--- title: My Jellyfin server has four layers of protection, and... description: A home Jellyfin server owner describes a four-layer data protection strategy rather than relying on a single backup solution: RAID 5 across four drives on a... canonical: https://daily.dev/posts/my-jellyfin-server-has-four-layers-of-protection-and-raid-isn-t-the-most-important-one-pd8fmb4a3 twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:site: @dailydotdev og:type: website og:site_name: daily.dev og:title: My Jellyfin server has four layers of protection, and RAID isn't the most important one | daily.dev og:description: A home Jellyfin server owner describes a four-layer data protection strategy rather than relying on a single backup solution: RAID 5 across four drives on a... og:url: https://daily.dev/posts/my-jellyfin-server-has-four-layers-of-protection-and-raid-isn-t-the-most-important-one-pd8fmb4a3 og:image: https://api.daily.dev/og/posts/pd8FmB4A3.png og:image:alt: My Jellyfin server has four layers of protection, and RAID isn't the most important one og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 630 og:locale: en --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://daily.dev/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # My Jellyfin server has four layers of protection, and RAID isn't the most important one **[XDA Developers](https://daily.dev/sources/xda-developers)** · 5 min read · 1 upvotes · 0 comments ## Summary A home Jellyfin server owner describes a four-layer data protection strategy rather than relying on a single backup solution: RAID 5 across four drives on a UGREEN NAS to survive a single drive failure, separate backups of Jellyfin's application database and configuration, NFO metadata files stored alongside media so libraries can be rebuilt after a database loss, and off-NAS copies of irreplaceable files to guard against total NAS failure or propagated deletions. The core argument is that RAID alone is not a backup and each layer addresses a distinct failure mode. ## Full article daily.dev links to this article rather than hosting it. Read it at the original source: ## Questions this post answers ### Does RAID count as a backup for my Jellyfin media server? No, RAID alone is not a backup. It protects against a single drive failure by keeping the array online while you replace the failed disk, but it does not protect against accidental deletion, file corruption, a failed NAS, or a damaged Jellyfin database, since those failures propagate across the whole storage pool. A separate copy of important files stored elsewhere is needed to cover those scenarios. _daily.dev surfaces practical self-hosting lessons for anyone building out a real backup strategy beyond RAID._ ### Why should I keep NFO files with my Jellyfin media instead of only relying on the Jellyfin database? NFO files stored in the same directory as movies, episodes, or series preserve metadata independently of Jellyfin's internal database. If that database is lost or corrupted, a fresh Jellyfin installation can scan the media folders and recover much of the library structure automatically, avoiding hours of manual re-tagging and reorganization. _Rebuilding a media library from scratch is avoidable; daily.dev helps surface tricks like this for self-hosted setups._ ## Similar posts on daily.dev - [The best NAS upgrade isn't another drive, it's fixing your backup plan first](https://daily.dev/posts/the-best-nas-upgrade-isn-t-another-drive-it-s-fixing-your-backup-plan-first-g0vwpg6sd) · XDA Developers · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [The Cloud Is Drowning — But I’m Fine, I Live by the River \(and I Have a NAS\)](https://daily.dev/posts/the-cloud-is-drowning-but-i-m-fine-i-live-by-the-river-and-i-have-a-nas--oe7pc8up5) · Codemotion · 5 upvotes · 0 comments - [My NAS' ZFS pools taught me snapshots matter far more than the RAID level I obsessed over](https://daily.dev/posts/my-nas-zfs-pools-taught-me-snapshots-matter-far-more-than-the-raid-level-i-obsessed-over-m95vqikrl) · XDA Developers · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [I lost my entire Jellyfin server to a dead drive, but my real mistake was the backup I thought I had](https://daily.dev/posts/i-lost-my-entire-jellyfin-server-to-a-dead-drive-but-my-real-mistake-was-the-backup-i-thought-i-had-799jeklv6) · XDA Developers · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [No backup, no cry](https://daily.dev/posts/no-backup-no-cry-bl8deav5b) · David Heinemeier Hansson · 180 upvotes · 7 comments --- Tags: [#self-hosting](https://daily.dev/tags/self-hosting), [#jellyfin](https://daily.dev/tags/jellyfin) [View