First off, this is a cool project and I’m happy to pay the license because this is a great initiative. So thanks for sharing this with the community. Started my Sparknox journey on a PC with Ubuntu to ensure maximum compatibility. The provided credentials in the Settings menu do not work Followed the AI’s instructions to change the password on the .env file restart sparkbox on the terminal and see if it works. No luck Also made sure with the AI that the generated password had no issues. Nope. 24 alphanumeric characters. Still didn’t work🎵 Ai’m also trying to add a samba share to my media files in Jeñlyfin. Ubuntu sees it. I can access it and mount it with no issues. I guess I have to point to it in the Jellyfin yaml.
14 replies
tomspark wrote:
Thanks for the kind words and for backing it! Let's get you in. One key thing: File Browser sets its password the very first time it starts and saves it internally, so editing the .env afterward and restarting won't change it — that's why that didn't work. The password that actually works is the one stored on your server. Grab the exact value with: sudo cat /opt/sparkbox/state/filebrowser-admin-password.txt Log in with username admin and paste that. If that exact value still bounces you, tell me and I'll give you a one-line command to set a fresh one directly. For the Samba share in Jellyfin: don't edit the yaml. Mount the share at your media folder (your MEDIAROOT path) on Ubuntu, and Jellyfin will see it automatically since it already looks there. Happy to walk through that once you're logged in.
tomspark wrote:
Ah, that 'timeout' is my fault — I left out a step. File Browser is still running, and it keeps the password file locked, so the command can't get in. Stop it first, set the password, then start it again. Swap in your own password where it says YOURPASSWORD and paste this whole block: sudo docker stop sb-filebrowser sudo docker run --rm -v /opt/sparkbox/modules/files/config/filebrowser:/database --user 1000:1000 filebrowser/filebrowser:v2.31.2 users update admin --password 'YOURPASSWORD' -d /database/filebrowser.db sudo sparkbox restart files This time it'll go through (no timeout). Then log in with admin and your new password.
tomspark wrote:
Nice, glad it's working! You spotted a real quirk: that Service Passwords box just shows the password from a file on disk, and File Browser doesn't update that file when you change the password directly like we just did. So it's showing the old generated one even though your real login is the new one you set. Totally cosmetic, not a second account, but I've flagged it so the list reflects reality. For now: ignore what that box shows for File Browser and use the password you just created. For the DuckDNS certificate side, happy to help once you hit a specific snag, just shout.
tomspark wrote:
Thanks for backing it — and nice work getting File Browser sorted! On the Custom Domain error: that "not a valid domain" means the address the wizard built came out malformed (there's a stray extra dot in it). The wizard sticks each app's prefix onto the front of your Base Domain, so if that field has a leading or trailing dot or a space, every subdomain it generates breaks. Double-check the Base Domain is exactly yourname.duckdns.org with nothing extra on either end. Honest heads-up though: DuckDNS + per-app subdomains + automatic certificates is a fiddly combo. For a home box the Tailscale option in the dashboard is far less hassle — no domain, no DNS records, no certificates, and nothing exposed to the internet. Want me to dig into the DuckDNS route, or get you set up on Tailscale instead?
tomspark wrote:
Great call, and glad Tailscale's working! Mental model: Tailscale and the public Custom Domain (with NPM + subdomains) are two separate ways to reach your box — you only need one. Since Tailscale's up, you can drop the whole public-domain/NPM/subdomain side: no reverse proxy needed, you've got it right. To open your apps over Tailscale, use your NAS's Tailscale name (or its 100.x address) plus each app's port — e.g. http://your-nas:8096 for Jellyfin — from any device that's also signed into your Tailscale. No DuckDNS, no certificates, nothing exposed to the internet. If you later want clean names instead of ports, Tailscale's MagicDNS handles that, but ports are fine to start.
tomspark wrote:
Anytime — that's what I'm here for. Glad it all came together, and genuinely appreciate the support. Enjoy the setup!
popuman wrote:
Thanks for the response. Tried that command. Pasted the password. Still bouncing. Samba share working nicely. Thanks for your help and all that you do.
tomspark wrote:
No problem, here's the direct fix. Pick a password you'll remember, swap it in where it says YOURPASSWORD, and paste this whole block into your terminal: sudo docker run --rm -v /opt/sparkbox/modules/files/config/filebrowser:/database --user 1000:1000 filebrowser/filebrowser:v2.31.2 users update admin --password 'YOURPASSWORD' -d /database/filebrowser.db sudo sparkbox restart files Then log in with username admin and the password you just set. That writes it straight into File Browser's own database, so it'll stick this time. Let me know it works.
popuman wrote:
This is the output when I set the password with the first command: 2026/05/30 17:06:08 Using database: /database/filebrowser.db 2026/05/30 17:06:08 timeout
tomspark wrote:
Awesome, glad that sorted it! On the slow downloads: yep, that's almost always the VPN, and the good news is it's usually just which server you're connected to. A server far away or a busy one will crawl. In the dashboard go to the Media VPN settings and pick a server city close to you, save, and test again. That alone fixes it most of the time. If it's still slow after that, the VPN provider itself matters a lot for download speed. We tune SparkBox around Surfshark and it's what I'd recommend (87% off + 4 months free): https://get.surfshark.net/affc?offerid=1126&affid=9447&affsub=hr52es
popuman wrote:
It worked! Thanks. Now this is odd. The old pre-generated password still appears on the Service Passwords section under Monitoring on the Settings Page. And the temporary password I created on the .env file while I was working with the AI yesterday is there. I can change it on the .env file to the current one, but the old one appearing on the Setting page is....odd. I'm trying to sort out the certificates for my ddns domain. Using duckdns to change the CNAME records and it's interesting. Thanks for your help.
popuman wrote:
Yeah. I'm using a duckdns domain to point at my PC running Sparkbox on Ubuntu LTS. Custom Domain is enabled and showing my domain at 'EXAMPLE'.duckdns.org. I put that domain on the Base Domain section under custom domains. Before showing suggestions, the popup window asks me to create a CNAME record instead of an A record since it's a DDNS with some info, wait 5 minutes after doing that so it's propagated and then go for the suggested subdomains like dash.'EXAMPLE'.duckdns.org. Once it's done, then setup the selected subdomains. I confirm, type in my password and I get the following error: ✗ docker.'EXAMPLE'..duckdns.org — "docker.'EXAMPLE''..duckdns.org" is not a valid domain. Use the format app.example.com and try again. I use the following format to send the CNAME request to DuckDNS: https://www.duckdns.org/update?domains='EXAMPLE'.duckdns.org&token='DUCKDNSTOKEN&txt='CNAMERECORD'&verbose=true[&clear=true] Thanks for your help.
popuman wrote:
The domain was correct. No extra dots. However I did setup Tailscale and it's working. Should I use Tailscale for the base custom domain then s we can use the subdomains and all that? Also since Tailscale is running no need to setup NGNIX as a reverse proxy, correct? I'm duckduckgoing at it but always good to have a second opinion.
popuman wrote:
Awesome Tom! Thanks for all your help. I'm glad to contribute to this effort.