Multi-Library Support

Overview

Navidrome supports multiple music libraries, allowing you to organize your music into separate collections with user-specific access controls. This feature is perfect for:

• Separating different types of content (music vs. audiobooks)
• Organizing by quality (lossy vs. lossless)
• Separating personal collections (family members, roommates)
• Organizing by genre or era (classical, jazz, modern)
• Managing different sources (official releases vs. bootlegs/live recordings)

How Multi-Library Works

Default Library

When Navidrome starts, it automatically creates a default library using your MusicFolder configuration. This becomes “Library 1” and all existing users automatically get access to it, ensuring backward compatibility.

User Access Control

• Admin users automatically have access to all libraries
• Regular users must be explicitly granted access to libraries by an administrator
• Users can only see and access music from libraries they have permission to use
• Each user can switch between their accessible libraries using the library selector in the UI

Data Isolation

• Albums are scoped to a single library; each library maintains its own set of albums and their songs.
• Artists can have albums and songs spread across multiple libraries. The same artist may appear in several libraries, each with different albums or tracks.
• Artist statistics and metadata are aggregated across all libraries where the artist appears.
• Playlists can contain songs from multiple libraries (if the user has access to those libraries)
• Smart playlists can be scoped to specific libraries
• Search results are filtered by the user’s accessible (and selected) libraries

Setting Up Multi-Library

Creating Additional Libraries

1. Access Library Management

   • Log in as an administrator
   • Go to Settings → Libraries

2. Create a New Library

   • Click the "+" button to add a new library
   • Provide a Name for the library (e.g., “Audiobooks”, “FLAC Collection”)
   • Set the Path to the folder containing your music files
   • Optionally set the library as default for new users
   • Click Save

3. Initial Scan

   • The new library will automatically begin scanning
   • Monitor the scanning progress in the Activity Panel
   • Large libraries may take time to complete the initial scan

Managing User Access

1. Assign Libraries to Users

   • Go to Settings → Users
   • Click on a user to edit their settings
   • In the Libraries section, check the libraries the user should access
   • Click Save

2. Verify Access

   • Users will see a library selector in the sidebar if they have access to multiple libraries
   • The library selector is displayed in the top left corner of the UI
   • Users can select multiple libraries to browse and listen to their music

Configuration Considerations

File Organization

Each library should have its own root folder structure:

/music/main/           # Default library (MusicFolder)
├── Artist 1/
├── Artist 2/
└── ...

/music/audiobooks/     # Audiobooks library
├── Author 1/
├── Author 2/
└── ...

/music/lossless/       # High-quality library
├── Artist 1/
├── Artist 2/
└── ...

Permissions

• The Navidrome user must have read access to all library folders
• Consider using the same ownership/permissions across all library folders
• Ensure adequate disk space for each library’s cache and metadata

Performance

• Each library maintains its own file system watcher
• Multiple libraries scanning simultaneously may impact performance
• Consider staggering initial scans of large libraries
• Large numbers of libraries may affect UI performance

Using Multi-Library

Switching Libraries

• Use the library selector in the sidebar to select visible libraries
• All browsing, searching, and playback is scoped to the selected libraries

Cross-Library Features

• Playlists: Can contain songs from multiple libraries (user must have access)
• Smart Playlists: Can be scoped to specific libraries using filters
• Search: Results from all accessible libraries (filtered by permissions)
• Statistics: Maintained separately per library

API and Client Support

Subsonic API

• The getMusicFolders endpoint returns all libraries accessible to the authenticated user
• All other endpoints respect the user’s library permissions
• Clients that support multiple music folders will work with Navidrome’s multi-library feature

Client Compatibility

Most Subsonic-compatible clients that support multiple music folders will work with Navidrome’s multi-library feature. Check your client’s documentation for music folder support.

Troubleshooting

Library Not Scanning

• Verify the path exists and is readable by the Navidrome user
• Check the logs for permission errors
• Ensure the path doesn’t overlap with other libraries

User Cannot Access Library

• Verify the user has been granted access to the library in user settings
• Check that the library has completed its initial scan

Performance Issues

• Monitor system resources during simultaneous library scans
• Consider adjusting scanner settings if experiencing high I/O

Best Practices

• Design your folder structure before creating libraries
• Use clear, descriptive names for libraries
• Consider future growth when organizing

Related Features

• Configuration Options: Basic setup and MusicFolder configuration
• Smart Playlists: Create dynamic playlists with library-specific filters
• Backup: Protecting your multi-library setup