Server 1.0 is out · app coming to stores
Berth is an open-source audiobook server you run on your own VPS, NAS or in Docker. Upload books through a web admin, keep them on a local disk, any S3-compatible storage or Google Drive, and listen in the Berth app for Android and iOS — with progress that is never lost.
Star or watch the repository to hear when the app reaches the stores.
Problem
Most self-hosted servers rebuild the library by scanning folders. One stray file can merge a series, and moving files to a NAS can wipe listening progress.
Pausing from the lock screen or Bluetooth, or opening the app before sync finishes, can reset the playback position — the most common complaint about audiobook apps.
Downloads hang, never turn into a playable book, or play tracks in the wrong order.
Berth is designed so these problems have nowhere to happen: the database is the source of truth, and the phone keeps its own position.
How it works
Berth has three parts. The server keeps the library in its database; the audio lives in the storage you pick; the app plays it and remembers where you stopped.
One server with a built-in web admin. Install it on a VPS, a NAS or in Docker and finish setup in a short web wizard.
Drag files or whole folders into the web admin — m4b with chapters or folders of mp3. Edit metadata before saving. Folder layout doesn't matter.
Create a listener in the admin and show a QR code. The phone scans it — or types the code — and the library appears. Listeners have no passwords.
Berth server
web admin · database
Berth app
Android · iOS
Your storage
local · S3 · R2 · Google Drive
CDN
optional
With S3-compatible storage, audio streams straight from the storage or a CDN over short-lived signed links, so the server is not a bottleneck. Local disk and Google Drive stream through the server.
Features
Compare
All four can serve audiobooks from your own server. The difference is in how the library is built, where files can live and how phones connect.
| Aspect | Berth | Audiobookshelf | Plex | Jellyfin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Focus | Audiobooks | Audiobooks and podcasts | General media server | General media server |
| Library source | Database; books uploaded via web admin | Scans media folders | Scans media folders | Scans media folders |
| Where files live | Local disk, any S3, Google Drive | Local or mounted file system | Local or mounted file system | Local or mounted file system |
| Audio delivery | From storage or CDN via signed links, or via the server | Through the server | Through the server | Through the server |
| Listener sign-in | QR code, no password | Username and password | Plex account | Username and password or Quick Connect |
| Mobile apps | Own Android and iOS app (not in stores yet) | Official Android app; iOS app in TestFlight beta | Plex apps and third-party audiobook players | Third-party audiobook players |
| Server license | Apache-2.0 | GPL-3.0 | Proprietary | GPL-2.0 |
| Maturity | Server 1.0 (October 2026), app in development | Mature, large community | Mature, commercial | Mature, large community |
Based on public documentation and issue trackers as of October 2026. Audiobookshelf, Plex and Jellyfin are mature, widely used projects; Berth reached its first server release in October 2026, and its app is not in stores yet.
FAQ
Berth is a self-hosted audiobook server with its own mobile app. You run the server on your own hardware, upload books through a web admin, choose where the files are stored, and family members listen on Android or iOS.
The server, yes: version 1.0 runs in Docker on a Linux server, a NAS or a Raspberry Pi (amd64 and arm64). The mobile app is not in the stores yet — star or watch the GitHub repository to hear when it is.
The Berth server is open source under the Apache-2.0 license, with a public repository on GitHub. Its API is described with OpenAPI, so third-party clients are possible; the official mobile app is a separate, closed-source project.
Berth keeps the library in a database instead of rebuilding it from folder scans, so file layout, stray files or moving storage cannot break books or progress. It can also keep audio in S3-compatible storage or Google Drive, not only on a local disk. Audiobookshelf is mature, supports podcasts and has a large community; Berth is new and focused on audiobooks.
Local disk, any S3-compatible storage (AWS S3, Cloudflare R2, Backblaze B2, MinIO, Yandex Object Storage, Wasabi, Hetzner and others) and Google Drive. Cloudflare R2 and Google Drive connect through a guided wizard.
Yes. Berth connects to Google Drive with the minimal drive.file permission, so it only sees the files it created. Audio from Drive streams and downloads through your Berth server.
Yes. The app saves the position of every book on the phone every few seconds and syncs it to the server; a server position replaces the local one only if it is newer. Downloaded books play offline.
Yes, both are part of the first version: browse Continue listening, the library and downloads, and control playback from the car.
The admin shows a QR code in the web panel; the phone scans it or enters the short code (like BRTH-7K2Q) and is connected. Listeners don't need passwords, and the admin can revoke any device.
The first version handles m4b audiobooks with embedded chapters and folders of mp3 files. Chapters and track order are stored in the database, not inferred from file names.
Not in the first version. Books are added by uploading through the web admin or by importing a Google Drive folder; an Audiobookshelf importer is considered for after the first release.
Status
The server 1.0 is out; the app is being finished. There is no store release date yet — follow the repository for updates.
Install
Berth runs in Docker on a Linux server, a NAS or a Raspberry Pi. These commands start it on port 8080; updates, backups and HTTPS are covered in the README on GitHub.
$ mkdir berth && cd berth
$ curl -fsSLO https://raw.githubusercontent.com/joveptesg/berth/main/docker-compose.yml
$ docker compose up -d
$ docker compose logs berth
# then open the server address and enter the setup code from the log