Media
Self-host beets on a VPS
A music library manager and tagger.
Automatically tag, organise and fetch metadata for your music collection from the command line.
Why self-host beets?
beets keeps a large music library tidy and correctly tagged, ready for any streaming server.
How to install beets
- 1
Provision a VPS
Choose a plan with room for your data as well as the app.
- 2
Install the stack
Install Python CLI + SQLite.
- 3
Deploy the application
Follow the project’s official install guide for your distribution.
- 4
Enable HTTPS
Serve it on your own domain behind a reverse proxy with a certificate.
- 5
Back it up
Schedule a database dump plus a copy of any uploaded files to an off-box location.
Practical tips
- Give beets its own database user with rights only on its own schema.
- Reverse-proxy beets and terminate TLS at the proxy so certificates are managed in one place.
- Take a VPS snapshot before major upgrades so you can roll back cleanly.
- Keep beets patched — most self-hosting incidents are unpatched software.
Frequently asked questions
- How much RAM does beets need?
- Plan on 512 MB for typical use; add headroom if you expect many concurrent users.
- What stack does beets run on?
- Python CLI + SQLite.
- Can I run other things on the same VPS?
- Yes — size the plan so beets plus your other workloads fit in RAM with room to spare.
Looking for something else? Popular alternatives include MusicBrainz Picard, Navidrome (library), Ampache — browse all app guides.