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Polaris

SHA-256
2.6k stars·System Optimization·SHA-256 checksum verified

Self-hosted music streaming server for large collections. Runs on Windows, Linux, BSD, or Docker. Supports FLAC, MP3, and more. Beautiful web UI with waveform visualization.

Smart Download

Download Download Version

v0.16.1 · 34.5 MB

Self-host your music collection with a beautiful, high-performance streaming server.

Core Features

  • Supports FLAC, MP3, MP4, MPC, OGG, Opus, APE, WAV, AIFF
  • Browse by album, artist, genre, or file tree
  • Powerful search with per-field queries
  • Audio waveform visualization
  • Multi-user with individual playlists

What It Can't Do

  • •Default port is 5050; ensure firewall allows it. 2. First scan of a large library may take time; keep the server running. 3. Use absolute paths for music directories to avoid scanning issues. 4. Consider an HTTPS proxy (e.g., Nginx) for remote access security.

Use Cases

  • Stream your personal music library from anywhere
  • Family sharing with separate accounts and playlists
  • Manage and play huge lossless music collections

Detailed Introduction

Polaris is a free and open-source self-hosted music streaming server that lets you enjoy your music collection from any device. It excels with large libraries (100,000+ songs) and offers exceptional performance. Features include dark mode, customizable color palette, browsing by album/artist/genre/file tree, powerful search, multi-user support with individual playlists, and audio waveform visualization. It supports a wide range of audio formats (FLAC, MP3, MP4, MPC, OGG, Opus, APE, WAV, AIFF) and provides mobile apps for Android (official) and iOS (third-party). Configuration is plain-text and editable via a built-in UI. The server API is documented via OpenAPI. Installation is straightforward on Windows, Linux, BSD, or via Docker. There is a live demo available with Creative Commons music.

Troubleshooting & FAQ (2)

Troubleshooting
Why does Polaris media server keep rescanning and never finish indexing, showing 'out of date' status?

This is a known bug (issue #261) fixed in Polaris version 0.16. Update to version 0.16 or the latest master build to resolve the endless scan loop and high I/O pressure. As a temporary workaround, restart the Docker container to clear the stuck scan process. There are no configuration options to control re‑indexing behavior.

GitHub Issue #261
Troubleshooting
Why does Polaris show 'undefined' for the year when the date field contains a full date like '2025-04-27'?

This occurs when the audio file's date field includes a full date (e.g., from MusicBrainz Picard) but Polaris expects only a year. The issue has been fixed in pull request #273. Update to a Polaris version that includes this fix to resolve the problem.

GitHub Issue #247

Tags

self-hostedmusicstreamingaudio-serveropen-source

Getting Started

1

Download installer

Click the button above to download the installer for your system

Windows· 34.5 MB
2

Install the software

Double-click the downloaded installer and follow the prompts

3

1. Download the package for your OS from GitHub Releases or use Docker

4

2. On desktop, double-click the executable; on Linux run ./polaris

5

3. Open http://localhost:5050 in a browser and follow the initial setup wizard

Install Guide
  1. 1. Download the package for your OS from GitHub Releases or use Docker
  2. 2. On desktop, double-click the executable; on Linux run ./polaris
  3. 3. Open http://localhost:5050 in a browser and follow the initial setup wizard
File Integrity

SHA-256 checksum verified

Checksum extracted from GitHub official Release page

SHA256 Checksum

6a9b51b52ec382c83974d72d7cdda6106c666b996ddd38aab782cae0a28238af

This checksum is extracted from the GitHub Release page. Verify file integrity after download.

All SHA-256 checksums on this platform are extracted from the project's official GitHub Release page, without any modification. You can independently verify them on the GitHub Releases page.

Open Source Transparency

View GitHub Source
Environment Guide

Uninstall Info

Delete the Polaris installation folder; if using Docker, run 'docker rm -f polaris' and remove the image. Configuration and data are stored in ~/.polaris/ — remove manually.

No Extra Dependencies

Ready to use after download. No additional runtime required.

Project Info
LicenseMIT
Last Updated2026-06-27 07:30:20
GitHub Repository

Having issues? Check the FAQ below

2 FAQs

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