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The dependable way to self-host Audiobookshelf on a VPS is Docker Compose with four separate mounts: /config, /metadata, an audiobook directory and a podcast directory. Keep /config on storage local to the VPS because it contains Audiobookshelf’s SQLite database; do not put it on a NAS or other network filesystem. Audiobookshelf serves unencrypted HTTP, so use a TLS-terminating reverse proxy or a VPN before allowing remote users to connect.
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This guide shows the deployment, storage layout, secure-access choices, media-format caveats, backup plan and upgrade procedure. It uses the project’s documented container image and port mapping, while leaving VPS size and provider selection to your library’s capacity and workload.
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Audiobookshelf is a server application for audiobook and podcast libraries. On a VPS, the application runs in a container while your persistent data lives in host directories mounted into that container. Docker is the recommended way to run Audiobookshelf because the image packages the server and its media-processing dependencies in a repeatable unit.
- A Linux VPS with enough local storage for the application, metadata and your media collection.
- Docker Engine with the Docker Compose plugin.
- Local, directly attached storage for the
/configmount. - Separate host directories for audiobooks and podcasts.
- A backup destination outside the VPS account or disk.
- Either a reverse proxy with HTTPS or a VPN for remote access.
There is no universally correct VPS size in the Audiobookshelf documentation. Choose storage based on the size and growth rate of the media library, and check that the provider permits the intended workload. Local SSD performance matters for database access and scanning; capacity, snapshots and independent backups matter for the library’s survival.
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Use a storage layout that protects the database
Four mounts keep application state and media understandable and recoverable:
| Container path | What it contains | Recommended host location |
|---|---|---|
/config |
SQLite database and migration scripts | Local storage on the same VPS as Audiobookshelf |
/metadata |
Metadata, cover and author images, logs and Audiobookshelf’s database backups | Persistent local storage, included in application backups |
/audiobooks |
Your audiobook files | A dedicated media directory with its own backup job |
/podcasts |
Your podcast files | A dedicated media directory with its own backup job |
The project specifically warns that /config must be directly accessible on the machine running the server. A SQLite database accessed over a NAS or another network filesystem can eventually become corrupted. Network storage may be appropriate for some media workflows, but it does not satisfy this requirement for /config.
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/srv/audiobookshelf/config
/srv/audiobookshelf/metadata
/srv/media/audiobooks
/srv/media/podcastsCreate equivalent directories on your VPS, or choose different absolute paths that fit its disk layout. The paths in the Compose file must match the directories you actually create; they are examples, not directories Docker will safely invent for you.
Deploy Audiobookshelf with Docker Compose
1. Create the project directory
SSH to the VPS and create a directory for the Compose project. Store the Compose file somewhere you will include in your server backup or configuration archive.
mkdir -p /srv/audiobookshelf
cd /srv/audiobookshelfCreate the persistent directories shown above, adjusting the media paths if necessary:
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mkdir -p /srv/audiobookshelf/config
/srv/audiobookshelf/metadata
/srv/media/audiobooks
/srv/media/podcasts2. Save the Compose file
Create compose.yml with the documented image, port, mounts, time zone and restart policy:
services:
audiobookshelf:
image: ghcr.io/advplyr/audiobookshelf:latest
ports:
- "13378:80"
volumes:
- /srv/audiobookshelf/config:/config
- /srv/audiobookshelf/metadata:/metadata
- /srv/media/audiobooks:/audiobooks
- /srv/media/podcasts:/podcasts
environment:
- TZ=UTC
restart: unless-stoppedReplace every host-side path with a real directory on your VPS. The left side of each volume mapping is the host path; the right side is the path Audiobookshelf sees inside the container. The official example maps host port 13378 to the container’s HTTP port 80.
Set TZ to the IANA time zone you want timestamps and scheduled jobs to use, such as UTC or your region’s documented zone. Keep the four mounts distinct. Do not combine /config and /metadata into one anonymous volume if you want predictable backup and migration behavior.
3. Start the container
From the directory containing compose.yml, pull the image and start it in the background:
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docker compose up --detachCheck the running service with docker compose ps and inspect startup messages with docker compose logs --follow. Stop following logs with Ctrl+C; that does not stop the container.
