OpenAudia Specification

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OpenAudia Specification

Own Your Media. Share Your World.

OpenAudia is an open source, modular media platform for ebooks, audiobooks, podcasts, and music. It is designed to give creators, readers, listeners, communities, organizations, and independent operators greater control over digital media publishing, distribution, discovery, licensing, and infrastructure.

OpenAudia supports self hosted deployment and is designed to operate as a configurable platform where installations can enable the capabilities they need without requiring every feature to be part of every deployment.

Core Modules

Media Publishing Module

The Media Publishing Module provides the foundation for publishing digital media.

Ebook Publishing

EPUB upload and processing
PDF upload and processing
MOBI compatibility
Comic and illustrated ebook support
Cover image management
Automatic metadata extraction
Manual metadata editing
Author information
Publisher information
ISBN and identifier support
Edition management
Multiple editions of the same title
Book version history
File replacement without losing metadata
Drag and drop uploads
Batch uploads
Content validation
File integrity checking
Public and private books
Scheduled publishing
Content visibility controls

Audiobook Publishing

Full audiobook uploads
Chapter based organization
Individual chapter files
Multiple narrator support
Narrator profiles
Chapter titles and descriptions
Audiobook cover artwork
Automatic chapter ordering
Manual chapter ordering
Audiobook metadata management
Playback progress tracking
Resume playback
Bookmarks
Playback speed controls
Sleep timer
Chapter navigation
Offline downloads
Public and private audiobooks
Scheduled publication
Audiobook version management

Music Publishing

MP3 support
WAV support
FLAC support
AAC support
Single track publishing
Album publishing
EP support
Compilation support
Track numbering
Album artwork
Artist profiles
Featured artist support
Genre classification
Track metadata management
Explicit content labeling
Release dates
Multiple versions of recordings
Public and private releases
Scheduled releases
Download controls

Podcast Publishing

Podcast channel creation
Episode uploads
Episode descriptions
Podcast artwork
Episode artwork
Season management
Episode numbering
RSS feed generation
Podcast subscriptions
Scheduled episodes
Episode transcripts
Show notes
Podcast categories
Podcast metadata
Public and private podcasts
Podcast analytics
External RSS compatibility

Creator Module

The Creator Module provides tools for creators to establish identities, publish media, manage audiences, and monitor content performance.

Creator Profiles

Public creator pages
Author profiles
Musician profiles
Narrator profiles
Podcaster profiles
Publisher profiles
Creator biographies
Profile images
Cover images
External website links
Social profile links
Published media collections
Creator verification
Creator following
Creator subscriber counts

Creator Dashboard

Media management
Upload management
Publishing controls
Audience analytics
Reader analytics
Listener analytics
Download statistics
Playback statistics
Popular content reports
Geographic analytics where appropriate
Revenue tracking
Donation tracking
Subscription tracking
Content performance reports

Library Module

The Library Module manages personal media collections and saved content.

Personal Libraries

Bookshelf management
Music library
Audiobook library
Podcast subscriptions
Favorites
Saved content
Recently played
Recently read
Downloaded content
Custom collections

Reading Organization

Personal library
Favorites
Reading lists
Want to read lists
Currently reading
Finished books
Custom collections
Public collections
Private collections
Shared collections

Playlists

Music playlists
Audiobook playlists
Podcast playlists
Mixed media playlists
Public playlists
Private playlists
Collaborative playlists
Shared playlists
Playlist artwork
Playlist descriptions
Playlist ordering

Collections

Public collections
Private collections
Community collections
Creator collections
Themed collections
Curated collections
Collaborative collections

Reading Module

The Reading Module provides browser based ebook reading and reading management.

Ebook Reader

Browser based reading
EPUB rendering
PDF rendering
Responsive reading interface
Adjustable font sizes
Adjustable line spacing
Adjustable margins
Font selection
Dark mode
Light mode
Sepia reading mode
Page navigation
Chapter navigation
Table of contents
Bookmarks
Notes
Highlights
Search within books
Reading progress synchronization
Reading position synchronization
Reading history
Reading statistics

Audio Module

The Audio Module provides a unified playback system for music, audiobooks, and podcasts.

Unified Audio Player

Music playback
Audiobook playback
Podcast playback
Browser streaming
Background playback
Queue management
Shuffle
Repeat
Volume controls
Playback speed
Resume playback
Playback history
Favorite tracks
Bookmarks
Sleep timer
Chapter navigation
Queue persistence
Media controls
Keyboard controls
Mobile playback controls

Audio Quality

Multiple audio formats
Original quality preservation
Optional transcoding
Adaptive streaming support
Audio normalization
Downloadable source files
Configurable streaming quality

Podcast Module

The Podcast Module provides podcast discovery, subscriptions, playback, distribution, and management.

