BookLore: The Netflix of Books You Actually Own

Digital library management has become essential to our reading lives. Yet most popular platforms—Kindle, Apple Books, Google Play Books—trade your privacy for convenience, lock your books behind proprietary walls, and charge recurring fees for features that should be standard. BookLore is here to change that. This open-source, self-hosted digital library puts you back in control, offering a beautifully modern, lightning-fast, and privacy-first way to manage your book collection—on your terms.

Why Choose BookLore?

In a landscape dominated by closed-source, cloud-based reading platforms, BookLore stands out with a radically different approach:

• Privacy First All your books and reading data are stored locally, never sent to corporate servers unless you choose. Your library remains yours—no data mining, no third-party analytics, no risk of books disappearing.
• Universal Format Support Read PDFs, EPUB files, and other eBook formats in a unified interface. Never worry about format compatibility or vendor-specific restrictions again.
• Advanced Reading Features Track reading progress, add bookmarks and highlights, take notes, and view detailed reading statistics. Build a comprehensive reading experience tailored to your habits.
• Powerful Library Management Organize books with custom metadata, tags, and collections. Search through your entire library instantly and discover forgotten gems in your collection.
• Modern Web Interface Built with Angular and Spring Boot, BookLore delivers a responsive, fast interface that works seamlessly across desktop, tablet, and mobile devices.
• Open Source & Forever Free No subscriptions, no DRM restrictions, no feature gating. All code is available under the GPL-3.0 license, with a growing community of book-loving contributors.
• Enterprise-Ready Authentication Support for OIDC/OAuth2, remote authentication, and trusted header SSO for seamless integration with existing systems.

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Spotlight on Key Features

1. Comprehensive Book Management

• Support for PDF, EPUB, and multiple eBook formats • Automatic metadata extraction and manual editing • Custom tags, collections, and organizational systems • Bulk import and library organization tools

2. Advanced Reading Experience

• Built-in PDF and eBook reader with progress tracking • Bookmarks, highlights, and note-taking capabilities • Reading statistics and progress analytics • Responsive reading interface for all devices

3. Privacy & Data Ownership

• All books and data stored locally on your server • No external dependencies or cloud synchronization • Complete control over your reading data and statistics • Export and backup capabilities for data portability

4. Modern Architecture & Integration

• Angular frontend with Spring Boot backend • MariaDB database for robust data management • Docker deployment for easy installation • OIDC/OAuth2 and remote authentication support

5. Community-Driven Development

• 1,300+ GitHub stars and active development • 7+ contributors and growing community • Regular updates with new features and improvements • Comprehensive documentation and setup guides

BookLore vs. Closed-Source Alternatives

How does BookLore compare to popular digital reading platforms? Here's a side-by-side look:

Beyond the Feature Matrix

• No Vendor Lock-In: With BookLore, your books and reading data are always accessible, exportable, and portable—no proprietary formats or forced ecosystems.
• No Book Disappearance: Unlike cloud platforms, your books can't be remotely removed due to licensing disputes or service changes.
• No Reading Surveillance: Your reading habits, preferences, and progress aren't tracked for advertising or data mining purposes.
• No Format Restrictions: Read any supported format without conversion or compatibility worries across different devices.
• Complete Ownership: Your digital library truly belongs to you, with full control over organization, access, and sharing.

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Getting Started in Minutes

BookLore is designed for effortless deployment with powerful features:

🐳 Docker Installation (Recommended)

# Docker Compose setup
version: '3.8'
services:
  booklore:
    image: adityachandelgit/booklore:latest
    container_name: booklore
    ports:
      - "8080:8080"
    volumes:
      - booklore_data:/app/data
      - ./books:/app/books
    environment:
      - SPRING_PROFILES_ACTIVE=docker

# Access at http://localhost:8080

💻 Manual Installation

# Requirements: Java 17+, Node.js 16+, MariaDB
git clone https://github.com/adityachandelgit/BookLore.git
cd BookLore

# Backend setup
cd backend
./gradlew build
java -jar build/libs/booklore.jar

# Frontend setup (separate terminal)
cd frontend
npm install
ng serve

🔐 Authentication Setup

Configure OIDC/OAuth2 or remote authentication for secure access:

# Environment variables for OIDC
OIDC_ENABLED=true
OIDC_CLIENT_ID=your-client-id
OIDC_CLIENT_SECRET=your-client-secret
OIDC_ISSUER_URI=https://your-provider.com

📚 Library Import

Upload your existing PDF and EPUB collections through the web interface or place them in the mounted books directory.

