Snapcast server

The Docker image includes a Snapcast server. Snapcast streams audio to any number of clients and keeps them in sync, so music plays in time in every room, from one Spotify device.

It's on by default. The Spotify stream is available to clients as soon as Encore starts.

Adding a room

Any Linux machine, including another Pi, can be a room. Install the client:

sudo apt install snapclient

Clients usually find the server automatically over mDNS. To point one at your Encore Pi explicitly, set the host in /etc/default/snapclient:

SNAPCLIENT_OPTS="--host encore.local"

then sudo systemctl restart snapclient.

Snapcast also has clients for Android, a browser player in Snapweb, and integrations for Home Assistant and others. See the Snapcast project for the full list.

Snapweb

Snapweb, Snapcast's web UI, is at http://<your-pi>:1780. Use it to set per-room volumes, group rooms and adjust latency. It's linked from the menu in the Encore console. Turn it off with Enable Snapweb in Settings → Snapcast.

Customising snapserver.conf

Settings → Snapcast includes the full snapserver.conf as an editable template, for changing the codec, buffer size, ports and so on. Two placeholders are filled in when it's written:

Placeholder	Becomes
{{stream}}	The source = pipewire://… line carrying Soloist's audio. Keep it.
{{snapweb}}	true or false, from the Enable Snapweb toggle

The default:

[stream]


[http]
enabled = 
bind_to_address = 0.0.0.0
port = 1780
doc_root = /usr/share/snapserver/snapweb

Snapserver only reads its config on start, so after saving, a banner offers to restart Snapcast. That briefly drops audio to Snapcast clients. Soloist and local outputs keep playing.

The stream name clients see (default Spotify) is set on the Snapcast row in Settings → Audio Outputs.

Ports

Port	What
1704	Audio stream to clients
1705	Control (JSON-RPC)
1780	Snapweb and HTTP API

Already running a Snapserver elsewhere? Send to it as well.