Podcast subscriptions
Episode queues
Episode downloads
Playback history
Resume listening
Episode bookmarks
Episode transcripts
Searchable transcripts
Show notes
RSS feeds
Podcast directories
Podcast categories
Episode scheduling
Season management
Podcast analytics
Subscriber analytics

Discovery Module

The Discovery Module provides search, browsing, filtering, recommendations, and content discovery.

Search

Full text search
Book search
Audiobook search
Music search
Podcast search
Creator search
Author search
Artist search
Narrator search
Genre filtering
Category filtering
Tag filtering
Format filtering
Language filtering
Publication date filtering
Duration filtering
Advanced search
Search suggestions
Search history

Discovery Pages

New releases
Recently uploaded
Popular books
Popular audiobooks
Popular music
Popular podcasts
Trending creators
Featured collections
Community collections
Genre pages
Category pages
Curated content
Recently played content

Recommendations

Similar books
Similar audiobooks
Similar artists
Similar podcasts
Related creators
Personalized recommendations
Community recommendations
Recommendation controls
Recommendation history

Accessibility Module

The Accessibility Module provides accessible media consumption and navigation.

Screen reader compatibility
Keyboard navigation
Accessible media controls
High contrast mode
Adjustable typography
Dyslexia friendly font options
Text to speech integration
Audio descriptions where available
Captions
Transcripts
Accessible ebook metadata
Accessible navigation
Reduced motion support
Mobile accessibility support

Community Module

The Community Module provides social interaction and community participation.

Social Interaction

User following
Creator following
Likes
Reactions
Ratings
Reviews
Comments
Discussions
Community forums
Shared collections
Shared playlists
Activity feeds
Creator announcements
Content recommendations

Community Participation

Community curated collections
Public reading lists
Community playlists
Book discussions
Listening groups
Reading groups
Virtual book clubs
Synchronized listening sessions
Creator events
Community events

Download and Offline Module

The Download and Offline Module provides controlled access to media for offline use.

Ebook downloads
Audiobook downloads
Music downloads
Podcast downloads
Offline reading
Offline listening
Download queues
Download management
Storage management
Configurable download quality
Progressive downloads
Offline library access
Synchronization when connectivity returns

Rights and Provenance Module

The Rights and Provenance Module provides creators and operators with tools for managing ownership, licensing, attribution, and content history.

Creator controlled publishing
Public or private content
Download permissions
Streaming permissions
Embedding controls
Content licensing metadata
Copyright information
Attribution information
License selection
Rights information
Content ownership records
Content removal controls
Version history
Content provenance records

OpenAudia is designed to help creators and communities maintain greater control over their media and publishing environments.

Moderation Module

The Moderation Module provides tools for managing content, users, reports, appeals, and community safety.

Content Moderation

Content reporting
Copyright reporting
DMCA reporting workflows
Spam detection
Abuse reporting
Community moderation
Moderator queues
Content review queues
Automated moderation integrations
Manual moderation
Content visibility controls
Content removal workflows
Appeal workflows

User Moderation

Account reporting
User blocking
User muting
User suspension
Temporary restrictions
Permanent account restrictions
Moderator roles
Administrator roles
Permission management

Administration Module

The Administration Module provides configuration, management, monitoring, and operational controls.

Administration Dashboard

User management
Creator management
Media management
Storage management
Moderation management
Site configuration
System configuration
Plugin management
API management
Analytics
System health monitoring
Audit logs
Activity logs
Backup management

Role Based Permissions

Administrator
Moderator
Creator
Publisher
Contributor
Community manager
Custom roles
Granular permissions

Security Module

The Security Module provides authentication, authorization, secure media handling, and operational security.

HTTPS support
Secure authentication
Password hashing
OAuth2 authentication
JWT authentication
Two factor authentication
Session management
Account recovery
Rate limiting
CSRF protection
Secure file handling
File type validation
Upload size controls
Malware scanning integrations
Content integrity validation
Role based access control
API authentication
Audit logging
Security event logging

API Module

The API Module provides programmatic access to OpenAudia capabilities.

Developer API

REST API
GraphQL support
Authentication API
Media API
Creator API
Library API
Playlist API
Search API
Recommendation API
Podcast API
Analytics API
Webhook support
API keys
Developer documentation

Metadata Module

The Metadata Module provides structured metadata management across all supported media types.

Structured media metadata
Author metadata
Artist metadata
Narrator metadata
Podcast metadata
Album metadata
Genre metadata
Language metadata
License metadata
Copyright metadata
Publication dates
Content identifiers
Creator identifiers
Edition identifiers
Metadata import and export
Metadata editing
Metadata validation

Analytics Module

The Analytics Module provides configurable usage and performance reporting.

