What is Calibre-Web used for?

Calibre-Web is listed as a Productivity tool on TiloBox. Review the overview, features, and official documentation on this page to decide whether it solves your specific workflow.

How do I get started with Calibre-Web?

Start with the project's GitHub repository for supported installation and deployment instructions. Test the setup with representative data or a small project before rolling it out more widely.

What license does Calibre-Web use?

Calibre-Web is listed under the GPL-3.0 license. Read the complete license text and the project's notices before using, modifying, or distributing the software.

Is Calibre-Web ready for production use?

Production readiness depends on your requirements. Review maintenance activity, security practices, documentation, backup and upgrade procedures, and compatibility with your stack; then validate it in a non-production environment.

Is Calibre-Web an alternative to Kobo?

Calibre-Web is listed as an alternative to Kobo. Compare the core workflow, deployment model, integrations, and licensing against your must-have requirements before switching.

Productivity Alternative to Kobo Alternative to Kindle

Calibre-Web

Clean web UI for browsing, reading, and downloading your self-hosted Calibre ebook library.

View on GitHub

LicenseGPL-3.0

GitHub stars18.0k

Last commit1 weeks ago

Tags7 topics

LibraryEbooksReadingOpdsSelf HostedPythonCalibre

Overview

Why consider Calibre-Web?

Calibre-Web is an open-source web app providing a clean reading interface for Calibre ebook libraries. It supports OPDS, Kindle sync, user management, and ebook format conversion.

Guided learning

Learn Calibre-Web by building

Practical setup notes, real use cases, and copy-ready examples in one focused guide.

3 min read 10 sections

In this guide10 sections

What is Calibre-Web?

Calibre-Web is an open-source web interface for managing and reading ebook libraries stored in the Calibre database format. Developed with Python (Flask), it operates as a clean, responsive browser-based alternative to the Calibre desktop application, allowing you to access, browse, and download your ebook collection from any device.

Calibre-Web layers a modern, mobile-friendly web UI on top of your existing Calibre metadata database, exposing full-text library search, genre and author browsing, user account management, OPDS catalog support for e-reader applications, Kindle email delivery, and on-the-fly ebook format conversion.

Who Is It For?

Ebook Collectors: Browsing and downloading ebooks on mobile phones and tablets from a home server.
Families: Sharing a centralized household ebook library with multiple user accounts.
e-Reader Enthusiasts: Sending ebooks directly to Kindle Paperwhite or Kobo devices via the built-in email delivery.

Key Features

Clean responsive web UI for browsing by author, genre, series, and custom shelves.
OPDS catalog server: Compatible with Moon+ Reader, KyBook, FBReader, and other OPDS-capable e-reader apps.
Kindle email delivery: Push ebooks directly to Kindle devices via Amazon's Send-to-Kindle email service.
On-the-fly ebook format conversion: Convert between EPUB, PDF, MOBI, AZW3, and CBZ formats.
Multi-user library access with individual reading progress, custom shelves, and download history.

Deploying Calibre-Web with Docker Compose

yaml

1version: '3.5'

3services:

4 calibre-web:

5 image: lscr.io/linuxserver/calibre-web:latest

6 container_name: calibre_web

7 restart: unless-stopped

8 environment:

9 - PUID=1000

10 - PGID=1000

11 - TZ=UTC

12 - DOCKER_MODS=linuxserver/mods:universal-calibre # Enables format conversion

13 volumes:

14 - ./config:/config

15 - ./books:/books # Path to your Calibre library directory

16 ports:

17 - "8083:8083"

Start the container:

bash

1docker compose up -d

Open http://localhost:8083 in your browser. On the initial setup screen, point the library path to /books/metadata.db.

Practical Use Cases

1. Mobile Ebook Library Access

A reader opens Calibre-Web on an Android tablet, searches their 2,000-ebook library by author, and downloads directly to a local reading app.

2. Kindle Direct Push Delivery

A user downloads a newly added EPUB, clicks "Send to Kindle", and the ebook appears wirelessly on their Paperwhite within minutes.

3. OPDS Catalog for Moon+ Reader

A reader configures Moon+ Reader's OPDS source to point to their Calibre-Web server, browsing and downloading ebooks without leaving the mobile app.

Troubleshooting and Limitations

Calibre Metadata.db Required: Calibre-Web requires a valid Calibre metadata.db database file in the books directory; create one by opening Calibre desktop once and pointing it to your ebook folder.
Format Conversion Prerequisites: Enable the LinuxServer universal-calibre Docker mod to install the Calibre conversion engine inside the container for MOBI/EPUB conversions.

Official Resources

GitHub Repository: https://github.com/janeczku/calibre-web
Documentation: https://github.com/janeczku/calibre-web/wiki

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