calibre-web/README.md

Calibre-Web

Calibre-Web is a web app that offers a clean and intuitive interface for browsing, reading, and downloading eBooks using a valid Calibre database.

Table of Contents (click to expand)

1. About
2. Features
3. Installation
   • Installation via pip (recommended)
   • Quick start
   • Requirements
4. Docker Images
5. Troubleshooting
6. Contributor Recognition
7. Contact
8. Contributing to Calibre-Web

This software is a fork of library and licensed under the GPL v3 License.

Features

• Modern and responsive Bootstrap 3 HTML5 interface
• Full graphical setup
• Comprehensive user management with fine-grained per-user permissions
• Admin interface
• Multilingual user interface supporting 20+ languages (supported languages)
• OPDS feed for eBook reader apps
• Advanced search and filtering options
• Custom book collection (shelves) creation
• eBook metadata editing and deletion support
• Metadata download from various sources (extensible via plugins)
• eBook conversion through Calibre binaries
• eBook download restriction to logged-in users
• Public user registration support
• Send eBooks to E-Readers with a single click
• Sync Kobo devices with your Calibre library
• In-browser eBook reading support for multiple formats
• Upload new books in various formats, including audio formats
• Calibre Custom Columns support
• Content hiding based on categories and Custom Column content per user
• Self-update capability
• "Magic Link" login for easy access on eReaders
• LDAP, Google/GitHub OAuth, and proxy authentication support

Installation

Installation via pip (recommended)

1. Create a virtual environment: It’s essential to isolate your Calibre-Web installation to avoid dependency conflicts. You can create a virtual environment by running:

   python3 -m venv calibre-web-env
   

2. Activate the virtual environment:

   source calibre-web-env/bin/activate
   

3. Install Calibre-Web: Use pip to install the application:

   pip install calibreweb
   

4. Install optional features: For additional functionality, you may need to install optional features. Refer to this page for details on what can be installed.
5. Start Calibre-Web: After installation, you can start the application with:

   cps
   

Note: Users of Raspberry Pi OS may encounter installation issues. If you do, try upgrading pip and/or installing cargo as follows:

./venv/bin/python3 -m pip install --upgrade pip
sudo apt install cargo

Important Links

• For additional installation examples, check the following:
  • Manual installation
  • Linux Mint installation
  • Cloud Provider setup

Quick Start

1. Access Calibre-Web: Open your browser and navigate to:

   http://localhost:8083
   

   or for the OPDS catalog:

   http://localhost:8083/opds
   

2. Log in: Use the default admin credentials:
   • Username: admin
   • Password: admin123
3. Database Setup: If you do not have a Calibre database, download a sample from:

   https://github.com/janeczku/calibre-web/raw/master/library/metadata.db
   

   Move it out of the Calibre-Web folder to avoid overwriting during updates.
4. Configure Calibre Database: In the admin interface, set the Location of Calibre database to the path of the folder containing your Calibre library (where metadata.db is located) and click "Save".
5. Google Drive Integration: For hosting your Calibre library on Google Drive, refer to the Google Drive integration guide.
6. Admin Configuration: Configure your instance via the admin page, referring to the Basic Configuration and UI Configuration guides.

Requirements

• Python Version: Ensure you have Python 3.7 or newer.
• Imagemagick: Required for cover extraction from EPUBs. Windows users may also need to install Ghostscript for PDF cover extraction.
• Optional Tools:
  • Calibre desktop program: Recommended for on-the-fly conversion and metadata editing. Set the path to Calibre’s converter tool on the setup page.
  • Kepubify tool: Needed for Kobo device support. Download the tool and place the binary in /opt/kepubify on Linux or C:\Program Files\kepubify on Windows.

Docker Images

Pre-built Docker images are available:

LinuxServer - x64, aarch64

• Docker Hub: linuxserver/calibre-web
• GitHub: linuxserver/docker-calibre-web
• Optional Calibre layer: linuxserver/docker-mods

To include the Calibre ebook-convert binary (x64 only), add the environment variable:

DOCKER_MODS=linuxserver/mods:universal-calibre

in your Docker run/compose file. Omit this variable for a lightweight image.

• Paths Configuration:
  • Set Path to Calibre Binaries to /usr/bin.
  • Set Path to Unrar to /usr/bin/unrar.

Troubleshooting

• Common Issues:

  • If you experience issues starting the application, check the log files located in the logs directory for error messages.
  • If eBooks fail to load, verify that the Location of Calibre database is correctly set and that the database file is accessible.

• Configuration Errors: Ensure that your Calibre database is compatible and properly formatted. Refer to the Calibre documentation for guidance on maintaining the database.

• Performance Problems:

  • If the application is slow, consider increasing the allocated resources (CPU/RAM) to your server or optimizing the Calibre database by removing duplicates and unnecessary entries.
  • Regularly clear the cache in your web browser to improve loading times.

• User Management Issues: If users are unable to log in or register, check the user permission settings in the admin interface. Ensure that registration is enabled and that users are being assigned appropriate roles.

• Support Resources: For additional help, consider visiting the FAQ section of the wiki or posting your questions in the Discord community.

Contributor Recognition

We would like to thank all the contributors and maintainers of Calibre-Web for their valuable input and dedication to the project. Your contributions are greatly appreciated.

Contact

Join us on Discord

For more information, How To's, and FAQs, please visit the Wiki

Contributing to Calibre-Web

To contribute, please check our Contributing Guidelines. We welcome issues, feature requests, and pull requests from the community.

Reporting Bugs

If you encounter bugs or issues, please report them in the issues section of the repository. Be sure to include detailed information about your setup and the problem encountered.

Feature Requests

We welcome suggestions for new features. Please create a new issue in the repository to discuss your ideas.

Additional Resources

• Documentation: Comprehensive documentation is available on the Calibre-Web wiki.
• Community Contributions: Explore the community contributions to see ongoing work and how you can get involved.

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Thank you for using Calibre-Web! We hope you enjoy managing your eBook library with our tool.