Creator Analytics

Views
Reads
Listening time
Plays
Downloads
Favorites
Playlist additions
Subscriber growth
Review activity
Audience engagement

Platform Analytics

User registrations
Active users
Media uploads
Storage utilization
Streaming activity
Download activity
Search activity
Popular categories
System performance
API usage

Analytics can be configured to minimize unnecessary collection of personal information.

Infrastructure Module

The Infrastructure Module provides the foundation for self hosted and independently operated deployments.

Self hosted installations
Local storage
MinIO storage
AWS S3 storage
Compatible object storage
Docker deployment
NGINX support
Reverse proxy support
CDN compatibility
PostgreSQL database
Redis caching
Backup systems
Configurable storage locations
Configurable domain names
Independent authentication
Independent moderation
Independent administration

Optional Plugin Modules

OpenAudia uses a modular plugin architecture. Optional functionality can be enabled, disabled, replaced, or extended without requiring changes to the core platform.

Monetization Plugin

Provides optional creator and platform monetization capabilities.

Donations
Tips
Creator subscriptions
Paid content support
Membership support
Creator storefronts
Revenue reporting
Payment provider integrations

Advertising Plugin

Provides optional advertising functionality.

Advertising management
Advertising placement controls
Campaign management
Creator advertising controls
Platform advertising controls
Advertising analytics
Configurable advertising policies

Advertising is optional and can be disabled by an installation.

Sponsorship Plugin

Provides optional sponsorship functionality.

Creator sponsorships
Media sponsorships
Community sponsorships
Sponsorship management
Sponsorship reporting

AI Recommendation Plugin

Provides optional AI assisted discovery.

AI recommendations
Similarity analysis
Personalized discovery
Content relationship analysis
Recommendation controls
Recommendation history

AI recommendation functionality is optional and can be disabled.

AI Content Plugin

Provides optional AI assisted content tools.

AI generated book summaries
AI generated transcripts
AI narration tools
Text to speech
Content analysis
Metadata assistance
Translation assistance

AI processing should remain configurable and should respect creator permissions and content rights.

Transcription Plugin

Provides automated and assisted transcription.

Audio transcription
Podcast transcription
Audiobook transcription
Searchable transcripts
Transcript editing
Transcript export
Caption generation

Translation Plugin

Provides optional translation capabilities.

Content translation
Metadata translation
Transcript translation
Community translation workflows
Translation review
Language management

Advanced Analytics Plugin

Provides expanded analytics capabilities.

Advanced audience analytics
Advanced creator analytics
Media performance analysis
Audience segmentation
Trend analysis
Custom reports
Exportable analytics

Federation Plugin

Provides optional federation capabilities between independently operated OpenAudia installations.

Federated creator profiles
Federated media discovery
Cross server following
Federated comments
Federated playlists
Federated collections
Cross server subscriptions
Server level content policies
Instance level moderation
Independent server administration

Federation is designed as an optional capability rather than a requirement for operating OpenAudia.

External Storage Plugin

Provides additional storage backends.

External object storage
S3 compatible storage
Remote storage providers
Storage provider selection
Storage migration
Storage health monitoring
Storage quotas

CDN Plugin

Provides optional content delivery network integration.

CDN configuration
Media delivery optimization
Cache controls
Signed media URLs
Regional delivery
CDN invalidation

Search Provider Plugin

Allows installations to replace or extend the default search system.

External search providers
Local search providers
Full text indexing
Search provider configuration
Search indexing controls
Search synchronization

Authentication Provider Plugin

Allows installations to add external authentication systems.

OAuth providers
OpenID Connect
Enterprise authentication
Single sign on
External identity providers
Authentication policy controls

Community Forum Plugin

Provides extended community discussion capabilities.

Forums
Categories
Threads
Moderation tools
Community announcements
Discussion subscriptions
Community roles

Messaging Plugin

Provides optional direct communication capabilities.

Direct messages
Creator messages
Community messages
Message requests
Blocking
Moderation
Notification controls

Marketplace Plugin

Provides optional marketplace functionality.

Creator storefronts
Digital media sales
Product listings
Transaction management
Payment integration
Creator revenue reporting
Marketplace moderation

Federation Architecture

Future federation capabilities can allow independently operated OpenAudia servers to communicate while retaining local administrative control.

Potential federation capabilities include:

Federated creator profiles
Federated media discovery
Cross server following
Federated comments
Federated playlists
Federated collections
Cross server subscriptions
Server level content policies
Instance level moderation
Independent server administration

Federated installations retain control over their own users, content policies, moderation systems, and infrastructure.

Self Hosted Architecture

OpenAudia is designed for independent deployment.

