What is Ampache?

Updated

Ampache is a web-based audio and video streaming application and file manager. It lets you access your music and videos from anywhere using almost any internet-enabled device, and it has been completely free and open source under the AGPLv3 license since 2001. It fits best if you want to host your own media library and stream it to browsers, phones, tablets, televisions, or dedicated player clients rather than relying on a third-party streaming service.

What Ampache does

The project describes itself around four core capabilities:

  • Music collection management — Browse and manage your music collection through a simple web interface, and synchronize local and remote catalogs into one consistent collection.
  • Music streaming — Stream your music to your preferred player, control playback with Localplay, or listen directly on the web page using the built-in HTML5 player.
  • Open source — Completely free and open source since 2001 under the AGPLv3 license, with the code hosted on a public GitHub project page.
  • Music everywhere — Listen from your phone, tablet, or television, at home, at work, or on vacation, using a compatible client.

How you would use it

A typical setup looks like this:

  1. Install Ampache on a server that holds or can reach your media files.
  2. Point it at your music and video collection so it can catalog the files.
  3. Open the web interface to browse, organize, and manage that collection.
  4. Play media either in the browser via the HTML5 player, through a preferred external player, or with Localplay control.
  5. Connect a compatible client on another device to stream the same library remotely.

The result is one consistent collection you can reach from multiple devices instead of separate libraries scattered across them.

Who it is for

Ampache suits you if:

  • You already have your own music and video files and want a self-hosted way to stream them.
  • You want a single web interface to manage and synchronize local and remote catalogs.
  • You prefer open-source software with a long track record and an active project page.
  • You want to listen across many device types, including phones, tablets, and televisions.

It is less relevant if you are looking for a hosted commercial streaming service, since Ampache is software you run yourself.

Getting started

The official site at ampache.org provides a demo preview and links to the project's GitHub page, where you can get involved and take control of the software. From there you can review the features in detail and find compatible clients for the devices you want to stream to.