What is Audiobookshelf used for?

Audiobookshelf is listed as a Media tool on TiloBox. Review the overview, features, and official documentation on this page to decide whether it solves your specific workflow.

How do I get started with Audiobookshelf?

Start with the project's GitHub repository and official website for supported installation and deployment instructions. Test the setup with representative data or a small project before rolling it out more widely.

What license does Audiobookshelf use?

Audiobookshelf is listed under the GPL-3.0 license. Read the complete license text and the project's notices before using, modifying, or distributing the software.

Is Audiobookshelf ready for production use?

Production readiness depends on your requirements. Review maintenance activity, security practices, documentation, backup and upgrade procedures, and compatibility with your stack; then validate it in a non-production environment.

Is Audiobookshelf an alternative to Audible?

Audiobookshelf is listed as an alternative to Audible. Compare the core workflow, deployment model, integrations, and licensing against your must-have requirements before switching.

Media Alternative to Audible Alternative to Pocket Casts

Audiobookshelf

Self-hosted audiobook and podcast server with progress tracking and mobile sync.

View on GitHub Visit website

LicenseGPL-3.0

GitHub stars14.1k

Last commit2 weeks ago

Tags6 topics

Audio PlayerAudiobookNodejsMedia ServerSelf HostedPodcasts

Overview

Why consider Audiobookshelf?

Audiobookshelf is an open-source media server for managing audiobooks and podcasts. It features chapter support, multi-device playback synchronization, and native mobile apps.

Guided learning

Learn Audiobookshelf by building

Practical setup notes, real use cases, and copy-ready examples in one focused guide.

3 min read 10 sections

In this guide10 sections

What is Audiobookshelf?

Audiobookshelf is an open-source, self-hosted audiobook and podcast streaming server built with Node.js and Svelte. It serves as a dedicated alternative to commercial audio platforms like Audible, Apple Books, and Pocket Casts.

Audiobookshelf automatically organizes audio files into structured author and series collections, parses embedded chapter markers (M4B, MP3), fetches rich metadata from OpenLibrary and Google Books, and synchronizes listening progress in real time across mobile and desktop clients.

Who Is It For?

Avid Audiobook Listeners: Managing large libraries of DRM-free audiobooks with chapter navigation, sleep timers, and custom playback speeds.
Podcast Enthusiasts: Subscribing to public RSS podcasts with automatic episode downloading and listening progress tracking.
Families & Multi-User Households: Creating distinct user accounts with private listening histories, bookmarks, and custom permissions.

Key Features

Real-time listening progress synchronization across web browser and native iOS and Android client applications.
Full chapter support with visual timeline scrubbing, bookmarking, and custom note taking.
Automated metadata and cover art scraping from Audible, OpenLibrary, iTunes, and Google Books.
Integrated RSS podcast manager with automatic new-episode downloading and custom feed generation.
Built-in multi-file audio player with custom playback speeds (0.5x to 3.0x) and automatic sleep timer.

Deploying Audiobookshelf with Docker Compose

yaml

1version: '3.7'

3services:

4 audiobookshelf:

5 image: ghcr.io/advplyr/audiobookshelf:latest

6 container_name: audiobookshelf

7 restart: unless-stopped

8 environment:

9 - AUDIOBOOKSHELF_UID=1000

10 - AUDIOBOOKSHELF_GID=1000

11 - TZ=UTC

12 ports:

13 - 13378:80

14 volumes:

15 - /media/audiobooks:/audiobooks

16 - /media/podcasts:/podcasts

17 - ./config:/config

18 - ./metadata:/metadata

Start the container:

bash

1docker compose up -d

Navigate to http://localhost:13378 in your browser to configure your initial administrator account and add your audiobook and podcast directories.

Practical Use Cases

1. Seamless Multi-Device Listening

A listener starts an audiobook in the car on the Android app, pauses upon arriving home, and resumes playback from the exact same second on the living room desktop web browser.

2. Auto-Downloading Podcast Feeds

A user subscribes to technical podcasts inside Audiobookshelf; the server downloads new episodes overnight, making them instantly streamable to mobile devices without consuming mobile data.

3. DRM-Free M4B Library Management

A collector organizes multi-part audio files into single structured M4B container files with embedded cover art and chapter titles fetched automatically by Audiobookshelf scanners.

Troubleshooting and Limitations

Folder Structure Requirement: Audiobookshelf organizes libraries best when following the Audiobooks/Author/Book Title/... folder hierarchy.
Transcoding Multi-File Audiobooks: When playing multi-file MP3 audiobooks on mobile, Audiobookshelf can stream files consecutively or transcode into a virtual track; ensure the server has basic CPU capacity for audio transcoding.

Official Resources

Official Website: https://www.audiobookshelf.org
GitHub Repository: https://github.com/advplyr/audiobookshelf
Documentation: https://www.audiobookshelf.org/docs

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