Among video/media servers for the home, Plex is perhaps the most popular. It is supplied using a Freemium model, where the basic service is free, and you pay for extended features. Client apps for mobile computers are available, as well. The idea is to store a video archive on one computer, accessing the videos from anywhere on your home network either via a web browser or a mobile device app. With a little extra work you can additionally access your video library from anywhere, so long as your home network is available 24/7 on a relatively fast Internet connection.

The simplest way to install Plex is by using Docker. A few simple commands, assuming your computer already has Docker, and Plex is up and running with no muss, no fuss.

Plex can run on low-end computer hardware and still stream video to one or more Plex clients. For example, Drobo file-server appliances can run Plex making for a powerful combination of large data storage capacity and a powerful video server application. Depending on the videos in your collection, Plex may want to transcode the video on the server. That's fine unless the server is not powerful enough to convert (a.k.a. transcode) video.