I see your point and such a project sound interesting to me. Please keep us updated

Maybe you want to have a look at https://github.com/qbittorrent/qBittorrent/wiki/Running-qBittorrent-without-X-server-(WebUI-only) . qbittorrent-nox runs from the command line

Debian, set and forget. Being a server you don’t need the latest version of any software and Debian is timely in security patches. use unattended-upgrades and forget about what is running your stuff.