Introduction
If you are running a media server on your home network and accessing it through Google Chrome, you might have noticed the "Not secure" warning on the left side of the address bar. This warning can be unsettling for some users and might even discourage them from accessing your media server. In this article, we will discuss how to remove this warning by enabling HTTPS on your media server.
Why do I see the "Not secure" warning?
The "Not secure" warning is shown when the website or server you are accessing is not using a secure connection (HTTPS). By default, most media servers use HTTP, which is not secure and can be easily intercepted by third-party actors.
How does HTTPS make my media server secure?
HTTPS (HTTP Secure) is a secure version of HTTP that uses SSL/TLS protocols to encrypt the data transmitted between your browser and the media server. This encryption ensures that even if a third-party actor intercepts the data, they will not be able to read it without the encryption key.
Enabling HTTPS on your media server
To enable HTTPS on your media server, you will need to obtain an SSL/TLS certificate and configure your media server to use it. The following steps will show you how to achieve this for some popular media servers.
Plex
Plex provides Let's Encrypt SSL/TLS certificates for its users. To use these certificates, follow these steps:
- Log in to your Plex account and navigate to your media server settings.
- Go to the "Network" tab and enable "Secure Connections (HTTPS)".
- Follow the instructions on the screen to obtain and configure the SSL/TLS certificate.
Emby
Emby also provides Let's Encrypt SSL/TLS certificates. To enable HTTPS on Emby, follow these steps:
- Open Emby and navigate to the web interface.
- Go to the "Dashboard" tab and click on "Security".
- Enable "Use SSL (HTTPS)" and follow the instructions on the screen to obtain and configure the SSL/TLS certificate.
Jellyfin
Jellyfin requires a manual setup to enable HTTPS. Here are the steps:
- Obtain an SSL/TLS certificate from a trusted certificate authority (CA).
- Place the certificate files in a secure location on your media server.
- Edit your Jellyfin configuration file and add the following lines:
<add KeyFile="path/to/private.key">
<add CertFile="path/to/certificate.crt">
Replace "path/to/private.key" and "path/to/certificate.crt" with the actual paths to your certificate files.
Enabling HTTPS on your media server is an essential step to remove the "Not secure" warning on Chrome. It ensures that the data transmitted between your browser and the media server is encrypted, preventing third-party actors from intercepting and reading it. We have discussed the steps for enabling HTTPS on some popular media servers, including Plex, Emby, and Jellyfin.