How to Self-Host Maloja with Docker Compose

What Is Maloja?

Maloja is a self-hosted music scrobbling and statistics server. It tracks what you listen to from any Subsonic, Last.fm, or ListenBrainz-compatible music player and generates detailed listening statistics, charts, and visualizations. Think of it as a privacy-respecting, self-hosted replacement for Last.fm’s tracking functionality. Your listening data stays on your server, forever.

Prerequisites

A Linux server (Ubuntu 22.04+ recommended)
Docker and Docker Compose installed (guide)
256 MB+ of free RAM
A music player that supports Last.fm or ListenBrainz scrobbling (Navidrome, Jellyfin, Plex, etc.)
A domain name (optional, for remote access)

Docker Compose Configuration

Create a docker-compose.yml file:

services:
  maloja:
    image: krateng/maloja:3.2.4
    container_name: maloja
    restart: unless-stopped
    ports:
      - "42010:42010"  # Web UI and API
    environment:
      MALOJA_DATA_DIRECTORY: /data
      MALOJA_FORCE_PASSWORD: your-admin-password  # CHANGE: Use a strong password
      MALOJA_SKIP_SETUP: "false"
    volumes:
      - maloja-data:/data
    healthcheck:
      test: ["CMD", "curl", "-f", "http://localhost:42010"]
      interval: 30s
      timeout: 10s
      retries: 3

volumes:
  maloja-data:

Configuration notes:

Maloja uses rolling releases on Docker Hub (latest tag). The project doesn’t publish semver Docker tags. Pin by digest (krateng/maloja@sha256:...) for reproducible deployments.
Port 42010 is the default for both the web UI and the scrobble API.
MALOJA_FORCE_PASSWORD sets the admin password on first run. Remove this variable after initial setup if you prefer.
All data (scrobble database, configuration, images) lives in the /data volume.

Start the stack:

docker compose up -d

Initial Setup

Open http://your-server:42010 in your browser
You’ll see the Maloja dashboard — initially empty since no scrobbles have been recorded
Navigate to Settings (gear icon) to configure:
- API keys: Generate keys for each scrobble source (one per music player)
- Third-party scrobbling: Optionally forward scrobbles to Last.fm, ListenBrainz, or other services
- Metadata: Configure artist image sources and name normalization rules

Generate an API Key

Go to Settings → API Keys
Click Generate New Key
Copy the key — you’ll use this to configure your music players

Configuration

Connect Navidrome

In Navidrome’s settings, configure Last.fm scrobbling:

Go to Navidrome Settings → Personal → Last.fm
Set the scrobble URL to: http://your-maloja-server:42010/apis/mlj_1
Enter your Maloja API key
Navidrome will now scrobble to Maloja using the Last.fm protocol

Connect Jellyfin

Install the Last.fm scrobbler plugin for Jellyfin:

In Jellyfin, go to Dashboard → Plugins → Catalog
Install “Last.fm Scrobbler”
Configure the plugin with:
- Server URL: http://your-maloja-server:42010/apis/mlj_1
- API Key: Your Maloja API key

Connect Any Subsonic Client

Most Subsonic clients (DSub, Symfonium) have built-in Last.fm scrobbling. Point the scrobble endpoint to your Maloja instance instead of Last.fm.

Environment Variables

Variable	Description	Default
`MALOJA_DATA_DIRECTORY`	Path for all data storage	`/data`
`MALOJA_FORCE_PASSWORD`	Set admin password	(none)
`MALOJA_SKIP_SETUP`	Skip first-run setup wizard	`false`
`MALOJA_HOST`	Listen address	`::` (all interfaces)
`MALOJA_PORT`	Listen port	`42010`
`MALOJA_NAME`	Instance name shown in UI	`Maloja`
`MALOJA_TIMEZONE`	Timezone for statistics	System default
`MALOJA_SCROBBLE_LASTFM`	Forward scrobbles to Last.fm	`false`
`MALOJA_LASTFM_API_KEY`	Last.fm API key for forwarding	(none)
`MALOJA_LASTFM_API_SECRET`	Last.fm API secret for forwarding	(none)