Supported deployment capabilities include:

Self hosted installations
Local storage
MinIO storage
AWS S3 storage
Compatible object storage
Docker deployment
NGINX support
Reverse proxy support
CDN compatibility
PostgreSQL database
Redis caching
Backup systems
Configurable storage locations
Configurable domain names
Independent authentication
Independent moderation
Independent administration

Technical Stack

Frontend

React
Tailwind CSS
EPUB.js
PDF.js
React Player
Responsive interface
Progressive Web App support
Mobile optimized interface
Offline caching

Backend

Node.js
Express.js
PostgreSQL
Redis
JWT authentication
OAuth2
REST API
GraphQL support
Webhook infrastructure

Infrastructure

Docker
MinIO
AWS S3
NGINX
CDN compatibility
Kubernetes compatibility
Container based deployment
Horizontal scaling support

Architectural Principles

Modular Design

Core functionality is separated into modules with defined responsibilities and interfaces.

Optional functionality is implemented through plugins whenever practical.

Self Hosting

Installations should be capable of operating independently without requiring a centralized OpenAudia service.

Interoperability

OpenAudia should use established formats, protocols, APIs, and metadata standards whenever practical.

Portability

Users and creators should be able to export their media, metadata, libraries, playlists, collections, and other supported data.

Creator Control

Creators should have meaningful control over publication, visibility, licensing, downloading, streaming, embedding, and removal of their content.

Accessibility

Accessibility should be considered throughout the platform rather than treated as an isolated feature.

Privacy

Analytics and platform functionality should minimize unnecessary collection, retention, and exposure of personal information.

Extensibility

The plugin system should allow installations to extend OpenAudia without modifying the core platform.

Infrastructure Independence

OpenAudia should avoid unnecessary dependence on proprietary services and should support self hosted and open source alternatives.

Content Formats

OpenAudia is designed to support:

EPUB
PDF
MOBI
MP3
WAV
FLAC
AAC
Podcast RSS
Transcripts
Captions
Cover artwork
Album artwork
Podcast artwork
Structured metadata

Additional formats may be added through future core capabilities or plugins.

Content Rights

OpenAudia does not grant users ownership of media uploaded by other creators.

Creators and publishers remain responsible for ensuring that they have the necessary rights, permissions, licenses, and authority to upload and distribute their content.

Installations may provide rights metadata, licensing information, attribution information, content ownership records, and removal workflows to support responsible publishing.

Monetization Architecture

Monetization functionality is modular.

An installation may operate without monetization or may enable selected monetization capabilities.

Supported monetization models may include:

Donations
Tips
Creator subscriptions
Memberships
Paid media
Creator storefronts
Sponsorships
Advertising
Marketplace transactions

Payment providers should be implemented through modular integrations rather than being required by the core platform.

Specification Branding License (SBL)

Standard

Fully AGPL-3.0+ compliant system
Copyleft enforced for network deployments
Required attribution:
Roxanne Ardary
https://www.roxanneardary.com/

Optional

Specification Branding License (SBL)
Attribution-free commercial deployment
Pricing based on scale, usage, and deployment scope
https://roxanneardary.com/openaudia/

License & Notice Requirements

OpenAudia is released under the GNU Affero General Public License v3.0 or later (AGPL-3.0+). By contributing to this project, you agree that your contributions will also be released under this license.

Please note the following:

All contributions must comply with the AGPL-3.0+ terms.
Under Section 7 of the license, all redistributions, forks, and derivative works must preserve attribution to Roxanne Ardary and roxanneardary.com.
OpenAudia specifications are free to use with attribution. A Specification Branding License can be negotiated upon request.
The project’s NOTICE.md file tracks attribution requirements and contributor acknowledgments.
Any update that adds new contributors or modifies attribution should also update NOTICE.md.
When submitting a pull request, ensure that any new files maintain the attribution headers where applicable.
Network deployed versions of this software must also remain fully AGPL-3.0+ compliant, including exposure of source code modifications when applicable under the license.

For full legal details, please refer to the AGPL-3.0+ license and the project’s NOTICE.md file.

Notice – OpenAudia

Attribution Requirement: Under Section 7 of the AGPL 3.0+ license, all redistributions, forks, and derivative works, including network-deployed versions of this project, must provide attribution to Roxanne Ardary and roxanneardary.com.

Contributors

This file tracks contributors and their specific contributions to the project.

Roxanne Ardary, roxanneardary.com – May 9, 2026
Created the repository for OpenAudia. Developed the initial open source platform for ebooks and music with upload, streaming, and community features.
[Add other contributors here] – [Date]
[Describe contribution in one sentence]

License – OpenAudia

This repository is licensed under the GNU Affero General Public License v3.0 or later (AGPL-3.0+).

Key Points

You are free to use, modify, and distribute the code.
All redistributions, forks, and derivative works or network-deployed versions must also be licensed under AGPL-3.0+ and provide attribution to Roxanne Ardary and roxanneardary.com as required under Section 7 of the license.
The software is provided “as is,” without warranty of any kind.

For the full license text, see GNU AGPL-3.0 License.