this post on daily.dev](https://daily.dev/posts/my-jellyfin-server-has-four-layers-of-protection-and-raid-isn-t-the-most-important-one-pd8fmb4a3) ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization","name":"daily.dev","url":"https://daily.dev","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://daily.dev/apple-touch-icon.png","width":180,"height":180},"sameAs":["https://twitter.com/dailydotdev","https://github.com/dailydotdev","https://www.linkedin.com/company/daily-dev-ltd"]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https://daily.dev/#website","url":"https://daily.dev","name":"daily.dev","publisher":{"@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization"},"potentialAction":{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https://daily.dev/search?q={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}}]} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"TechArticle","headline":"My Jellyfin server has four layers of protection, and RAID isn't the most important one","url":"https://daily.dev/posts/my-jellyfin-server-has-four-layers-of-protection-and-raid-isn-t-the-most-important-one-pd8fmb4a3","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/my-jellyfin-server-has-four-layers-of-protection-and-raid-isn-t-the-most-important-one-pd8fmb4a3"},"datePublished":"2026-08-24T00:00:23.291Z","dateModified":"2026-09-14T06:42:54.370Z","description":"A home Jellyfin server owner describes a four-layer data protection strategy rather than relying on a single backup solution: RAID 5 across four drives on a...","image":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/f_auto,q_auto/v1/posts/ecbc7b370c1a92711376c5366f633681?_a=AQAEuop","thumbnailUrl":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/f_auto,q_auto/v1/posts/ecbc7b370c1a92711376c5366f633681?_a=AQAEuop","isAccessibleForFree":true,"articleSection":"XDA Developers","inLanguage":"en","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"daily.dev","url":"https://daily.dev","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://daily.dev/apple-touch-icon.png","width":180,"height":180}},"author":{"@type":"Organization","name":"XDA Developers","logo":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/s--kCg6yyAP--/f_auto,q_auto/v1774964407/logos/xda-developers?_a=BAMAMiWQ0","url":"https://daily.dev/sources/xda-developers"},"commentCount":0,"discussionUrl":"https://daily.dev/posts/my-jellyfin-server-has-four-layers-of-protection-and-raid-isn-t-the-most-important-one-pd8fmb4a3","interactionStatistic":[{"@type":"InteractionCounter","interactionType":{"@type":"LikeAction"},"userInteractionCount":1},{"@type":"InteractionCounter","interactionType":{"@type":"CommentAction"},"userInteractionCount":0}],"keywords":"self-hosting,jellyfin","timeRequired":"PT5M"} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https://daily.dev"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"XDA Developers","item":"https://daily.dev/sources/xda-developers"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"My Jellyfin server has four layers of protection, and RAID isn't the most important one"}]} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"FAQPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/my-jellyfin-server-has-four-layers-of-protection-and-raid-isn-t-the-most-important-one-pd8fmb4a3#faq","mainEntity":[{"@type":"Question","name":"Does RAID count as a backup for my Jellyfin media server?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"No, RAID alone is not a backup. It protects against a single drive failure by keeping the array online while you replace the failed disk, but it does not protect against accidental deletion, file corruption, a failed NAS, or a damaged Jellyfin database, since those failures propagate across the whole storage pool. A separate copy of important files stored elsewhere is needed to cover those scenarios. daily.dev surfaces practical self-hosting lessons for anyone building out a real backup strategy beyond RAID."}},{"@type":"Question","name":"Why should I keep NFO files with my Jellyfin media instead of only relying on the Jellyfin database?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"NFO files stored in the same directory as movies, episodes, or series preserve metadata independently of Jellyfin's internal database. If that database is lost or corrupted, a fresh Jellyfin installation can scan the media folders and recover much of the library structure automatically, avoiding hours of manual re-tagging and reorganization. Rebuilding a media library from scratch is avoidable; daily.dev helps surface tricks like this for self-hosted setups."}}]} ```