What's installed on your Audiobookshelf server?
- Audiobookshelf 2.37 with its library, podcast and player interface
- A root user ready to go: the login is yonetici, Turkish for admin, with no setup screen
- Book folder: /opt/seturack/audiobookshelf/kitaplar (/audiobooks inside the app)
- Podcast folder: /opt/seturack/audiobookshelf/podcastler (/podcasts inside the app)
- HTTPS through Caddy on an sslip.io address based on your IP
- Firewall with only ports 22, 80 and 443 open
What size do you need for Audiobookshelf?
Audiobookshelf's documentation gives no RAM figure. As a rule of thumb, 1 GB is a good start for a few people, and 2 to 4 GB helps with a large library or if you often use the file merging tools. Disk is what really matters: add up your library, then leave room for covers, metadata and backups. Auto-downloaded podcasts fill the disk over time. Disk grows from your panel but can't shrink, so add space as you need it. Audio work runs on the CPU, and no graphics card is needed.
| Use | Size | Price | Choose |
|---|---|---|---|
| A few people | 1 GB RAM · 1 vCore · 25 GB NVMe | $2.58/mo | |
| Small team | 2 GB RAM · 1 vCore · 40 GB NVMe | $4.01/mo | |
| Company | 4 GB RAM · 2 vCore · 60 GB NVMe | $6.89/mo |
Who is it for?
- Listeners who want their whole audiobook collection in one place
- Anyone who starts a book on the phone and carries on in the browser
- Podcast fans who want episodes downloaded and archived on their own server
- Families who want separate accounts, each with its own progress
What happens after you order?
- Set the size and complete your payment.
- Your server starts and Audiobookshelf installs itself. This took about 4 minutes in our real-server tests.
- Open your server from My servers in the panel. On the Overview tab, click Open app and log in with the Login and Password rows.
- Upload your files over SFTP to the kitaplar or podcastler folder. Give every book its own folder.
- Under Libraries in the settings, add /audiobooks and /podcasts as libraries.
- In the phone app, use your Site address value as the server address.
With every server
- Daily backups included in the price
- Unlimited traffic
- Full root access
- Scale RAM and CPU up or down later, and grow the disk
- Location: Istanbul · IST-1.
Good to know
- You hold the legal responsibility for the books and podcasts you upload, including the rights to them. Only upload content you're allowed to use.
- The Android and iOS apps are in beta. The iOS app goes out through TestFlight, and the official page says its places can be full. The browser player is always there.
- Folder layout matters. Each book needs its own folder, or several books can show up as one.
- Covers and book details don't arrive from the internet by themselves. A scan reads your local files, and you start any online match yourself.
- Keeping Audiobookshelf up to date is your job. If you change your password inside the app, the panel still shows the old one.
Audiobookshelf questions and answers
How much RAM does Audiobookshelf need?
There's no official figure. As a rule of thumb, 1 GB is a good start for a few people, with 2 to 4 GB for a large library or file merging. If it isn't enough, scale up from your panel. The server restarts once, and your books and IP address stay the same.
How do I upload audiobooks to the server?
Upload over SFTP to the kitaplar folder, or drag and drop on the upload screen in your browser. Each book needs its own folder. Audiobookshelf notices file changes by itself, so you don't have to rescan by hand.
Can I listen to Audiobookshelf on my phone?
Yes. The Android app is on Google Play as a beta, and the iOS app goes out through TestFlight, where places can be full. Enter your Site address value in the app. You can also listen in the browser, and the apps offer offline listening.
Is Audiobookshelf free?
Yes. Audiobookshelf is GPL-3.0 and fully open source, mobile apps included, with no paid tier and no required outside account. The only thing you pay for is the server.
Can Audiobookshelf download podcasts automatically?
Yes. Search for a podcast, add it, and turn on automatic downloads for new episodes. They land on your server's disk. When space runs low, grow the disk from your panel or delete old episodes.
Can each family member have an account?
Yes. Audiobookshelf supports multiple users with permissions you set for each one. Listening progress is kept per user and syncs across their devices, so nobody loses their place because someone else was listening.