slskd

A Soulseek client that runs as a server or Docker container and is used from a web browser, for search, downloads and chat.

4.3k stars, 195 forks C# On GitHub since December 2020

Visit website View on GitHub How to run it

slskd at a glance

Open sourceYes, AGPL-3.0No paid parts in the repository
Health72 of 100Actively developed
Self-hostingDocker, Desktop appsOne-click in TrueNAS, Unraid and 2 more
AppsLinux, macOS, Windows, including ARMBuilds in GitHub releases
InterfaceEnglish onlyNo translation files found
Issue repliesWithin ~10 hoursMedian first reply; 63% of recent issues answered

What is slskd?

slskd connects to the Soulseek file-sharing network, which is popular for music, but splits the client into a background daemon and a web interface. You search, sort and filter results with the same filters as the official client, then queue downloads, which are grouped by user and folder with speed, status and queue position. Browsing other users' shares, chat rooms and private messages are also supported. Access is protected by a token, the app is designed to face the internet, and it works behind a reverse proxy alongside other self-hosted tools.

Good fit if

  • You keep a music library on a home server or NAS and want Soulseek downloads to land there directly.
  • You want to start and check downloads from any browser instead of a desktop client on one machine.

Look elsewhere if

  • You download mostly over BitTorrent: qBittorrent or Transmission.
  • Your goal is handing a file to one named person, not joining a peer-to-peer network: OnionShare keeps that exchange private over Tor.

Before you adopt it

slskd is licensed under AGPL-3.0, and the repository has no paid parts. Development is very active, with 341 commits in the last 90 days, all of them from one developer. It runs from a Docker image or from zip binaries for Linux, macOS and Windows, configured through a YAML file. The default web login is slskd/slskd, so change it before exposing the instance, and the README warns against enabling remote configuration on internet-facing installs.

Drafted with AI from the project's README and repository data, then checked against that data on 9 November 2026. Report a correction

How to run slskd yourself

One-click install

Not listed in Umbrel, YunoHost, CasaOS and Coolify. Checked against each panel’s app catalog on 12 November 2026.

Ways to install

Docker files
Dockerfile or compose file in the repository
Docker image
slskd/slskd: 10M pulls · x86-64, ARMv7, ARM64 · 105 MB downloadAlso ghcr.io/slskd/slskd
Compose file
None in the repository
Setup effort
Not rated: no compose file to judge from
Kubernetes
No Helm chart in the repository
Packages
AUR, Nix and Scoop versions on Repology
Desktop and mobile
Builds for Linux, macOS, Windows, including ARM in GitHub releases
Interface languages
English only

Install instructions: slskd.org or the README on GitHub. Docker images and packages are checked weekly.

slskd health: is it still maintained?

72 of 100, actively developed

Release rhythmEvery ~34 days10 releases in 12 months; latest 0.26.2
Issue repliesWithin ~10 hoursMedian first reply; 63% of recent issues answered
Bus factorHigh riskOne person wrote all recent commits
  • Activity
    341 commits in the last 90 days, the latest on 9 November 2026.
    30 / 30
  • Contributors
    1 person wrote the latest 100 commits; the most active wrote 100% of them.
    2 / 20
  • Releases
    10 releases in the last 12 months; the latest, 0.26.2, on 23 October 2026.
    18 / 20
  • Replies to issues
    Maintainers answered 63% of recent issues, with a median first reply after 10 hours.
    17 / 20
  • Security practices
    No OpenSSF Scorecard for this repository yet, so this part gets a neutral score.
    5 / 10

Read from GitHub on 12 November 2026. How the score works

slskd security

Security advisories are the vulnerabilities the maintainers disclosed on GitHub, with the versions that fix them; many advisories can mean careful disclosure as much as weak code.

Security advisoriesNone publishedNo advisories in the repository’s Security tab

Advisories read from GitHub on 12 November 2026.

slskd license: is it open source?

slskd uses AGPL-3.0, an open-source license approved by the OSI.

  1. December 2020First published on GitHub.
  2. TodayAGPL-3.0.

slskd for developers

Written in

  • C# 87%
  • JavaScript 11%
  • Shell <1%
  • CSS <1%
  • Dockerfile <1%
  • Other <1%

Getting involved

Help wanted5Open, labelled “help wanted”Contributing guideYesCONTRIBUTING.mdOpen issues180On GitHub
Authors, 90 days1Of the latest 100 commits

Language shares are GitHub’s count of the code in the repository.

Alternatives to slskd

  • transfer.shEasy and fast file sharing from the command-line. 49 health · MIT · 15.9k stars
  • ZiplineA ShareX/file upload server that is easy to use, packed with features, and with an easy setup! 78 health · MIT · 3.5k stars
  • OnionShareSecurely and anonymously share files, host websites, and chat with friends using the Tor network 69 health · GPL-3.0 · 7.2k stars
  • PicoShareA minimalist, easy-to-host service for sharing images and other files 62 health · AGPL-3.0 · 3.1k stars
  • qBittorrentqBittorrent BitTorrent client 91 health · GPL-3.0 · 41.5k stars

All 14 projects in File sharing

Questions about slskd

Is slskd open source?

Yes. slskd is published under AGPL-3.0, an OSI-approved open-source license.

Is slskd still maintained?

Its health score is 72 of 100 (actively developed). It had 341 commits in the last 90 days, the latest on 9 November 2026, and its latest release came out on 23 October 2026.

How do I run slskd?

You can run it with the Docker image slskd/slskd, as an app for Linux, macOS, Windows, including ARM and in one click from TrueNAS, Unraid, Runtipi and 1 more. The README on GitHub has the exact steps.

What is slskd written in?

slskd is written mainly in C# (87% of the code), with JavaScript (11%), by GitHub’s count of the repository.

What are the alternatives to slskd?

Close alternatives in the File sharing category include transfer.sh, Zipline, OnionShare.