Altus

Welcome back to the Selfhosters Blog! Today we’re diving into a fantastic tool for RSS feed lovers and podcast power-users alike — Altus, available as a Docker container maintained by LinuxServer.io.

What is Altus?

Altus is an open-source, lightweight feed and podcast client that runs in your browser. Built using modern web technologies, it allows you to self-host your own personal media hub where you can subscribe to and stream all your favorite feeds. Whether you’re a news junkie or a podcast aficionado, Altus can centralize your content collection and simplify your consumption habits.

Why Self-Host Altus?

Self-hosting Altus means you remain in full control of your RSS and podcast data. No third-party tracking, no usage limits, and total flexibility. With Docker, spinning up Altus is a breeze and integrates perfectly into any existing self-hosted ecosystem.

Setting Up Altus with Docker

Thanks to the amazing folks over at LinuxServer.io, setting up Altus is extremely straightforward. They’ve provided prebuilt Docker images as well as Docker Compose templates for painless deployment.

Step-by-Step Guide

Make sure you have Docker and Docker Compose installed on your system.
Create a directory for Altus:
```
mkdir -p ~/docker/altus
```

Create a docker-compose.yml file inside the directory using the example provided in the official LinuxServer documentation:

version: "2.1"
services:
  altus:
    image: lscr.io/linuxserver/altus:latest
    container_name: altus
    environment:
      - PUID=1000  # set to your user ID
      - PGID=1000  # set to your group ID
      - TZ=Europe/London  # update to your timezone
    volumes:
      - ./config:/config
    ports:
      - 8080:80
    restart: unless-stopped

Start the container:
```
docker compose up -d
```

Using Altus

Once deployed, simply access Altus via http://localhost:8080 (or your server’s IP) in your browser. From there, you can:

Add RSS and podcast feeds
Stream episodes right in the browser
Download content to listen offline
Organize your subscriptions

Altus even supports OPML file import/export, making it easy to migrate from other services like Feedly or Pocket Casts.

Final Thoughts

Altus is an excellent addition to any self-hoster’s stack, especially for users who want a clean, intuitive interface to stay on top of feed-driven content. It’s fast, lightweight, and full-featured. For more details, customization tips, and updates, be sure to check out the official documentation: https://docs.linuxserver.io/images/docker-altus.

Happy selfhosting, and I will see you in the next post!

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altus