mpd(1)
Music Player Daemon (MPD) is a flexible, powerful server-side application for playing audio files and managing music libraries.
Synopsis
mpd [OPTION]... [CONF_FILE]Description
MPD (Music Player Daemon) is a server that allows remote clients to connect and control music playback. It runs as a daemon in the background, manages a music database, and plays audio without requiring a graphical interface. Multiple clients can connect simultaneously to browse, queue, and control playback.
MPD reads its configuration from a file (typically ~/.mpdconf or /etc/mpd.conf) that specifies music directories, output devices, port, and other settings. It maintains a database of songs and supports playlists, searching, and crossfading between tracks.
Common options
| Flag | What it does |
|---|---|
--help | Display help message and exit |
--version | Show MPD version number |
--no-daemon | Run in foreground instead of daemonizing (useful for debugging) |
--kill | Kill the running MPD daemon |
--stdout | Print log output to standard output (requires --no-daemon) |
-v, --verbose | Increase verbosity level (can be used multiple times) |
Examples
Start MPD using configuration from user's home directory
mpd ~/.mpdconfStart MPD in foreground mode for debugging purposes
mpd --no-daemon ~/.mpdconfControl playback using mpc client (requires MPD running)
mpc playGracefully stop the running MPD daemon
mpd --killCheck if MPD daemon is currently running
ps aux | grep mpdQuery current playback status from running MPD instance
mpc statusStart MPD with system-wide configuration in background
mpd /etc/mpd.conf &