Frequently Asked Questions

General

What is Koel?

Koel (pronounced /koel/) is an open-source personal music streaming server. Think of it as your own private Spotify — you host it, you own it, your music stays yours.

Is Koel free?

Yes! Koel is MIT licensed and free to use. There's an optional Koel Plus tier that adds cloud storage support, advanced features, and priority support.

What browsers does Koel support?

Koel works on all modern browsers: Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge. It's also mobile-responsive.

Is there a mobile app?

Yes — Koel Player is available for both iOS and Android, giving you a native mobile experience connected to your Koel server.

Setup & Installation

Which database should I use?

For small libraries (under 10,000 songs), SQLite works great. For larger collections, MySQL or PostgreSQL offer better performance.

How do I update Koel?

git pull
composer update
php artisan migrate --force

Can I run Koel with Docker?

Absolutely. The official Docker image includes everything pre-configured. Check koel/docker on GitHub.

My music files aren't being detected?

Make sure:

1. The media path in Settings is an absolute path (e.g., /home/user/music)
2. PHP has read permissions on the directory
3. Files have valid ID3 tags
4. Run php artisan koel:scan --verbose for details

Playback & Streaming

Why does playback stutter?

Likely a streaming method issue. Switch from PHP streaming to x-accel-redirect (Nginx) or mod_xsendfile (Apache) for better performance.

Can Koel stream FLAC?

Yes! Koel streams FLAC natively or can transcode to AAC on-the-fly if you have FFmpeg installed.

How do I enable the equalizer?

Click the equalizer icon in the player bar (bottom right). Adjust bands manually or choose from presets.

Account & Security

How do I reset my password?

Click "Forgot Password" on the login page. Requires email/SMTP to be configured on the server.

Can multiple people use the same Koel server?

Yes — Koel supports multiple user accounts with separate favorites, playlists, and play history. Admins can manage users from the Users page.

Is my music encrypted during streaming?

Koel uses your server's SSL/TLS configuration. Deploy behind HTTPS (nginx + Let's Encrypt) for encrypted streaming.

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Preguntas Frecuentes

¿Qué es Koel?

Koel es un servidor personal de streaming de música de código abierto. Es como tu propio Spotify privado.

¿Es gratuito?

Sí, Koel tiene licencia MIT. Existe un nivel opcional Koel Plus con funciones avanzadas.

¿Cómo actualizo Koel?

git pull && composer update && php artisan migrate --force

¿Por qué la reproducción se entrecorta?

Cambia el método de transmisión de PHP a x-accel-redirect (Nginx) o mod_xsendfile (Apache).

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よくある質問

Koelとは？

Koelはオープンソースの個人音楽ストリーミングサーバーです。自分だけのSpotifyのようなものです。

無料ですか？

はい、MITライセンスで無料です。高度な機能を備えたKoel Plusもあります。

再生が途切れます

ストリーミング方式をPHPからx-accel-redirect（Nginx）またはmod_xsendfile（Apache）に切り替えてください。

FLACをストリーミングできますか？

はい！ネイティブストリーミングまたはFFmpegによるAACトランスコードが可能です。