Set Up Prologue on a Linux Server – Host Your Own Audiobook Platform

Learn how to install and run a Prologue-compatible audiobook server on your Linux VPS—either with Docker or manually → Find out more now

10 November 20263 min read0 Views0 helpful

Introduction

Prologue is a modern audiobook platform that works with self-hosted audiobook servers. It allows you to stream, organize, and listen to your audiobook library on multiple devices such as iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and CarPlay.

Instead of relying on cloud-based audiobook platforms, a self-hosted solution gives you full control over your audiobook collection and streaming infrastructure. Once the server is set up, the Prologue Mobile App connects to it and syncs playback progress, bookmarks, and listening history.

In this guide, you will learn how to deploy a Prologue-compatible audiobook server on a Linux VPS using two different methods:

Manual installation on a web server
Docker-based deployment for easier container management

Set Up Prologue on a Linux Server – Host Your Own Audiobook Platform

Use Cases for Prologue

Prologue is suitable for many scenarios where users want full control and flexibility over their audiobook library.

Typical use cases include:

Hosting a private audiobook streaming platform
Managing large audiobook collections in a central interface
Synchronizing playback across multiple devices
Accessing audiobooks from anywhere
Building a self-hosted alternative to commercial audiobook platforms

A self-hosted solution also ensures your media files remain under your control and lets you build a scalable audiobook server.

Requirements

Before installing the server, make sure your system meets the following requirements.

Hardware	Minimum	Recommended
CPU	1 vCPU	2 vCPU
RAM	2 GB	4 GB
Disk Storage	20 GB	50 GB

Required software depends on the installation method:

Manual installation:

Linux server
Web server (Apache or Nginx)
PHP
Database server

Docker installation:

Docker
Docker Compose

Preparation

Before starting the installation, update your system packages.

Code

sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade

Check if the required runtime environment is installed depending on your chosen method. For Docker installations:

Code

docker --version
docker compose version

If Docker is not installed yet, install it first before proceeding.

Manual Installation

Manual installation installs the application directly on your server without containers. This method is useful if you want to deploy on traditional web hosting environments.

Download the Application

First, create a project directory and download the application files.

Code

mkdir prologue-server
cd prologue-server

Then clone the project repository:

Code

git clone https://github.com/michaelstaake/Prologue.git

Configure the Web Server

Move the application files to your web server directory. Example for Apache:

Code

sudo mv prologue-server /var/www/prologue

Create a virtual host configuration pointing to the application directory. Example Apache configuration:

Code

<VirtualHost *:80>
    ServerName your-domain.com
    DocumentRoot /var/www/prologue
</VirtualHost>

Restart the web server after configuration.

Code

sudo systemctl restart apache2

Configure Environment Settings

Edit the configuration file and adjust necessary settings like database connection and server URL.

Code

nano config.php

After completing the configuration, the web interface is accessible via your configured domain or server IP.

Docker Installation

Docker offers easier deployment by running the application inside a container.

Create Project Directory

Create a directory for the Docker deployment.

Code

mkdir prologue-docker
cd prologue-docker

Create Docker Compose Configuration

Create a Docker Compose file with nano compose.yaml and add the following configuration:

Code

services:
  prologue:
    image: ghcr.io/michaelstaake/prologue:latest
    container_name: prologue
    ports:
      - "13378:80"
    volumes:
      - ./data:/data
    restart: unless-stopped

Start the Container

Start the container with Docker Compose using docker compose up -d and check with docker ps if the container is running. Docker will automatically download the required image and start the audiobook server.

Access the Server

Once the server is running, open your browser and go to:

Code

http://YOUR_SERVER_IP:13378

Replace YOUR_SERVER_IP with your VPS’s IP address. On first start, you will be prompted to:

Create an administrator account
Configure your audiobook library directory
Scan and import audiobook files

After configuration, you can connect the Prologue Mobile App to the server and stream your audiobook collection.

Conclusion

Congratulations! You have successfully set up a Prologue-compatible audiobook server either manually or via Docker deployment.

Both methods allow you to host your audiobook collection on your own infrastructure and stream to your devices via the Prologue app. The Docker option simplifies maintenance and updates, while manual installation offers more control over your web server environment.

If you have any questions or need support, just contact our team—we’re here for you every day! 🙂

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Prologue is a modern audiobook platform that works with self-hosted audiobook servers. It lets you stream, organize, and listen to your audiobook library on devices like iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and CarPlay.

There are two methods: manual installation on a web server, or Docker-based deployment for easier container management.

Once the server is set up, the Prologue Mobile App connects to it and syncs playback progress, bookmarks, and listening history.

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Set Up Prologue on a Linux Server – Host Your Own Audiobook Platform

Introduction

Use Cases for Prologue

Requirements

Preparation

Manual Installation

Download the Application

Configure the Web Server

Configure Environment Settings

Docker Installation

Create Project Directory

Create Docker Compose Configuration

Start the Container

Access the Server

Conclusion

Frequently asked questions

Software

Use Cases for Prologue

Preparation

Manual Installation

Download the Application

Configure the Web Server

Configure Environment Settings

Docker Installation

Create Project Directory

Create Docker Compose Configuration

Start the Container

Access the Server

Conclusion

Game Server

Servers & Hosting

ZAPX

Resources

ZAP-Hosting