Audiobookshelf Setup with Docker Compose + Mobile Apps

Guide · Start

Affiliate links. Disclosure

Date / checked: 2026-10-25. Audiobookshelf version: v2.37.2 (GitHub release, published 2026-10-24 05:18 JST). Image tag ghcr.io/advplyr/audiobookshelf:2.37.2 exists on GHCR (checked 2026-10-25).

Audiobookshelf is an open-source, self-hosted server for audiobooks and podcasts. Run it with the official Docker Compose example, pin the version instead of :latest, mount your audiobook and podcast folders, then create users and connect the mobile apps. Listening progress syncs per user across devices, and scheduled backups are built in.

What it is (official)

"Audiobookshelf is an open-source self-hosted media server for your audiobooks and podcasts." Listed features include multi-user support with custom permissions, per-user progress synced across devices, podcast search and auto-download, backups with scheduling, and basic ebook support.

Docker Compose (official example, version pinned)

The official example uses :latest and TZ=America/Toronto; we pin the version and use a placeholder time zone:

yaml

services:
  audiobookshelf:
    image: ghcr.io/advplyr/audiobookshelf:2.37.2
    ports:
      - 13378:80
    volumes:
      - <AUDIOBOOKS_DIR>:/audiobooks
      - <PODCASTS_DIR>:/podcasts
      - <CONFIG_DIR>:/config
      - <METADATA_DIR>:/metadata
    environment:
      - TZ=<YOUR_TIMEZONE>  # e.g. Asia/Tokyo

bash

docker compose up -d

Then open http://<MACHINE_IP>:13378.

Rules from the docs:

"Volume mappings should all be separate directories that are not contained in each other."
/config holds the database (users/books/libraries/settings). From 2.3.x it "needs to be on the same machine you are running ABS on" — don't put it on a network share.
/metadata holds cache, streams, covers, downloads, backups and logs.

Port 13378 is plain HTTP. For access outside your home, use a reverse proxy with HTTPS (the docs have a reverse-proxy section) or a private network such as a VPN.

Mobile apps (official)

Android: on the Google Play Store.
iOS: via a TestFlight beta (join link from the docs). The docs describe the apps' offline listening as "in beta".
The apps are open source: github.com/advplyr/audiobookshelf-app.

Related: reach it from your phone · starter stack

Audiobookshelf Setup with Docker Compose + Mobile Apps

What it is (official)

Docker Compose (official example, version pinned)

Mobile apps (official)

Sources

Related guides