Audiobookshelf

What You'll Build

Audiobookshelf is a media server built for spoken word: it remembers your exact position in every book across devices, handles chapters, downloads new podcast episodes automatically, and has offline-capable phone apps.

Port: 13378 · Time: 20 minutes · Difficulty: Easy

What You Need

• Your home server from Foundations 1 (Docker installed, ~/stacks folder).
• Nginx Proxy Manager with your *.home.example.com certificate (recommended).
• Audiobooks you own as files (MP3/M4B) — e.g. from DRM-free stores, libro.fm, or CDs you've ripped.

Step 1: Organise the Files

/mnt/data/audiobooks/
└── Andy Weir/                     ← author
    └── Project Hail Mary/         ← book title
        └── Project Hail Mary.m4b  ← one file, or many MP3 chapters

Step 2: Start Audiobookshelf

mkdir -p ~/stacks/audiobookshelf && cd ~/stacks/audiobookshelf
sudo mkdir -p /mnt/data/audiobooks /mnt/data/podcasts
nano compose.yaml

services:
  audiobookshelf:
    image: ghcr.io/advplyr/audiobookshelf:latest
    container_name: audiobookshelf
    restart: unless-stopped
    ports:
      - "13378:80"
    environment:
      TZ: "America/New_York"
    volumes:
      - /mnt/data/audiobooks:/audiobooks   # your books
      - /mnt/data/podcasts:/podcasts       # downloaded podcast episodes
      - ./config:/config                   # users, progress, settings
      - ./metadata:/metadata               # covers and cache

docker compose up -d

Step 3: First Run and Libraries

1. Open http://192.168.1.50:13378 and set the root (admin) password.
2. Settings → Libraries → Add library: name "Audiobooks", type Books, folder /audiobooks.
3. Add another: "Podcasts", type Podcasts, folder /podcasts.
4. Settings → Users: add a user for each listener — everyone keeps their own progress.

Step 4: Podcasts on Autopilot

1. Open the Podcasts library → Search → find a show → Add.
2. On the podcast, turn on Schedule automatic episode downloads (e.g. every hour) and set a maximum number of episodes to keep.
3. Moving from another app? Export an OPML file from it and use Import OPML.

Step 5: Phone Apps

Install the Audiobookshelf app (Android, and iOS), or third-party iOS players such as ShelfPlayer. Server address: https://books.home.example.com. Download books for offline listening before a trip; progress syncs back when you reconnect.

Add It to Your Proxy, Dashboard, and Backups

• Nginx Proxy Manager: new proxy host books.home.example.com → scheme http, 192.168.1.50, port 13378, Websockets on, your wildcard certificate, Force SSL.
• Homepage: add a tile in services.yaml (how).
• Uptime Kuma: add an HTTP monitor for the new address (how).
• Backups: ~/stacks/audiobookshelf is already covered by the restic script.

Troubleshooting

• Books appear as one per file — each book needs its own folder (Step 1).
• Wrong cover or details — open the book → Match → pick the right result.
• Podcast episodes don't download — check the podcasts folder is writable by the container.

What's Next?