4. Complete the first-run setup
For a private initial test, open http://VPS_IP:13378 from a network that can reach the port and create the administrator account. This endpoint is plain HTTP, not an encrypted public service. Do not treat direct port exposure as the finished remote-access design.
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When creating libraries, use the container paths, not the host paths. An audiobook library should point to /audiobooks; a podcast library should point to /podcasts. Audiobookshelf scans those paths from inside the container. A host path such as /srv/media/audiobooks will not work in the library picker unless it is also mounted at that container path.
Expose it safely: reverse proxy or VPN
Audiobookshelf does not provide built-in remote access and serves unencrypted HTTP. Put it behind a security boundary before using it over the internet.
| Approach | How users connect | Certificate handling | Operational trade-off |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reverse proxy | Public hostname at the proxy, which forwards requests to Audiobookshelf | The proxy terminates TLS and manages the certificate | Convenient for users and shareable links, but the hostname is publicly discoverable and the proxy must be maintained |
| VPN | Clients join a private network, then use the internal Audiobookshelf address | No public certificate is required for the private path, although the VPN itself must be secured | Less publicly exposed, but every phone, tablet or computer needs VPN configuration |
Reverse-proxy design
Use a proxy such as NGINX or another TLS-capable server on the VPS or an adjacent host. The proxy should accept HTTPS, force HTTP-to-HTTPS redirection, forward requests to Audiobookshelf and pass WebSocket connections. The project’s native Linux example binds Audiobookshelf to 127.0.0.1 and proxies to that local address; the same boundary is useful with Docker.
For a single-host setup, you can bind the published port to localhost instead of every network interface:
ports:
- "127.0.0.1:13378:80"With that mapping, the reverse proxy on the VPS can reach Audiobookshelf locally while the container port is not directly reachable from the public network. If your proxy runs in another container, place both services on a private Docker network and avoid publishing Audiobookshelf’s port publicly where your proxy design allows it.
Configure the proxy with a valid certificate for your hostname, redirect plaintext requests to HTTPS, and enable WebSocket proxying. Test sign-in, library browsing, playback, and any live status features through the HTTPS hostname rather than assuming a basic page load proves the proxy is complete.
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VPN design
A VPN is appropriate when the library is for you or a small, controlled group. Restrict the VPS firewall and Audiobookshelf exposure to the VPN interface, then have clients connect to the VPN before opening the internal HTTP address. This avoids making the service publicly discoverable, but it shifts setup and support to each client device.
Media scanning and FFmpeg compatibility
Audiobookshelf uses FFmpeg and FFprobe to scan and parse audiobook files. The official Docker image includes FFmpeg 8, so the documented container is the simplest way to obtain the expected media-processing stack.
There is a specific compatibility trap with xHE-AAC. Scanning xHE-AAC can fail with FFmpeg 7 or lower. If a library contains those files and scanning reports decoder or probe errors, use one of these remedies:
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- Re-encode the affected files to a broadly supported audio codec, keeping an untouched copy if the original matters to you.
- Build and supply custom FFmpeg and FFprobe binaries with the required decoder support, accepting the maintenance burden of a custom image or installation.
- Use the Docker image’s bundled FFmpeg 8 rather than downgrading the media-processing layer.
When troubleshooting a scan, first identify whether the failure is limited to xHE-AAC files or affects every file. A format-specific failure points to decoder support; a broad failure warrants checking the mounted path, file permissions and container logs.
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Audiobookshelf’s database backup contains the database and cover images stored in metadata/. It does not include your media files, and it does not include covers stored alongside individual library items. A usable backup plan therefore has separate application and media parts.
Back up application state
- Back up the
/configdirectory, which contains the SQLite database and migration scripts. - Back up the
/metadatadirectory, including metadata, images, logs and Audiobookshelf-created backups. - Retain the Compose file and the image tag used for the deployment so you can recreate the same container configuration.
