nox-static
Then go to the release page(here). This version "x86_64-qbittorrent-nox" is ideal for root servers as it runs on x86_64 target systems. Preferably use LibTorrent 2.x as it is compatible with the Torrent 2.0 protocol. Open the context menu and copy the link by right-clicking on it.
In your console, while you are in your home directory, create a folder called "bin" and change to this folder.
Bash:
mkdir -p ~/bin && cd ~/bin
After you have navigated to the new folder, start the download of the binary qbittorrent-nox program file with the command "wget":
Bash:
wget '<link>'
Make sure that you include the apostrophe (') and insert the previously copied link between the two apostrophes. Then specify the destination by inserting "-O" and naming the destination "qbittorrent-nox" after it. In this example it looks like this:
Bash:
wget 'https://github.com/userdocs/qbittorrent-nox-static/releases/download/release-4.6.3_v2.0.10/x86_64-qbittorrent-nox' -O qbittorrent-nox
The download should now be started and completed. Use ls -l to check whether the download was successful. Finally, make the binary file executable with chmod +x qbittorrent-nox, as in the following example:
Bash:
chmod +x qbittorrent-nox
qbittorrent-nox has been successfully installed in your user directory. However, the configuration is still missing to add qbittorrent-nox to the autostart of the systemd daemon so that it is started automatically with every boot process. To do this, you need root rights to carry out the configuration.
Configuration of the qBittorrent in the autostart
Switch to root mode by entering su under Debian or sudo bash under Ubuntu.
You will be asked for the root password. As soon as you are in the root shell, use the "cd" command to navigate to the /etc/systemd directory.
Bash:
cd /etc/systemd
Now we need to create a systemd system file in the "system" folder. Depending on your preference, you can do this either with the nano editor or with vi .
I personally prefer the nano editor as it is easy to use. Enter the command "nano" to open the editor. The following command serves as an example.
Bash:
nano /etc/systemd/system/qbittorrent-nox.service
The service file is called qbittorrent-nox.service. You are now in the editor and see an empty file. You can insert the following content by copying the text from here and pasting it into the console.
Bash:
[Unit]
Description=qBittorrent Server
After=network.target
[Service]
Type=forking
User=sdreher
Group=sdreher
UMask=007
ExecStart=/home/sdreher/bin/qbittorrent-nox -d --webui-port=31337
Type=forking
ExecStop=/bin/kill -s STOP $MAINPID
ExecReload=/bin/kill -s HUP $MAINPID TimeoutStopSec=3600
Restart=on-failure
LimitAS=infinity
LimitRSS=infinity
LimitCORE=infinity
LimitNOFILE=65536
[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target
It is self-explanatory that the daemon is started after network.target, i.e. after the network interfaces have been configured at boot time.
In the lines User= and Group= enter your user name under which qbittorrent-nox is executed. In this example, I have used "sdreher".
In the ExecStart= line, enter the full path to the qbittorrent-nox binary file and the desired WebUI port. In this case, for example, it is port 31337.
The rest says that the limits, such as the maximum number of open files, have been increased so that qBittorrent can work reliably. When shutting down and stopping, it sends a signal to the process to stop the running torrents before qBittorrent is terminated.
Now save your system file. In the nano editor, this is done by pressing Ctrl+X and then confirming the save. Under vi this is confirmed with :wq.
Add qbittorrent system file to the boot process
If you want to add the system file to the boot process, you can do this with the following command:
Bash:
systemctl enable qbittorrent-nox
It should now have been added to the autostart. If you want to deactivate it again, use the following command:
Bash:
systemctl disable qbittorrent-nox
Now start your own qbittorrent daemon by executing the following command. If you want to stop the daemon, use the "stop" command instead.
Bash:
systemctl start qbittorrent-nox
Now exit the root shell by entering the command 'exit'. If the process was started correctly, it should be displayed under the command 'ps x' and be accessible via port 31337 on your server. Call it up with your web browser and configure qBittorrent by redefining the password. Initially it is set to 'User admin' and 'Password adminadmin'. These options can be found in the qBittorrent WebUI.
Congratulations on installing qBittorrent-nox yourself.
Last edited: