Ampache
Ampache is a free software web-based audio file manager and media server. The name is a blend of the words "amplifier" and "Apache". Originally written to take advantage of Apache's mod_mp3 module, it has since been adapted to use its own streaming method.
Ampache's Mascot is a squirrel called Fraz, originally drawn by Kirsten Petersen, later digitized by Ben Shields, and redesigned by Agnès Champavier in 2008.
History
Ampache was first released in 2001. Its original author, Scott Kveton went on to create the Oregon State University Open Source Lab and passed the developmental lead to Karl Vollmer, who was responsible for it from early 2003 to early 2011. Since then, lead development of Ampache has changed hands several times. To date, Ampache has support from over 100 different contributors. The project is currently hosted on GitHub and continues to be developed by a volunteer community.Development goals
Ampache is aimed at private and small group deployments, though it supports public registration at an administrator’s discretion. It is compatible with large music libraries and can run on a wide range of hardware configurations. Key goals include maintaining a lightweight, cross-platform web interface and prioritizing ease of access, speed, and security.Extensions and APIs
Ampache also provides an application programming interface for extracting meta data in the form of XML documents. Ampache data can be accessed via the many methods supported in the API, originally created for use with Amarok2, but which can also be used to create other front-ends to Ampache. Access to the API is controlled by internal Access Control Lists; for performance reasons, all requests currently have a 5000 result limit. The following applications are known to have plug-ins that use Ampache's XML API:- Amarok
- Coherence
- Rhythmbox Plugin
- Terratec Noxon iRadio
- Ampache Mobile
- AmpachPre
- AmpacheX
- iAmpache
- Ampacheberry
- Ampache HTML5 Player
In education
Ampache's features make it a powerful instructional and assistive technology for students with language-based learning differences. At the Chelsea School, a group of advanced technology students recognized Ampache's potential for providing important accommodations and modifications that serve their learning styles; they built and configured an Ampache server that was put to work to enhance teaching and learning in the classroom.Ampache's video-streaming features have also been used to enhance teaching and learning at the Chelsea School. Rather than having students watch instructional videos as a group, the assigned material was streamed to their individual workstations. Independent viewing reduces distractions, and allows students to progress at their own pace, pausing to take notes or repeating segments for clarification.