Audiobookshelf Docker quickstart: setup and first login

Setting up Audiobookshelf with Docker takes four steps: start the server, create an admin account, add a library, then connect SoundLeaf using the server computer’s local address. You need Docker running on the computer that will host your library. If someone else hosts your server, ask them for its URL and your account details instead.

Start the server

Run this in a directory where you want to keep the server’s files. It’s written for a Mac or Linux terminal (on Windows, use Windows Subsystem for Linux, WSL). The four folders keep your media, settings and metadata outside the container so they survive container replacement.

# Create persistent folders before starting the container.
mkdir -p audiobooks podcasts config metadata

docker run -d \
  --name audiobookshelf \
  -p 13378:80 \
  --mount "type=bind,source=$(pwd)/audiobooks,target=/audiobooks" \
  --mount "type=bind,source=$(pwd)/podcasts,target=/podcasts" \
  --mount "type=bind,source=$(pwd)/config,target=/config" \
  --mount "type=bind,source=$(pwd)/metadata,target=/metadata" \
  -e TZ=America/Toronto \
  --restart unless-stopped \
  ghcr.io/advplyr/audiobookshelf:latest

Change America/Toronto to your timezone. -p 13378:80 makes the server reachable on port 13378 of your computer (why two port numbers?).

The config folder belongs on local storage, and all four folders need to stay. Anything outside them is lost when the container is replaced (library empty after an update).

The Docker Compose guide suits you better if your media folders live elsewhere or you want a configuration file to maintain. Don’t run this alongside an existing container with the same name or port.

Create the admin account

On the computer running Docker, open http://localhost:13378. A fresh server asks you to create its administrator account. Choose the username and password there; there isn’t a shared default password to copy from this guide.

If you see an ordinary login page instead, the server has already been initialized. Use that server’s existing account or ask its administrator. Reinstalling the app won’t reset a server password.

Add your first audiobook

1. Copy an audiobook into the audiobooks folder on the host.
2. In the server’s web interface, open Settings (the gear icon), choose Libraries and add a library with the Books media type.
3. Select /audiobooks as its folder. This is the path inside the container. If you don’t see it, see Audiobookshelf can’t see my audiobook folder.
4. Save the library and run a scan, then check that the book appears and plays in the web interface.

Give every book its own folder inside audiobooks. Folder structure explains the layout. For podcasts, add a second library on /podcasts and see podcasts on the server.

Which server URL goes into SoundLeaf?

localhost means the device you’re using. On an iPhone, it points to the phone, not the computer running Docker.

Use the server computer’s local IP address and the published port, for example http://192.168.1.100:13378. Replace that example IP with your server’s address. Put the iPhone on the same network, check that the address opens in Safari, then enter it in SoundLeaf with your server username and password.

SoundLeaf signs in with a username and password, or with OpenID if your server has it set up. It has no API key login. What to type as your server address has an example for every setup.

If Safari cannot reach it, check the server IP, port and host firewall first. If Safari works but the app doesn’t, use the connection troubleshooting guide.

Listen away from home

A local IP address normally works only on your home network. Use a VPN such as Tailscale or an HTTPS reverse proxy for remote access. Listening away from home helps you pick one. SoundLeaf can keep separate home and away addresses.

For the server’s supported installation options, see the official Audiobookshelf documentation.