Maloja — Self-Hosted, Open-Source

Features

• Self-hosted: You will always be able to access your data in an easily-parseable format. Your library is not synced with any public or official music database, so you can follow your own tagging schema.
• Associated Artists: Compare different artists' popularity in your listening habits including subunits, collaboration projects or solo performances by their members. Change these associations at any time without losing any information.
• Multi-Artist Tracks: Some artists often collaborate with others or are listed under "featuring" in the track title. Instead of tracking each combination of artists, each individual artist competes in your charts.
• Custom Images: Don't rely on the community to select the best pictures for your favorite artists. Upload your own so that your start page looks like you want it to look.
• Proxy Scrobble: No need to fully commit or set up every client twice - you can configure your Maloja server to forward your scrobbles to other services.
• Standard-compliant API: Use existing, mature apps or extensions to scrobble to your Maloja server.
• Manual Scrobbling: Listening to vinyl or elevator background music? Simply submit a scrobble with the web interface.
• Keep it Simple: Unlike Last.fm and similar alternatives, Maloja doesn't have social networking, radios, recommendations or any other gimmicks. It's a tool to keep track of your listening habits over time - and nothing more.

Installation

If you are using [rootless containers with Podman](https://developers.redhat.com/blog/2020/09/25/rootless-containers-with-podman-the-basics#why_podman_) the following DOES NOT apply to you, but if you are running **Docker** on a **Linux Host** you should specify `user:group` ids of the user who owns the folder on the host machine bound to `MALOJA_DATA_DIRECTORY` in order to avoid [docker file permission problems.](https://ikriv.com/blog/?p=4698) These can be specified using the [environmental variables **PUID** and **PGID**.](https://docs.linuxserver.io/general/understanding-puid-and-pgid) To get the UID and GID for the current user run these commands from a terminal: * `id -u` -- prints UID (EX `1000`) * `id -g` -- prints GID (EX `1001`) The modified run command with these variables would look like:

Why self-host Maloja

Self-hosting gives you three things SaaS can’t: data ownership (the files live on disks you control), cost predictability (a one-time setup vs. recurring per-seat fees that grow with your household or team), and longevity (open-source means the app keeps working even if the maintainers move on, since you can pin a working version). The trade-off is that you take on the operational work of running a server, applying updates, and handling backups.

What hardware do you need

Most self-hosted apps run comfortably on modest hardware — a Raspberry Pi 4, a mini PC, a NAS with Docker support, or a small VPS is usually enough for personal or family use. CPU and RAM requirements scale with how many simultaneous users or how much data you push through Maloja. Storage requirements depend on the kind of data you keep; check the README for guidance on data retention.

Where to go from here

• Browse the full self-hosted app directory
• Compare self-hosted alternatives side-by-side
• DevOps roadmap — learn the skills to run your own server