Are the iOS and Android apps free?

Yes. Both apps are free and fully open-source (GPL-3.0). They connect to your self-hosted server and sync listening progress, bookmarks and playlists across all your devices.

Which audio formats does Audiobookshelf support?

Audiobookshelf supports MP3, M4A, M4B, AAC, OGG, FLAC, WAV, OPUS, AIFF and WMA. M4B chapter markers are fully supported. For Audible AAX files, you need to convert them to a DRM-free format first using a third-party tool.

Can multiple users share the same library?

Yes. Audiobookshelf supports multiple user accounts, each with their own listening progress, bookmarks, playlists and ratings. Permissions can be set per library, so you can control who sees what.

Client Area

Collaboration & Productivity

Audiobookshelf

Name: Audiobookshelf
Availability: InStock

Audiobookshelf — self-hosted audiobook and podcast library with mobile apps, Subsonic streaming and multi-user support.

Official documentation

root@mon-serveur — ssh

# when the VPS is created
✓ Audiobookshelf installedroot@mon-serveur:~#

About Audiobookshelf

Audiobookshelf is a self-hosted, open-source (GPL-3.0) audiobook and podcast server, built in Node.js with SQLite. It lets you serve your own audio library from a VPS — with no subscription, no data sharing with third parties.

The app includes a full-featured web player with chapter-accurate position tracking, plus official iOS and Android apps that are entirely open-source. Every family member can have their own account with their listening history, bookmarks and playlists.

On a ServOrbit VPS, Audiobookshelf runs in a single lightweight Docker container (under 512 MB RAM), reads your audio files directly from a volume, and exposes an HTTPS interface via the nginx reverse proxy — accessible from any browser or mobile app with no extra configuration.

What gets installed

Ready when the VPS starts

Compatible OS: Choice of Linux distributions
Application: Audiobookshelf
Tech stack: DockerNode.jsSQLite
Minimum RAM: < 512 MB
Minimum CPU: 1 vCPU
Default port: 80
Access: root over SSH

Key features

Audiobook and podcast streaming — serve your entire library from your VPS to any device.
Official iOS and Android apps — open-source mobile clients with offline download and progress sync.
Subsonic API support — use any compatible client alongside the built-in web player.
Multi-user accounts — each listener has their own progress, bookmarks and playlists.
Automatic metadata fetching — covers, chapters and descriptions from Audnexus and OpenLibrary.
Backup and restore — export your library metadata and progress to a JSON file at any time.

When to use this solution?

Replace Audible without losing your library

Import your DRM-free audiobooks into Audiobookshelf and access them from any device — no subscription, no lock-in, no monthly fee.

Centralise podcast subscriptions

Add any podcast RSS feed and let Audiobookshelf download new episodes automatically. Listen on the web or sync to your phone over Wi-Fi.

Share a family library

Create individual accounts for each family member. Everyone keeps their own progress and bookmarks without seeing each other's history.

Guide

Deploy Audiobookshelf on your VPS

Access Audiobookshelf
Audiobookshelf does not require a domain name. Open an SSH tunnel from your local machine: ssh -L 13378:127.0.0.1:{{ expose_port }} root@<your-vps-ip> then open http://localhost:13378 in your browser. For permanent mobile access, attach a domain from your ServOrbit dashboard — nginx proxies to the container over HTTPS — or use the free {app}.{dns_slug}.servorbit-dns.com subdomain included with every VPS.
Create your admin account
On first visit, Audiobookshelf shows a setup wizard to create the root admin account. Enter a username, email address and password. This account controls all library and user settings.
Add your library folders
In the admin panel, go to Libraries → Add Library. Choose the type (Books, Podcasts or Music), give it a name and point it at the /audiobooks or /podcasts volume paths inside the container. Audiobookshelf scans and indexes all supported audio files automatically.
Upload your media
Transfer audiobook folders via SFTP or rsync to the volume directory on the VPS. Audiobookshelf monitors the folder and adds new items to the library within a few minutes. For podcasts, paste the RSS feed URL directly in the podcast library interface.

Frequently asked questions

Questions about Audiobookshelf

← Back to Collaboration & Productivity All applications

No. Audiobookshelf works without a domain via SSH tunnel: ssh -L 13378:127.0.0.1:<port> root@<vps-ip> then http://localhost:13378. For permanent access from the iOS or Android app without a tunnel, attach a domain from your ServOrbit dashboard or use the free {app}.{dns_slug}.servorbit-dns.com subdomain included with every VPS.

Audiobookshelf stores all metadata, progress and settings in the /config and /metadata Docker volumes. Back them up with a standard volume snapshot or by copying the directories via SFTP. The audio files themselves live in /audiobooks and /podcasts — those are your original files and are never modified by the server.

Embed the deploy button

Maintaining a project that uses Audiobookshelf? This button lets your readers deploy it on a VPS in one click, without reading Docker documentation.

Markdown

[![Deploy Audiobookshelf on ServOrbit](https://servorbit.com/brand/deploy/button.svg)](https://servorbit.com/vps-cloud?template=audiobookshelf&utm_source=deploy-badge&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=audiobookshelf)

HTML

<a href="https://servorbit.com/vps-cloud?template=audiobookshelf&utm_source=deploy-badge&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=audiobookshelf"><img src="https://servorbit.com/brand/deploy/button.svg" alt="Deploy Audiobookshelf on ServOrbit" height="40"></a>

The button points to a VPS order with the template preselected. The image is served from servorbit.com — nothing to host on your side.