Minimum sensible
The smallest build that genuinely works — tight, focused, no fluff.
- CPU
- 1 cores
- RAM
- 2 GB
- Storage
- 1 TB (hdd)
- GPU
- None
- Network
- 1 GbE
Service → hardware · Media
Calibre / Audiobookshelf: hardware requirements
Your ebook and audiobook library — Calibre, Audiobookshelf, Kavita.
Recommended
The sweet spot: handles the service plus the usual side-services.
- CPU
- 2 cores
- RAM
- 4 GB
- Storage
- 4 TB (hdd)
- GPU
- None
- Network
- 1 GbE
Comfortable
Real headroom — this service will never be the bottleneck.
- CPU
- 4 cores
- RAM
- 8 GB
- Storage
- 16 TB (hdd)
- GPU
- None
- Network
- 1 GbE
Overkill
More than you will ever use for this service alone — spend the money elsewhere.
- CPU
- 7 cores
- RAM
- 13 GB
- Storage
- 32 TB (hdd)
- GPU
- None
- Network
- 1 GbE
Overkill Beyond Comfortable — 4 cores, 8 GB RAM, 16 TB: headroom you will never use for this service alone.
Runs well with
Related services
About this tool
Frequently asked questions
How much RAM does Calibre / Audiobookshelf need?
2 GB is the sensible minimum, 4 GB covers most real setups, and 8 GB gives comfortable headroom.
How many CPU cores does Calibre / Audiobookshelf need?
1 cores are the minimum, 2 cores the sweet spot, and 4 cores comfortable when shared with other services.
Can I run several services on one machine?
Yes — most services share resources. Use the planner and select several services; the engine sums and overlaps the requirements instead of stacking them.
What if I already have hardware?
Register it in My hardware and the analysis shows exactly which services your current system can comfortably run — including an honest “do nothing”.