How to Install Audiobookshelf on Your Breeze

How to Install Audiobookshelf on Your Breeze

Audiobookshelf is a self-hosted audiobook and podcast server that lets you stream your personal library from anywhere. It features a polished web player, progress syncing across devices, and companion mobile apps for both Android and iOS. Running it on your Breeze gives you a personal audiobook platform with no subscription fees.

Prerequisites

• A Breeze instance with at least 1 GB of RAM
• Docker installed on your Breeze
• Your audiobook files in MP3, M4B, or M4A format
• A domain or subdomain (e.g., audiobooks.example.com)

Step 1 — Prepare Your Library

Organize your audiobook files in a structured directory. Audiobookshelf works best when each book is in its own folder:

mkdir -p /data/audiobooks /data/podcasts /data/abs-config /data/abs-metadata
# Structure: /data/audiobooks/Author Name/Book Title/audio-files

Step 2 — Deploy with Docker

Run Audiobookshelf as a Docker container with persistent volume mounts:

docker run -d \
  --name audiobookshelf \
  --restart unless-stopped \
  -p 13378:80 \
  -v /data/audiobooks:/audiobooks \
  -v /data/podcasts:/podcasts \
  -v /data/abs-config:/config \
  -v /data/abs-metadata:/metadata \
  ghcr.io/advplyr/audiobookshelf:latest

Step 3 — Configure the Reverse Proxy

Set up Nginx to proxy connections to Audiobookshelf, including WebSocket support for real-time playback syncing:

server {
    listen 443 ssl http2;
    server_name audiobooks.example.com;

    location / {
        proxy_pass http://127.0.0.1:13378;
        proxy_set_header Host $host;
        proxy_set_header X-Real-IP $remote_addr;
        proxy_set_header Upgrade $http_upgrade;
        proxy_set_header Connection "upgrade";
    }
}

Step 4 — Initial Configuration

Navigate to https://audiobooks.example.com and create your admin account. Then:

1. Add your audiobook library by going to Settings → Libraries and pointing to /audiobooks
2. Add a podcast library pointing to /podcasts if desired
3. Wait for the initial scan to complete — Audiobookshelf will match metadata automatically

Step 5 — Install the Mobile App

Download the Audiobookshelf app from Google Play or the App Store. Enter your server URL and log in. The app supports offline downloads, sleep timers, variable playback speed, and chapter navigation. Your listening progress syncs automatically between all devices.

Managing Your Library

• Metadata matching — click any book and use "Match" to pull cover art and descriptions from online databases
• Series grouping — organize multi-book series for sequential listening
• User management — create accounts for family members with individual progress tracking
• Podcast subscriptions — add RSS feeds and Audiobookshelf will auto-download new episodes
• Collections — create custom playlists and reading lists

Updating Audiobookshelf

To update to the latest version:

docker pull ghcr.io/advplyr/audiobookshelf:latest
docker stop audiobookshelf && docker rm audiobookshelf
# Re-run the docker run command above