Audiobookshelf

Stable

advplyr/audiobookshelf14.6k1.2k1w agoMedia Streaming - Audio Streaming

Specs verified August 30, 2026 · against v2.36.0

Overview

Self-hosted audiobook and podcast server with mobile apps, progress sync, and multi-user libraries.

Audiobookshelf is a self-hosted audiobook and podcast server for people who want a private listening stack instead of juggling local files, cloud lockers, and separate podcast apps.

Why people choose Audiobookshelf

Official docs and the repository frame it around multi-user libraries, synced progress across devices, mobile apps, metadata lookup, podcast downloads, and backup scheduling. That makes it attractive for families or individuals who want one place to manage audiobooks, podcasts, and even some ebook reading.

What is included in the stack

The official feature list covers Android and iOS companion apps with offline listening in beta, web playback, per-user progress, metadata and cover-art lookup, chapter editing, podcast search and auto-download, open RSS feeds, automated backups, and basic ebook support for EPUB, PDF, CBR, and CBZ files.

What to know before you deploy

Audiobookshelf is easier to run than many larger media suites because Docker is the recommended install path, but you still need to handle storage, reverse proxying for remote access, and clean backups. The project also notes that mobile apps are still in beta and ebook support is intentionally basic rather than a full Calibre-style replacement.

Best fit

Choose Audiobookshelf when you want a self-hosted Audible-style audiobook server plus podcasts in one interface. If your main goal is ebook library management or a broader video/music media server, a more specialized tool may fit better.

Quick deploy

Paste into docker-compose.yml and run docker compose up -d

docker-compose.yml

1### EXAMPLE DOCKER COMPOSE ###
2services:
3  audiobookshelf:
4    image: ghcr.io/advplyr/audiobookshelf:latest
5    # ABS runs on port 13378 by default. If you want to change
6    # the port, only change the external port, not the internal port
7    ports:
8      - 13378:80
9    volumes:
10      # These volumes are needed to keep your library persistent
11      # and allow media to be accessed by the ABS server.
12      # The path to the left of the colon is the path on your computer,
13      # and the path to the right of the colon is where the data is
14      # available to ABS in Docker.
15      # You can change these media directories or add as many as you want
16      - ./audiobooks:/audiobooks
17      - ./podcasts:/podcasts
18      # The metadata directory can be stored anywhere on your computer
19      - ./metadata:/metadata
20      # The config directory needs to be on the same physical machine
21      # you are running ABS on
22      - ./config:/config
23    restart: unless-stopped
24    # You can use the following user directive to run the ABS
25    # docker container as a specific user. You will need to change
26    # the UID and GID to the correct values for your user.
27    # user: 1000:1000

Configuration

Environment variables

Variable	What it does	Example
`METADATA_PATH`	Optional path to store metadata and configuration outside the default library folder.	/config/metadata

Ports

13378/tcp — Audiobookshelf web interface and API

Volumes to back up

/audiobooks — Primary audiobook library mount.
/podcasts — Primary podcast library mount.
/config — Configuration and metadata storage.

Interface previews

Feature support

Feature support in Audiobookshelf
Feature	Support
Android and iOS companion appsOfficial docs list Android and iOS companion apps with offline listening in beta.	Supported
Multi-user libraries and permissionsOfficial docs say Audiobookshelf supports multiple users with custom permissions.	Supported
Progress sync across devicesThe official feature list says user progress is kept per user and synced across devices.	Supported
Podcast search and auto-downloadOfficial docs say users can search for podcasts and auto-download episodes.	Supported
Metadata, cover-art, and chapter toolsThe project documents metadata lookup from several providers plus chapter editing and lookup tools.	Supported
Automated backup schedulingOfficial docs explicitly list backups with automated backup scheduling.	Supported
Basic ebook supportThe docs describe EPUB, PDF, CBR, and CBZ support plus send-to-device workflows, but ebook support is presented as basic rather than the main focus.	Partial support
Docker deploymentThe installation docs call Docker the recommended way to run Audiobookshelf.	Supported

Community signals

Stars: 14.6k
Forks: 1.2k
Open issues: 1.2k
Last commit: 1w ago
Latest release: v2.37.1
Repo created: Aug 2021

Refreshed nightly from the GitHub API.

Questions

What is Audiobookshelf used for?

Audiobookshelf is used to self-host audiobook and podcast libraries with browser access, mobile listening, synced progress, and metadata management.

Is Audiobookshelf only for audiobooks?

No. Official docs say it also supports podcasts, and it includes basic ebook support for formats such as EPUB and PDF.

Does Audiobookshelf have mobile apps?

Yes. The official docs list Android and iOS companion apps, with offline listening noted as a beta feature.

Can Audiobookshelf handle multiple users?

Yes. Official feature lists say it supports multiple users with custom permissions and keeps progress per user.

Does Audiobookshelf support Docker?

Yes. The installation docs explicitly say Docker is the recommended way to run Audiobookshelf.

Can Audiobookshelf download podcast episodes automatically?

Yes. The official docs say users can search for podcasts and auto-download episodes.

What is the main Audiobookshelf tradeoff?

It gives you more control than cloud audiobook and podcast apps, but you are responsible for storage, remote access, backups, and accepting that some mobile features are still marked beta.

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