Ryot the personal tracking companion

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📺 Ryot – The Self-Hosted Alternative to Trakt.tv

Anyone who likes to track their media while maintaining full control over their data should take a closer look at Ryot. This self-hosted solution not only offers all the important features of Trakt.tv, but goes even further.

Readtime: 3 min, 55 s

🎯 What is Ryot?

Ryot (Roll Your Own Tracker) is an open-source platform for tracking various aspects of life – from media to fitness to personal habits. Unlike cloud-based services like Trakt.tv, Ryot runs entirely on your own server.

☁️ Self-Hosting or Cloud? You Have the Choice!

What's special about Ryot: You don't have to decide whether you're technically savvy enough. Ryot offers both options:

Self-Hosting (free)

Perfect for those who:

  • Want full control over their data
  • Already run a home server or NAS
  • Don't want ongoing costs
  • Are technically interested

Ryot Cloud (paid)

Ideal for those who:

  • Don't want to run their own infrastructure
  • Want to get started immediately without setup
  • Don't want to worry about updates and maintenance
  • Want to access from anywhere without VPN/port forwarding

Ryot Cloud is operated by the developer himself and offers various subscription models. This way you can use all the benefits of Ryot without having to set up a server yourself. The cloud version is available at pro.ryot.io.

Important: Both versions offer the same core features. The developer finances the further development of the open-source software through cloud subscriptions – a fair win-win situation!

✨ My Experience

After several weeks of intensive use, I can confirm the following highlights:

Import Functions

Ryot supports the usual imports and makes the switch easy. Data can be seamlessly imported from Trakt.tv, but also from other services like:

  • Goodreads (for books)
  • Movary
  • StoryGraph
  • Strong App (for fitness)

The import works smoothly and all my previous watch history data was transferred within a few minutes.

Multi-Language Support

A big plus: Ryot can display content in German or in any preferred language. The metadata is automatically loaded in the desired language – perfect for those who don't want English titles and descriptions.

Docker Stability

The Docker installation runs absolutely stable. No crashes, no problems – just reliable.

🐳 Docker-Compose Example

Here is my working docker-compose.yml:

services:
  ryot-db:
    image: postgres:16-alpine
    restart: unless-stopped
    container_name: ryot-db
    volumes:
      - postgres_storage:/var/lib/postgresql/data
    environment:
      - TZ=Europe/Zurich
      - POSTGRES_DB=postgres
      - POSTGRES_USER=postgres
      - POSTGRES_PASSWORD=dein_sicheres_passwort

  ryot:
    image: ignisda/ryot:v9
    pull_policy: always
    container_name: ryot
    restart: unless-stopped
    ports:
      - "8000:8000"
    environment:
      - TZ=Europe/Zurich
      - DATABASE_URL=postgres://postgres:dein_sicheres_passwort@ryot-db:5432/postgres
      - SERVER_ADMIN_ACCESS_TOKEN=dein_langer_zufaelliger_token
      - SERVER_INSECURE_COOKIE=false
      - MOVIES_AND_SHOWS_TMDB_ACCESS_TOKEN=tmdb_token_v4 
      - MOVIES_AND_SHOWS_TMDB_LOCALE=de
    depends_on:
      - ryot-db

volumes:
  postgres_storage:

Here is the Markdown code in English: markdownKopierenImportant: Make sure to change the password and admin token to secure, random values!

After starting with docker-compose up -d, Ryot will be available at http://localhost:8000.

📚 Tracking Beyond Movies and TV Shows

What really sets Ryot apart from Trakt.tv is the variety of tracking options:

  • Books – Perfect for bookworms
  • Podcasts – Keep track of your favorite shows
  • Video Games – Track your gaming sessions
  • Anime & Manga – For all anime fans
  • Fitness & Workouts – Document your athletic activities
  • Audiobooks – Integration with Audiobookshelf possible

🔗 Integrations

Ryot integrates seamlessly with:

  • Jellyfin
  • Plex
  • Emby
  • Kodi
  • Audiobookshelf

Notifications via Discord, Ntfy, or Apprise are also possible.

🆚 Ryot vs. Trakt.tv

Feature Ryot (Self-Hosted) Ryot Cloud Trakt.tv
Self-hosted ✅ ❌ ❌
Data control ✅ ⚠️ ❌
Book tracking ✅ ✅ ❌
Podcast tracking ✅ ✅ ❌
Fitness tracking ✅ ✅ ❌
Multi-language ✅ ✅ Limited
Free ✅ ❌ Limited
GraphQL API ✅ ✅ REST API
No setup required ❌ ✅ ✅

💡 Which Option is Right for You?

Choose Self-Hosting if you:

  • Already have a server/NAS
  • Want maximum data control
  • Don't want ongoing costs
  • Enjoy technology

Choose Ryot Cloud if you:

  • Want to get started quickly
  • Don't have technical knowledge
  • Don't want to manage it yourself
  • Want to support the developer

Choose Trakt.tv if you:

  • Only track movies and TV shows
  • Want an established community
  • Need many existing app integrations

🎯 Conclusion

Ryot is a mature, stable alternative to Trakt.tv, especially interesting for self-hosting enthusiasts. The ability to track not only movies and TV shows, but also books, podcasts, and fitness makes Ryot an all-in-one solution.

The Docker installation is straightforward, importing Trakt data works flawlessly, and multi-language support is a real plus. Anyone who wants to maintain control over their data and is looking for more than just media tracking should definitely give Ryot a chance.

The big advantage: With the cloud option, Ryot is now also accessible to users who don't want to run their own infrastructure. This way, everyone can benefit from the extended features, regardless of technical requirements.

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