Audiobookshelf Server

Key Features

• Web-based library management with drag-and-drop file uploads and automatic metadata detection
• Native mobile applications for iOS and Android with offline download capabilities
• Multi-user support with individual progress tracking and personalized libraries
• Podcast subscription management with automatic episode downloads and RSS feed support
• Advanced playbook features including sleep timers, playback speed control, and chapter navigation
• Library statistics and reading analytics with listening time tracking and completion rates
• OpenAPI integration for third-party applications and custom automation workflows
• Backup and sync capabilities for user data and listening progress across devices

Common Use Cases

• 1Personal audiobook library streaming for individuals with large digital book collections
• 2Family media server providing separate user accounts and parental controls for children
• 3Podcast archival system for content creators and researchers who need offline access
• 4Educational institutions hosting course materials and lecture recordings for students
• 5Book clubs and reading groups sharing curated audiobook collections with members
• 6Home automation integration triggering audiobook playback based on schedules or events
• 7Remote access media server for travelers who want access to their library worldwide

Prerequisites

• Docker and Docker Compose installed with at least 2GB available RAM for media processing
• Sufficient storage space for audiobook and podcast files, typically 50GB minimum for moderate collections
• Network port 13378 available and not conflicting with other services
• Organized media files in supported formats (MP3, M4A, FLAC, OGG) with proper directory structure
• Basic understanding of volume mounting for mapping local media directories to container paths

docker-compose.yml

1services: 
2  audiobookshelf: 
3    image: ghcr.io/advplyr/audiobookshelf:latest
4    container_name: audiobookshelf
5    environment: 
6      - TZ=${TZ}
7    volumes: 
8      - audiobookshelf_config:/config
9      - audiobookshelf_metadata:/metadata
10      - /path/to/audiobooks:/audiobooks
11      - /path/to/podcasts:/podcasts
12    ports: 
13      - "13378:80"
14    restart: unless-stopped
15    networks: 
16      - audiobookshelf-network
17
18volumes: 
19  audiobookshelf_config: 
20  audiobookshelf_metadata: 
21
22networks: 
23  audiobookshelf-network: 
24    driver: bridge

.env Template

1# Audiobookshelf
2TZ=UTC

Usage Notes

Quick Start

1# 1. Create the compose file
2cat > docker-compose.yml << 'EOF'
3services:
4  audiobookshelf:
5    image: ghcr.io/advplyr/audiobookshelf:latest
6    container_name: audiobookshelf
7    environment:
8      - TZ=${TZ}
9    volumes:
10      - audiobookshelf_config:/config
11      - audiobookshelf_metadata:/metadata
12      - /path/to/audiobooks:/audiobooks
13      - /path/to/podcasts:/podcasts
14    ports:
15      - "13378:80"
16    restart: unless-stopped
17    networks:
18      - audiobookshelf-network
19
20volumes:
21  audiobookshelf_config:
22  audiobookshelf_metadata:
23
24networks:
25  audiobookshelf-network:
26    driver: bridge
27EOF
28
29# 2. Create the .env file
30cat > .env << 'EOF'
31# Audiobookshelf
32TZ=UTC
33EOF
34
35# 3. Start the services
36docker compose up -d
37
38# 4. View logs
39docker compose logs -f

One-Liner

Run this command to download and set up the recipe in one step:

1curl -fsSL https://docker.recipes/api/recipes/audiobookshelf-audiobooks/run | bash

Troubleshooting