Advanced Configuration (Optional)

Import Last.fm History

Migrate your existing Last.fm scrobble history to Maloja:

Export your Last.fm data using lastfm-to-csv or similar tool
Place the CSV file in the Maloja data directory
Maloja can import Last.fm-format CSV files via the admin interface

Artist Name Rules

Maloja lets you define rules for normalizing artist names — useful when different players send slightly different names for the same artist:

Create rules in the Maloja settings:

Replace: “Pink floyd” → “Pink Floyd”
Combine: “The Beatles” and “Beatles” → “The Beatles”
Separate: “Artist A & Artist B” → treated as collaboration, credited to both

Dual Scrobbling (Maloja + Last.fm)

Run Maloja as your primary scrobble destination and mirror scrobbles to Last.fm:

environment:
  MALOJA_SCROBBLE_LASTFM: "true"
  MALOJA_LASTFM_API_KEY: your-lastfm-api-key
  MALOJA_LASTFM_API_SECRET: your-lastfm-api-secret

This gives you local data ownership while maintaining your Last.fm profile.

Reverse Proxy

For Nginx Proxy Manager:

Scheme: http
Forward Hostname: maloja
Forward Port: 42010

No special configuration needed — Maloja serves a standard HTTP web application.

See Reverse Proxy Setup for detailed instructions.

Backup

Maloja stores everything in a single data directory:

# Backup the entire data volume
docker run --rm -v maloja-data:/data -v $(pwd):/backup alpine tar czf /backup/maloja-backup.tar.gz /data

The data directory contains:

Scrobble database (SQLite) — your complete listening history
Configuration — API keys, rules, settings
Artist images — cached artwork

See Backup Strategy for a comprehensive backup approach.

Troubleshooting

Scrobbles not appearing

Symptom: Music player reports scrobbling success but Maloja shows no new scrobbles. Fix: Verify the API endpoint URL. For Last.fm-compatible clients, use /apis/mlj_1. For ListenBrainz-compatible clients, use /apis/listenbrainz. Check that the API key matches. Check Maloja logs:

docker logs maloja 2>&1 | tail -50

Duplicate artists in statistics

Symptom: The same artist appears multiple times with slightly different names. Fix: Use Maloja’s artist name rules (Settings → Rules) to normalize names. Common issues: trailing spaces, different capitalization, “The” prefix inconsistencies.

High memory usage over time

Symptom: Maloja container slowly consumes more RAM. Fix: Restart the container periodically. With very large scrobble databases (100K+), Maloja can accumulate memory for cached statistics. The data is not lost on restart — it’s all in the SQLite database.

Resource Requirements

RAM: 50-150 MB typical. Can grow with large databases.
CPU: Minimal. Scrobble processing is lightweight.
Disk: ~1 MB per 10,000 scrobbles plus cached images (~100 MB for artwork).

Verdict

Maloja is the best self-hosted scrobbling server available. It’s lightweight, easy to deploy, supports both Last.fm and ListenBrainz APIs for wide client compatibility, and gives you permanent ownership of your listening history. The statistics dashboard is clean and informative.

The main limitation is the lack of social features — no friends, no compatibility scores, no recommendations. If you want those, keep a Last.fm account and use Maloja’s forwarding feature to maintain both. For pure scrobble tracking and statistics, Maloja is excellent.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use Maloja without Docker?

Yes. Maloja is a Python application that can be installed directly via pip: pip install maloja. Docker is recommended for isolation and easier management, but bare-metal installation works fine.

Does Maloja replace Spotify’s listening history?

Not directly — Spotify doesn’t support custom scrobble endpoints. You’d need a bridge (like web-scrobbler browser extension) to send Spotify scrobbles to Maloja. For self-hosted music servers (Navidrome, Jellyfin), it’s seamless.

How accurate are the statistics compared to Last.fm?

Maloja’s statistics are more accurate for your local library because you control the data and can normalize artist names. Last.fm’s strength is its massive community database for artist metadata and recommendations — a feature Maloja doesn’t replicate.