Back up the media library independently
- Back up
/srv/media/audiobooks(or your equivalent host directory). - Back up
/srv/media/podcastsseparately. - Include any cover artwork stored with those library files; it is outside the database backup.
Copy backups off the VPS. A backup kept on the same disk or in the same account can disappear with the source after disk failure, account loss or an unrecoverable system event. Test that you can read the archive and restore a small sample before relying on it for an upgrade or migration.
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Restore order
- Install Docker on the replacement VPS and recreate the host directories.
- Restore
configandmetadatato their host paths before starting Audiobookshelf. - Restore the audiobook and podcast directories to the paths mounted at
/audiobooksand/podcasts. - Restore the Compose file, start the container and verify the administrator account, libraries and playback.
Upgrade without losing the ability to roll back
The documented Docker upgrade sequence is:
docker compose pull
docker compose down
docker compose up --detachdocker compose pull downloads the image selected by your Compose file. down removes the running container but leaves bind-mounted host data in place. Starting the service again recreates the container using the same mounts.
The example uses the moving latest tag. Audiobookshelf also publishes edge and numbered release tags. A numbered tag is easier to review and roll back: change the image tag deliberately, pull that version, and keep the previous tag recorded until the upgrade is verified.
Before upgrading, confirm that your application and media backups are current and that the VPS has enough free disk space for the new image and any migration work. After the restart, check logs, sign in through the normal access path, open several libraries and play files from both media mounts. If the new version fails, stop it, restore the previous image tag in compose.yml and start the service again; the host data remains available because it is outside the container.
Docker compared with a native Linux installation
Docker is the recommended deployment path, but a native installation can be appropriate when you already operate Linux services directly and have a reason to manage every dependency yourself.
| Decision point | Docker Compose | Native Linux |
|---|---|---|
| Upgrades | Pull a tagged image and recreate the container; configuration is portable | Upgrade the application and system dependencies yourself |
| FFmpeg behavior | The documented image includes FFmpeg 8 | You must manage the installed FFmpeg/FFprobe versions and decoder support |
| Migration | Move the Compose file plus the four persistent directories | Reproduce the service account, binaries, paths and system configuration |
| Network boundary | Bind the port locally or use a private Docker network with the proxy | The documented NGINX pattern binds the service to localhost and proxies HTTPS |
Whichever method you choose, the database rule does not change: keep the SQLite files on directly accessible local storage, and back up media independently.
Troubleshoot the failures that matter most
The web page will not open
- Confirm the container is running with
docker compose ps. - Read recent startup output with
docker compose logs. - Check that the VPS firewall and any cloud firewall allow the intended path. If you changed the mapping to
127.0.0.1, direct access from another machine is expected to fail; use the reverse proxy. - Verify that the proxy targets the correct local port and that its TLS certificate and hostname match.
Libraries are empty or files cannot be found
- Confirm the library points to
/audiobooksor/podcasts, not the host path. - Confirm the corresponding host directory is mounted in the Compose file and contains the files.
- Check container logs for scan or permission errors.
The database behaves erratically after a storage change
Move /config back to local storage on the Audiobookshelf host. Do not run the SQLite database from a NAS or other network filesystem. Restore the most recent known-good application backup if corruption has occurred.
Specific files fail during scanning
Check the codec, especially xHE-AAC. FFmpeg 7 or lower may not scan those files successfully; use the FFmpeg 8 Docker image, re-encode the files or build custom binaries with the required decoder.
Playback works internally but not through the proxy
Verify HTTPS termination, the proxy’s WebSocket forwarding and the upstream address. Test the service locally first, then through the proxy hostname, so an application problem is not confused with a proxy-routing problem.
Quick Recap
Pre-flight checklist
- Docker Compose file saved with real, separate host paths.
/configand/metadataon persistent local storage.- Audiobook and podcast directories mounted independently.
- Library paths set to
/audiobooksand/podcastsinside the container. - Remote access protected by a TLS reverse proxy or VPN.
- WebSocket forwarding tested if using a reverse proxy.
- Application directories and media backed up separately.
- Backups copied off the VPS and a restore sample tested.
- Image tag recorded, with a rollback plan before upgrades.
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