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Transmission VPN

Transmission VPN is a Docker container that runs the Transmission BitTorrent client inside an OpenVPN virtual private network tunnel, starting downloads only…

  • Downloaders
  • Network Services
  • Tools & Utilities
Transmission VPN is a Docker container that runs the Transmission BitTorrent client inside an OpenVPN virtual private network tunnel, starting downloads only when the tunnel is active. It includes protection against IP address leaks and built-in support for popular VPN providers, making it useful for self-hosters who want private torrenting behind a VPN.

Platform availability

Available on 1 of 9 platforms

  • Unraid
  • TrueNAS (not listed)
  • Umbrel (not listed)
  • ZimaOS (not listed)
  • Proxmox (not listed)
  • Helm (not listed)
  • Mac (not listed)
  • Windows (not listed)
  • Linux (not listed)

Health score?A 0-100 score computed nightly from four factors: maintained (40%: recent commits and steady activity), popular (25%: GitHub stars, log scale), easy to install (20%: platforms, install notes, setup guides, Docker image) and light to run (15%: minimum RAM, ARM support). When the source code has been checked, a fifth factor, security check (20%: automated scan for committed secrets, unsafe desktop-app settings, known-vulnerable dependencies and project hygiene; any serious finding caps it at 20), is added. Factors without data are left out and the rest are rescaled.

63/100 Good

Maintained
71last commit 68 days ago
Popular
734,565 GitHub stars
Easy to install
351 install platform, install notes, Docker image
Light to run
No data

Based on 3 of 4 factors.

Availability: platform listings confirmed today, links checked 17 days ago

GitHub stars
4,565
Open issues
44
Last commit
2026-08-08
Latest release
v5.5.2
License
GPL-3.0
Activity
stale

Checked 8 days ago - source: GitHub (haugene/docker-transmission-openvpn)

Resources & Compatibility

ARM (e.g. Raspberry Pi) is supported.

Checked 17 days ago - source: Docker Hub image tags and published docs

First-install notes

  • Fill in VPN and network settings first Set OPENVPN_PROVIDER, OPENVPN_CONFIG, your username/password or a credentials file, and LOCAL_NETWORK to your home network IP range before starting the container. If these are missing or wrong, the VPN may not connect and your home network traffic may not work as expected. source
  • Save /data and /config outside the container Map a folder on your Linux machine to /data for downloads and another to /config for OpenVPN files and settings, so your library, login details, and preferences survive restarts. If these live only inside the container, removing or recreating it can erase your downloads and configuration. source
  • Keep port 9091 reachable Publish the container's 9091 port, usually as 9091:9091, so you can open the Transmission web interface in a browser. Without that port exposed, the app may be running but you won't be able to manage downloads from other devices. source

Fetched 9 days ago - each note links to its source

Alternatives (12)

  • BiglyBT - Source for BiglyBT, a feature filled, open source, ad-free, bittorrent client.
  • Deluge - Deluge is a lightweight, free-software, cross-platform BitTorrent client for downloading and managing torrent files.
  • Free Download Manager - Accelerates downloads by splitting files, supports dark mode, controls traffic, enhances speed, organizes downloads, and is ad-free.
  • I2P - I2P (Invisible Internet Protocol) is a universal anonymous network layer.
  • LibreTorrent - LibreTorrent is a Free as in Freedom torrent client for Android 4 and later, based on libtorrent.
  • PikaTorrent - A modern, simple, connected, and electric BitTorrent app.
  • Tixati - Tixati is a peer-to-peer file sharing program that uses the popular BitTorrent protocol.
  • Transmission - Transmission is a BitTorrent client for downloading and sharing files over the BitTorrent protocol.
  • aria2 - Aria2 is a lightweight, multi-protocol, multi-source, cross-platform command-line download utility that retrieves files over HTTP/HTTPS, FT…
  • qBittorrent - qBittorrent is a free, open-source BitTorrent client that provides a self-hosted web-based interface for downloading, managing, and schedul…
  • qui - Qui is a fast, modern web interface that lets self-hosters manage one or more qBittorrent instances from a single lightweight application.
  • µTorrent - Desktop client for large-scale torrent downloads, offering simultaneous downloads, bandwidth optimization, and scheduling.

Checked 3 days ago - source: AlternativeTo

Common questions

Does Transmission stop if the OpenVPN tunnel drops?

Yes, Transmission is configured to run only while OpenVPN has an active tunnel. That means it does not keep transferring data while the tunnel is down.

What remote-access issue did a user have after installing Transmission_VPN?

The source describes a user who needed to expose the container so a Transmission remote client could connect from outside the network. It does not provide the final port or firewall rule.

Why might seeding fail while the VPN is active?

A user reported that Transmission was not seeding while using a VPN. The port forwarding setup still showed the port as closed, so VPN/port forwarding can block inbound seeding.

How does Docker reduce risk if the torrent client is compromised?

Any process inside the container has limited access to the host system and other containers. This can limit potential damage if Transmission is compromised.

Answers sourced from forums.linuxmint.com, fossengineer.com, github.com, www.reddit.com

Community

Collected 16 days ago - public community threads