Audiobookshelf
advplyr · Entertainment
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What is Audiobookshelf?
Audiobookshelf gives your own audiobook and podcast files the convenience of a commercial listening app. Everyone in a household can have an account that remembers where they stopped, on the web or on a phone. It also tidies the library by fetching covers, descriptions and chapters.
Audiobookshelf is a self-hosted server for audiobooks and podcasts. It streams all audio formats, keeps each user's listening progress in sync across devices, fetches metadata and cover art, and can find podcasts and download new episodes automatically. Companion Android and iOS apps, still in beta, add offline listening, and basic ebook support covers EPUB, PDF, CBR and CBZ.
Core capabilities
- Syncs each user's listening progress across web and mobile apps.
- Finds podcasts and downloads new episodes automatically.
- Includes a chapter editor and can merge audio files into one M4B.
Libraries and metadata
Audiobookshelf organises media into book and podcast libraries, each with its own settings, and uses the folder structure to recognise books. It reads local metadata automatically, while matching against online providers is a manual step for the admin. Books can be browsed by series, and one book can belong to more than one series. Built-in tools include a chapter editor with chapter lookup, embedding metadata and covers into audio files, and merging files into a single M4B.
- Audiobooks
- Metadata
- Chapters
- Series
Listening, podcasts and sharing
Progress is kept per user and syncs across devices, and the web app works as a progressive web app with Chromecast support. Podcasts can be searched, added and set to download new episodes automatically. Admins can open RSS feeds for books, series, collections and podcasts, or create public shares for books, so others can listen without logging in. Basic ebook support reads EPUB, PDF, CBR and CBZ and can send ebooks to a device such as a Kindle.
- Podcasts
- Progress sync
- RSS
- Mobile apps
Run it yourself under GPL-3.0
Docker is the recommended install, using the ghcr.io/advplyr/audiobookshelf image with /config and /metadata folders plus folders for your media. There are also install guides for Debian and RHEL-based Linux, NixOS, Windows and Podman. A reverse proxy in front of it must pass websocket connections, and the server can make automated daily backups of its database and metadata. Audiobookshelf is released under the GPL-3.0 licence.
- Self-hosted
- Docker
- Backups
- GPL-3.0
Where it fits
Use cases
- 01
Listen to your audiobooks on any device
Mount your audiobook folder into the ghcr.io/advplyr/audiobookshelf container and create a book library that points at it, with each book in its own folder. Audiobookshelf scans the files, and the admin can match books against online metadata providers for covers and descriptions. Sign in from the web app or the beta Android and iOS apps, and your place is saved as you listen.
- 02
Keep a podcast archive
Create a podcast library, then search for a podcast in the web interface and add it. Turn on auto-download so new episodes are saved to your server as they are published. Because episodes are kept as files, they stay available even if the original feed removes them.
- 03
Give each family member an account
Admins create admin, user or guest accounts in the server settings, and each person keeps their own progress. Access can be limited by library and by tags, and user and guest accounts see only non-explicit content by default. Logins can also go through an OpenID Connect provider such as Authelia or Keycloak.