ConfigsApr 10, 2026·1 min read

Audiobookshelf — Self-Hosted Audiobook & Podcast Server

Audiobookshelf is an open-source audiobook and podcast server with progress sync, chapter navigation, mobile apps, and multi-user support — a self-hosted Audible alternative.

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Quick Use

Use it first, then decide how deep to go

This block should tell both the user and the agent what to copy, install, and apply first.

docker run -d --name audiobookshelf 
  -p 13378:80 
  -v /path/to/audiobooks:/audiobooks 
  -v /path/to/podcasts:/podcasts 
  -v audiobookshelf-config:/config 
  -v audiobookshelf-metadata:/metadata 
  ghcr.io/advplyr/audiobookshelf:latest

Open http://localhost:13378 — create your admin account, add your audiobook library folders, and start listening.

Intro

Audiobookshelf is a self-hosted audiobook and podcast server that manages, streams, and tracks your audio content across all devices. With native mobile apps (iOS & Android), automatic metadata fetching, chapter navigation, and multi-user progress sync, it provides an experience comparable to Audible — running entirely on your own hardware.

With 12.4K+ GitHub stars and GPL-3.0 license, Audiobookshelf has become the definitive self-hosted solution for audiobook enthusiasts and podcast listeners who value ownership and privacy.

What Audiobookshelf Does

Audiobookshelf handles all your audio content needs:

  • Audiobook Management: Organize audiobooks with metadata, cover art, series, narrators, and genres
  • Podcast Management: Subscribe to podcasts via RSS, auto-download new episodes, and manage subscriptions
  • Progress Sync: Seamless position sync across web, iOS, and Android apps
  • Chapter Navigation: Jump between chapters with chapter titles and timestamps
  • Multi-user: Separate accounts with individual libraries, progress, and bookmarks
  • Metadata Fetching: Auto-fetch from Audible, Google Books, OpenLibrary, and iTunes
  • Bookmarks & Notes: Mark favorite passages and add notes while listening
  • Sleep Timer: Built-in sleep timer with shake-to-reset
  • Playback Speed: Adjustable speed from 0.5x to 3x
  • Collections & Series: Group audiobooks into collections and series with proper ordering

Architecture

┌─────────────┐     ┌──────────────┐     ┌──────────────┐
│ Mobile Apps │────▶│ Audiobookshelf│────▶│  Audio Files │
│ iOS/Android │     │  Server      │     │  (Audiobooks │
├─────────────┤     │  (Node.js)   │     │  & Podcasts) │
│ Web Client  │     └──────┬───────┘     └──────────────┘
└─────────────┘            │
                    ┌──────┴───────┐
                    │  SQLite DB   │
                    │  (Metadata & │
                    │   Progress)  │
                    └──────────────┘

Self-Hosting

Docker Compose

services:
  audiobookshelf:
    image: ghcr.io/advplyr/audiobookshelf:latest
    ports:
      - "13378:80"
    volumes:
      - /mnt/media/audiobooks:/audiobooks
      - /mnt/media/podcasts:/podcasts
      - abs-config:/config
      - abs-metadata:/metadata
    restart: unless-stopped

volumes:
  abs-config:
  abs-metadata:

File Organization

/audiobooks/
├── Author Name/
│   ├── Book Title/
│   │   ├── Chapter 01.mp3
│   │   ├── Chapter 02.mp3
│   │   └── cover.jpg
│   └── Series Name/
│       ├── Book 1 - Title/
│       │   └── book.m4b
│       └── Book 2 - Title/
│           └── book.m4b

Supported formats: MP3, M4A, M4B, FLAC, OGG, WMA, AAC, OPUS

Key Features

Mobile Apps

Native apps for iOS and Android with:

  • Background playback with lock screen controls
  • Auto-sync progress when connected to server
  • Download for offline listening
  • CarPlay / Android Auto support
  • Sleep timer with motion detection

Metadata Management

Audiobookshelf fetches metadata from:

  • Audible: Title, author, narrator, series, duration, description
  • Google Books: ISBN lookup, descriptions, categories
  • OpenLibrary: Book data, covers
  • iTunes: Podcast metadata and artwork

Podcast Features

  • Subscribe via RSS URL
  • Auto-download new episodes on schedule
  • Episode progress tracking
  • Podcast-specific libraries
  • OPML import/export

Smart Libraries

  • Multiple libraries per user (e.g., Fiction, Non-Fiction, Languages)
  • Filter by author, narrator, genre, series, or tag
  • Sort by recently added, progress, duration, or title
  • Search across all libraries

Audiobookshelf vs Alternatives

Feature Audiobookshelf Plex Booksonic OpenAudible
Open Source Yes (GPL-3.0) No Yes No
Mobile apps Native iOS/Android Yes Android No
Progress sync Yes Yes Yes No
Chapters Yes Limited Yes Yes
Podcasts Yes Yes No No
Metadata Audible/Google/OL Limited Limited Audible
Multi-user Yes Yes Yes No
Offline mobile Yes Plex Pass No Desktop only

常见问题

Q: 支持什么音频格式？ A: 支持 MP3、M4A、M4B（Audible格式）、FLAC、OGG、WMA、AAC、OPUS 等主流音频格式。M4B 带章节的有声书会自动识别章节信息。

Q: 可以从 Audible 迁移吗？ A: 可以。使用 OpenAudible 或 libation 等工具将 Audible 有声书转换为 M4B 或 MP3 格式后，放入 Audiobookshelf 的库目录即可自动识别和获取元数据。

Q: 对服务器配置有什么要求？ A: 非常轻量。Audiobookshelf 直接串流音频文件，不需要转码。1GB RAM + 1核 CPU 即可流畅运行。存储空间取决于你的有声书收藏大小。

来源与致谢

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