Add and configure a service

Connect Sonarr, Radarr, your download clients, and the rest of your stack to Kochab.

Add a service once, and Kochab keeps it in your stack so you can manage it from your phone. Each service type uses the connection method its API expects.

What you can add

  • Media servers: Plex, Jellyfin, and Emby, to see who is watching.
  • Libraries: Sonarr, Radarr, Lidarr, and Sportarr.
  • Download clients: SABnzbd and NZBGet for Usenet, plus qBittorrent, Transmission, and Deluge for torrents. Kochab is Usenet-forward, and that is where the focus stays.
  • Indexers: Prowlarr, Jackett, and NZBHydra2.
  • Infrastructure: Unraid, TrueNAS, Synology, Portainer, and Tdarr.
  • Analytics: Tautulli, Jellystat, and Tracearr for watch history and playback stats.
  • Utilities: Seerr for requests, Bazarr for subtitles, Wizarr for invitations, and Trakt for account-based discovery.

Per-service ports, API keys, and what each integration exposes: Service setup guides and Infrastructure vs container integrations.

Add a service

Services live under More > Stacks & Services. The + in the top right offers three things:

  • Add service - type the address yourself, covered below.
  • Find services - scan the network and pick from what answers.
  • Add stack - only when you manage a genuinely separate box.

Choose Add service and pick the type (Sonarr, Radarr, SABnzbd, and so on). The type locks once chosen, because the connection method depends on it. Then three steps:

  1. Where is it. A label, then the host or IP and port. The first service you add sets the host for the stack; every service after that prefills it, shown as a Same host as … chip you can clear if this one lives elsewhere. Use HTTPS and a LAN base path are here too, with the rest under Advanced.
  2. Credentials. The API key or credentials the type expects. Kochab tells you where to find it in the upstream app - for Sonarr, Settings > General > Security. If your stack sits behind an authenticating proxy, set External proxy authentication here rather than fighting a 401 later.
  3. Test. Kochab verifies the service before adding it. Test & Add saves only if the connection succeeds, so a typo never becomes a broken entry you have to find later. If the test fails, see Why won’t Kochab connect to my service?.

Same stack, same host

Most people run one stack: the same machine or one reverse proxy, with a different port per service.

If you reach your stack through a reverse proxy, a tunnel or a VPN, see Reverse proxies and remote access - it covers base paths, certificates, and the single sign-on gates that quietly block API access. Kochab is built for that. Set the host once, then add each service with its port. You can change the host for a single service if it lives somewhere else.

Self-signed certificates

Homelab services often use self-signed TLS. When Kochab sees a certificate it does not recognize, it shows you the fingerprint and asks you to trust it. See Certificate trust for how that works before sending requests to that service.

Away from home

A stack can carry an internal address for your home network and an external address for when you are away. Kochab switches between them based on the network you are on, so the same service works at home and on the road.