Application hosting

Hosting Audiobookshelf

Audiobookshelf organises an audiobook and podcast collection on a server you control. Each listener gets their own progress and permissions, with listening progress synchronised across devices. Metadata lookup, cover artwork and chapter tools help tidy a library, while podcast subscriptions can download new episodes automatically. It suits households and small private libraries that want access to their own audio collection.

Requirements last checked 18 Oct 2026 against the project's documentation.

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Understand the setup

Find the software and services needed to run the application.

See requirements

Budget your resources

Plan memory, storage and CPU for the way you will use it.

Open resource planner

Build your shortlist

Compare plans for the starting size, then review the provider and billing terms.

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Must have

Installation requirements

A host capable of running the official Audiobookshelf container.
Local storage for the SQLite database in the configuration directory.
Readable media directories and persistent metadata storage.

Recommended

Planning guidance

Use the resource planner to size a server for your workload.

Choosing a server for Audiobookshelf

Library size, concurrent listeners and audio processing shape resource needs. Measure the actual workload before increasing server size; registered listeners alone do not tell you how many streams run at once.

Deploy with

Supported paths

Docker Compose
Docker container

The host must provide

Runtime

Database: SQLite stored in the local configuration directory; do not place that database on a network mount.

Storage

Persistent data

Keep configuration, metadata and media in separate persistent directories. Media files usually determine the storage budget; metadata and listener records need protection too. A backup of application settings is not a backup of the audiobook collection.

Step by step

Plan your Audiobookshelf deployment

Mount the library

Create separate persistent directories for configuration, metadata, audiobooks and podcasts. Keep the configuration database local to the server.
Official instructions
Select a stable release

Use a stable container release, set the media paths and confirm the service can read the library.
Official instructions
Set listener permissions

Create listener accounts and check which libraries each can access before enabling remote use.
Official instructions

Security

Before you go public

Put remote access behind HTTPS and use individual listener accounts.
Back up listener records and library files, and keep recovery copies outside the running container.

Cost

Beyond the server price

Include media storage, backups and remote streaming traffic in the hosting budget.
Automatic podcast downloads can grow the library over time; choose retention rules that fit the available disk space.

Want the full monthly bill? Use the hosting cost calculator. Add storage, backups and other costs to your estimate.