The files stay yours
Point the server at local folders or mounted network shares. Kalinka builds its own searchable database without rewriting the source files. Your collection stays on storage you control.
Self-hosted music player · Linux server
Your music library,
Your music library,
on your hardware.
Kalinka plays MP3 and FLAC from storage your Linux server can reach — whether that is a local drive or a NAS elsewhere on your network. Browse the library from Android, Windows, Linux or any browser — without an account, a subscription or a cloud upload.
MP3 + FLAC
Gapless playback
Local-first
The idea
What Kalinka is for
Your music, wherever you keep it. A small Linux box by the amp. A phone in hand. Kalinka brings them together without asking you to copy the collection into somebody else’s cloud.
It is an independent, free and local-first project for listeners who still keep their own records — and want modern search and remote control without giving up ownership.
Why Kalinka
Not another streaming service.
Kalinka is deliberately built around the collection you already have. These are the three decisions that shape the rest of the product.
The music plays where the hi-fi is
A renderer can run on the server itself, on a Raspberry Pi beside an amplifier, or in a browser. Choose an output from the app and move playback between renderers, even while a track is playing.
Search it the way you remember it
Ask for a mood, texture, genre or moment instead of remembering a filename. Mood search runs locally over the indexed collection and can include Jamendo when that optional source is enabled.
Local mood search
From a prompt to a playable list.
Kalinka returns tracks, not a paragraph about them. Results keep artist, album and duration visible, and you can select one, several or all before sending them to the queue.
calm meditation music20 tracks from the local library
- ResultsIndividual tracks with their album, artist and duration.
- SelectionChoose one result, several, or the whole suggestion set.
- SourcesYour own collection, plus Jamendo when you enable it.
A typical setup
Four pieces. One local network.
The server handles the library and indexing. A renderer sends audio to the hi-fi. The app is only the remote control, so browsing from a phone does not move playback away from the speakers.
01 · SourceMusic storageLocal drive or mounted
NAS
02 · LibraryLinux serverIndex, metadata and
queue
03 · OutputRenderer + DACServer, Pi or another
Linux box
04 · ListenAmp and speakersYour existing
hi-fi
Remote control:Android · Windows · Linux · any browser on the network
Available now
- Server Debian · Ubuntu · Raspberry Pi OS
- Remote apps Linux · Windows · Android · browser
- Playback MP3 · FLAC · gapless · bit-perfect output
- Library sources Local storage · mounted NAS · optional Jamendo
Current boundaries
- Native Apple apps macOS and iPhone are not available yet
- Audio formats MP3 and FLAC today
- Initial setup Requires a Linux machine and one command
- Large collections Full indexing can take several hours
