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Castopod

Castopod is a free and open-source self-hosted podcast hosting platform.

  • Media Applications
  • Media Servers
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  • Productivity
  • Tools & Utilities
Castopod is a free and open-source self-hosted podcast hosting platform. It lets podcasters publish episodes, manage subscriptions, and engage listeners through a web interface. It suits independent podcasters and communities seeking ownership, customization, and no third-party lock-in.

Platform availability

Available on 3 of 6 install platforms

Also on Docker Hub and GitHub

Health score

60/100 Good

Maintained
63last commit 122 days ago
Popular
59874 GitHub stars
Easy to install
553 install platforms, install notes, Docker image
Light to run
602 GB minimum RAM, runs on ARM
How is this calculated?

A 0-100 score computed nightly from four factors: maintained (40%: recent commits and steady activity), popular (25%: GitHub stars, log scale), easy to install (20%: platforms, install notes, setup guides, Docker image) and light to run (15%: minimum RAM, ARM support). Factors without data are left out and the rest are rescaled.

Availability: platform listings confirmed today, links checked 8 days ago

GitHub stars
874
Open issues
0
Last commit
2026-06-05
License
AGPL-3.0
Activity
stale

Checked 4 days ago - source: GitHub (ad-aures/castopod)

Resources & Compatibility

Minimum requirements: 2 GB RAM, 2 CPU core(s), 20 GB disk. ARM (e.g. Raspberry Pi) is supported.

Checked 7 days ago - source: Docker Hub image tags and published docs

First-install notes

  • Use Docker setup and protect your data Use the provided Docker Compose file, set your full https:// address, replace the example passwords and analytics salt (a random secret string), and keep the castopod-media, castopod-db, and castopod-cache volumes (saved storage spaces) backed up. They store your episodes, settings, and cache, so losing them or using default secrets can break access or cause data loss. source
  • Put HTTPS in front of your domain Point your domain at your server and have a reverse proxy (a forwarding web server like Caddy) send web traffic to the app's 8080 port. HTTPS is required for ActivityPub, a social-networking feature, so without it fediverse features will not work. source
  • Create your first administrator login After the app starts, run the create-superadmin command to make the initial administrator account. Without this account, you won't be able to sign in and manage episodes. source

Fetched 7 days ago - each note links to its source

Alternatives (12)

  • Audius Music
  • Bandcamp - Platform for exploring a vast global music catalog, with direct artist support, instant streaming and download of DRM-free purchases, and p…
  • Deezer - Stream and discover over 90 million tracks on multiple devices with top-quality sound, offline access, and personalized recommendations.
  • Funkwhale - Open-source, self-hosted streaming platform supports Android, iOS, podcasts, uploads, sharing, no ads or tracking, federated across decentr…
  • Libre.fm - Libre.fm is a project to help you keep track of what music you like and share that, with your friends, discover new music, and meet new peo…
  • Navidrome - Modern Music Server and Streamer compatible with Subsonic/Airsonic
  • Pandora - Experience personalized internet radio with over 400 song attributes analyzed.
  • Power Ampache 2
  • Qobuz - Qobuz is a high-quality music app for your computer.
  • SoundCloud - Stream millions of tracks and discover new music while supporting artists via fan-powered streams.
  • Spotify - Stream millions of tracks online with genre, playlist, artist, and album browsing.
  • TIDAL - Tidal is the world’s first music service with High Fidelity sound quality, High Definition music videos and Curated Editorial by music jour…

Checked 4 days ago - source: AlternativeTo

Common questions

Which Castopod Docker image should I run for production?

Use the official castopod/castopod image, which is an all-in-one image that includes FrankenPHP and Caddy. For production stability, prefer a specific tag such as 1.x.x over generic channels like latest or 1.

Does Castopod require Redis or a specific database?

Castopod requires a MySQL-compatible database to function. A Redis service can optionally be configured as the caching layer.

How do I create the first administrator account?

After the app starts, run the create-superadmin command to make the initial administrator account. Without this account, you cannot sign in and manage episodes.

Which port should a reverse proxy send traffic to?

Have your reverse proxy send web traffic to the app's 8080 port. HTTPS is required for ActivityPub, so fediverse features will not work without it.

Answers sourced from docs.castopod.org, docs.castopod.org, docs.castopod.org

Community

Collected 7 days ago - public community threads