VLClean Plain comparisons of self-hosted media tools

How to expose a request page to family safely in 2026

Learn how to share a movie and show request page with family outside your home network, with setup steps that keep access limited and secure.

By VLClean ยท

VLClean is published by the makers of Askarr and Watcharr, which are compared here alongside other tools.

Put the request page on its own address behind a secure connection, give each family member a separate sign-in, and test the page from outside your home network before you share it.

OptionRequest methodCost details
AskarrYou request a movie or show on Askarr, and your own Radarr and Sonarr add it. [1]The Free plan costs $0 and allows 10 requests a month. [1] Plus costs $3.99 a month for 50 requests a month. [1] Pro costs $6.99 a month for unlimited requests. [1]
Request form you run yourselfPeople submit movie or show titles through the form.not published
Shared list family can add toPeople add movie or show ideas to the list.not published

What you need before you start

Before you open anything to family, have the basics in place. Your movie and show library should already run on your home server, and the request page should be kept apart from the admin pages that manage downloads. Make sure you can reach your server from your own phone while it is on mobile data, because you will repeat that test later.

You will need a reverse proxy, which is a program that takes web traffic from the outside and passes it to the right service inside your network. Pick a domain name you control, and make sure you can get a secure connection certificate for it so that sign-in pages are sent encrypted.

Make a short list of the family members who should have access, and give each person their own sign-in rather than one shared password. Radarr and Sonarr are the helper programs that add movies (Radarr) and shows (Sonarr) to your library, so note whether requests will pass through them. Decide who approves a request before anything is added.

Step by step

  1. Give the request page its own address, separate from the admin pages of your server.
  1. Turn on a secure connection with a certificate so that every visit is encrypted.
  1. Require a separate sign-in for each family member, and do not allow anyone else to create an account.
  1. Open only the one address that family needs, and keep every other service closed to the outside.
  1. Test the request page from a phone on mobile data, and check that your admin pages refuse outside visitors.
  1. Write a short note for family that says where to go, how to sign in, and what kinds of titles to request.
  1. Review the list of people with access on a regular schedule, and remove anyone who no longer needs it.

Tools that can do it

Askarr is a hosted website that works with your existing Radarr and Sonarr. [1] Family members can search for a movie or show on Askarr and request it, and your own Radarr or Sonarr adds it. [1] Nothing is installed on your server. [1]

You add Askarr to Radarr and Sonarr one time as an import list, and they read your requests from it. [1] Askarr never connects to your Radarr or Sonarr and never receives their API keys. [1] A webhook from Radarr and Sonarr reports back, so the site shows when a title was added and downloaded. [1]

Other options include a request form you run yourself and a shared list that family can add titles to. The details for those are not covered here, so check how each one handles sign-ins, secure connections, and who approves a request before you choose it.

Common mistakes to avoid

Avoid opening your admin pages to the internet just because the request page needs to be reachable. Only the one address that family uses should be visible from outside.

Avoid giving everyone the same password. When one person leaves the family or loses a device, a shared password means changing it for everyone.

Avoid skipping the test from outside your network. A page that works at home can still be reachable by strangers if the other services were never closed.

Avoid letting old access pile up. A list of people who once had access and no longer need it is a quiet risk, so review it on a regular schedule.

Frequently asked questions

How can family reach a request page from outside the home network?

Give the request page its own address, put it behind a secure connection, and require a separate sign-in for each family member. Test the page from a phone on mobile data, and check that your admin pages refuse outside visitors. Keep the list of people with access short and review it on a regular schedule. A short written note helps family know where to go and how to sign in.

Does Askarr need access to Radarr and Sonarr to take family requests?

Askarr never connects to your Radarr or Sonarr and never receives their API keys. [1] Family members search for a movie or show on Askarr and request it, and your own Radarr or Sonarr adds it. [1] You add Askarr to Radarr and Sonarr one time as an import list, and they read your requests from it. [1] Check your sign-in setup again before you share any link with family.

Does Askarr need anything installed on the home server?

Askarr is a hosted website that works with your existing Radarr and Sonarr. [1] Nothing is installed. [1] After you add Askarr, check that new requests show up before telling family to start. Keep the sign-in and secure connection checks from the steps above in place.

Can Askarr be tried before anyone signs in?

You can try the dashboard with a throwaway demo account and sample data without signing in. [1] That lets you see how a request looks before you share anything with family. Askarr's plans include a request history with live status. [1] Check the plan page to see which plan includes it, and use the demo to plan the short note you will send to family.

How much does Askarr cost for a family?

The Free plan costs $0 and allows 10 requests a month. [1] Plus costs $3.99 a month for 50 requests a month. [1] Pro costs $6.99 a month for unlimited requests. [1] Each friend who signs up through your link adds 10 requests a month to your limit. [1] Pick the plan that matches how many titles your family usually requests in a month.

The Free plan costs $0 and allows 10 requests a month. [1]

Try Askarr

Sources

  1. Askarr's own description of itself (the product of this site's publisher)

Related comparisons