Audiobookshelf — Self-Hosted Audiobook & Podcast Server

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

FAQ

Q: What audio formats are supported? A: MP3, M4A, M4B (Audible format), FLAC, OGG, WMA, AAC, OPUS, and other major formats. M4B audiobooks with chapters are auto-detected.

Q: Can I migrate from Audible? A: Yes. Use tools like OpenAudible or libation to convert Audible audiobooks to M4B or MP3, then drop them into Audiobookshelf's library directory — metadata is auto-recognized and enriched.

Q: Server requirements? A: Very lightweight. Audiobookshelf streams audio files directly without transcoding. 1GB RAM + 1-core CPU runs smoothly. Storage depends on your audiobook collection size.