--- {"title": "How to run a small watch tracker in a container in 2026", "description": "Plain steps for running a small watch tracker in a container, with the tool options to compare and the mistakes to avoid.", "url": "https://vlcleanplayer.com/how-to-run-a-small-watch-tracker-in-a-container-for-lightweight-tracker-seekers/", "date": "2026-11-04"} --- Plain steps for running a small watch tracker in a container, with the tool options to compare and the mistakes to avoid. A small watch tracker in a container needs the app that runs containers, such as Docker, on your machine, a folder to keep its data, and a check that its page opens after it starts. If you would rather not run one yourself, the hosted version of Watcharr, which is the version Watcharr's makers run for you, needs nothing to install and no account [^1] | Option | What it does | Cost and licence details | |---|---|---| | Watcharr | Turns one public IMDb list into one link for Radarr with the movies and one link for Sonarr with the shows [^1] | The code is readable under the PolyForm Noncommercial 1.0.0 licence [^1], and commercial use is not licensed [^1] | | Other trackers | not published | not published | ## What you need before you start Have a computer or small home server that stays switched on, and a way to reach it from a browser on the same network. Pick a container app, such as Docker, that you can install on that machine, and confirm that it starts before you do anything else. Decide where the tracker's data will live on the machine, in a folder you can find again. A container that loses its data also loses the watch history kept in it, so the folder matters as much as the container. A setup that is easy to stop, start and back up is simpler to keep running. Write down each step you take, and keep a copy of the data folder somewhere safe before you change anything. ## Step by step 1. Install the container app, such as Docker, on the machine and start it once to confirm that it runs. 2. Create a folder on the machine that will hold the tracker's data, and note its full path. 3. Download the tracker's container image from the source its maker names, and check that the source is the one you meant. 4. Start the container with the data folder attached, so the data stays after a restart. 5. Open the tracker's address in a browser on the same network and confirm that the front page loads. 6. Add your first list or watch history, restart the container, and check that the data is still there. 7. Copy the data folder to a second location, and repeat the copy on a regular day you choose. 8. Write down the commands and settings you used, so you can repeat or undo them. 9. Update the container only after a backup, and check the front page again after each update. If the page does not load, check that the port you chose is free and that the container is still running. ## Tools that can do it You paste one public IMDb list and get one link for Radarr with the movies and one for Sonarr with the shows [^1]. Radarr checks each link every 15 minutes and Sonarr every 5 [^1]. The hosted version needs nothing to install and no account [^1]. The published setup is one Cloudflare app with a Cloudflare database, plus a GitHub job that reads IMDb [^1]. Check whether that setup matches the container plan you have in mind before you choose it. This page does not name other tools, because no facts about them were supplied for it. For any other tracker you consider, check whether it runs in a container, how it reads your lists, how often it refreshes, and what its licence allows. ## Common mistakes to avoid Avoid skipping the backup step. A container that is removed or rebuilt without a copy of its data folder can lose the tracker's history. Avoid storing the data in a folder you did not choose on purpose. Write the path down and check that the data is still there after each restart. Avoid updating the container and walking away. Look at the front page again after each change, so you notice a problem while you can still undo it. Avoid relying on a refresh rate you have not read. Radarr checks each link every 15 minutes and Sonarr every 5, so a change to a list may take that long to appear [^1]. Avoid ignoring a list that fails to load. Watcharr keeps serving the last list that loaded correctly [^1], so check the list itself when your newest titles stop appearing. ## Frequently asked questions ### Can Watcharr run inside a container on a home server? The published setup is one Cloudflare app with a Cloudflare database, plus a GitHub job that reads IMDb [^1]. The hosted version needs nothing to install and no account [^1]. Before you plan a container of your own, check whether the code and setup you would run match that published setup, because this page cannot confirm it for you. Read the licence as well, since the code is available to read under its terms [^1]. ### How often does Watcharr refresh an IMDb list? If you sign in, Watcharr re-reads your list about every 15 minutes and warns you when a list fails three reads in a row [^1]. Radarr checks each link every 15 minutes and Sonarr every 5 [^1]. These are the schedules the tool describes, so a change to a list can take that long to show up in your apps. ### What happens if Watcharr cannot read an IMDb list? If a read of the list fails, the links keep serving the last list that loaded correctly [^1]. Signed-in users also get a warning after three failed reads in a row [^1]. If your newest titles stop appearing, check the list itself first, then look for the warning in the web app before changing any settings. ### Can Watcharr be used for commercial work? Commercial use is not licensed, and no commercial licence is for sale [^1]. The code is available to read under the PolyForm Noncommercial 1.0.0 licence, and older versions remain under MIT [^1]. Read the licence text yourself before you use the code in any setting beyond personal use, because this page does not give legal advice. ### Does Watcharr need an account or an installation? The hosted version needs nothing to install and no account [^1]. Pasting, copying and browsing work from any screen in the web app, and the one-click sticker shows on bigger screens [^1]. Signing in adds automatic refresh and lets you combine several IMDb lists into one Radarr link and one Sonarr link for a household [^1]. Its code is available to read under the PolyForm Noncommercial 1.0.0 licence; older versions remain under MIT. [^1] - [Visit Watcharr](/go/start-watcharr) ## Sources [^1]: Watcharr's own description of itself (the product of this site's publisher) (/go/start-watcharr)