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Real-World Success Stories

"I migrated my 500+ PDF collection from various cloud services to BookLore and finally have everything in one place. The reading progress tracking and note-taking features have transformed how I engage with technical documentation." — Dr. Sarah Martinez, Research Scientist

"BookLore replaced our departmental shared drive for academic papers. Students can now access the library from anywhere, track their reading progress, and collaborate on research notes." — Professor James Chen, University Library

"The self-hosted approach means our legal document library stays completely private while providing modern reading features. The OIDC integration with our existing authentication system was seamless." — Maria Rodriguez, Legal Technology Director

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Practical Applications

Personal Digital Library

Organize your personal collection of PDFs, eBooks, and documents with advanced search, tagging, and reading progress tracking.

Academic & Research Libraries

Deploy for educational institutions to provide students and faculty with private access to academic papers, textbooks, and research materials.

Corporate Knowledge Management

Maintain internal documentation, training materials, and reference documents with secure access and reading analytics.

Family Reading Collections

Share books and reading progress across family members while maintaining privacy and control over your digital library.

Professional Development

Track technical documentation, industry reports, and professional reading with detailed analytics and note-taking capabilities.

Book Clubs & Reading Groups

Coordinate group reading with shared collections, progress tracking, and collaborative note-taking features.

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Advanced Features & Architecture

BookLore implements modern web technologies for optimal performance and security:

Reading Experience

• Progressive Web App: Install as native app for offline reading
• Responsive Reader: Optimized for desktop, tablet, and mobile reading
• Reading Statistics: Detailed analytics on reading habits and progress
• Annotation System: Comprehensive highlighting and note-taking tools

Library Management

• Metadata Extraction: Automatic book information detection
• Custom Organization: Tags, collections, and custom categorization
• Search & Discovery: Full-text search across titles, authors, and content
• Bulk Operations: Efficient management of large book collections

Security & Authentication

• OIDC/OAuth2: Integration with Authentik, Authelia, and other providers
• Remote Authentication: Trusted header SSO and forward auth support
• User Management: Multi-user support with role-based access
• Session Security: Secure authentication with configurable timeouts

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Enterprise Integration Benefits

BookLore seamlessly integrates with modern infrastructure and authentication systems:

Authentication Flexibility

• OIDC Providers: Works with Authentik, Authelia, Keycloak, and others
• Trusted Headers: Integration with reverse proxy authentication
• Forward Auth: Compatible with Traefik, Caddy, and NGINX auth modules
• User Provisioning: Automatic user creation from external authentication

Infrastructure Compatibility

• Docker Native: Optimized for containerized deployments
• Database Support: MariaDB backend for reliable data storage
• Reverse Proxy: Works behind NGINX, Traefik, Caddy, and others
• SSL/TLS: Full HTTPS support for secure access

Compliance & Privacy

• Data Residency: Complete control over where book data is stored
• GDPR Compliance: Privacy-by-design architecture
• Audit Trails: Comprehensive logging for access and usage
• Backup Control: Full control over backup and disaster recovery

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Join the BookLore Community

With over 1,300 GitHub stars and active development, BookLore represents the future of self-hosted digital libraries:

• Contribute Code: Help enhance reading features and add new formats via GitHub
• Report Issues: Improve stability and user experience
• Feature Requests: Suggest new reading and library management features
• Documentation: Improve setup guides and user tutorials
• Translations: Help make BookLore accessible in more languages

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The Future of Digital Reading

BookLore continues evolving with community-driven enhancements:

• Enhanced Formats: Support for more eBook formats and document types
• Advanced Analytics: Deeper insights into reading patterns and habits
• Collaboration Features: Enhanced sharing and group reading capabilities
• Mobile Apps: Native mobile applications for iOS and Android
• AI Integration: Smart recommendations and content analysis features

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Final Thoughts

Your digital library is your intellectual sanctuary—don't let it be controlled by corporate algorithms, DRM restrictions, or service shutdowns. BookLore represents a new era of digital reading: open, private, comprehensive, and truly yours. Whether you're a researcher, student, professional, or passionate reader, BookLore offers a compelling alternative that puts you back in control of your reading experience.

Ready to reclaim your digital library? Explore the code on GitHub and start building your private reading sanctuary today.