BookOrbit
Self-hosted library and reading platform for ebooks, audiobooks, PDFs, and comics with built-in web readers and Kobo/KOReader sync.
What is BookOrbit?
BookOrbit is a self-hosted library and reading platform that organises your ebooks, audiobooks, PDFs, and comics and lets you read or listen to them across the built-in web reader, KOReader e-ink devices, and Kobo e-readers. Progress, highlights, and reading status sync bidirectionally between all three, so you can start a chapter in one place and finish it in another.
Around that core sit 14 metadata providers (Google Books, Open Library, Amazon, Goodreads, Kobo, Hardcover, Audible, Audnexus, Libro.fm, iTunes, ComicVine, RanobeDB, Aladin, Lubimyczytać), reading statistics and achievements with a Reading DNA profile, OPDS and Send-to-Kindle delivery, multi-user accounts with OIDC/SSO, and automatic sync out to Hardcover, Readwise, and StoryGraph.
Key features
- Built-in web readers for ebooks (EPUB, KEPUB, MOBI, AZW3, AZW, FB2), PDFs, comics (CBZ, CBR, CB7), and audiobooks (M4B, MP3, M4A, OPUS, OGG, FLAC) with no extra plugins required.
- Three-way sync between Kobo devices, KOReader, and the BookOrbit web reader. Progress and annotations flow bidirectionally, including highlights and deletions.
- KOReader plugin with on-device catalog browsing, search, download, and rating management, plus full progress and annotation sync.
- Annotations & highlights from the web reader, KOReader, and Kobo merge into one searchable hub, filterable by colour, style, and source, and exportable as Markdown, CSV, or JSON.
- Hardcover, Readwise & StoryGraph sync push status, progress, reading dates, and ratings on configurable triggers. Hardcover read history can also be pulled back to backfill blank BookOrbit entries.
- Statistics, goals & achievements with daily reading time, heatmaps, streaks, library health, yearly goals, monthly challenges, and 50+ achievements across five categories.
- Multiple libraries with per-library folders, custom scan rules, and format priorities.
- Smart scopes & collections via curated lists and dynamic, rule-based saved filters.
- Multi-user & SSO with granular per-user permissions, isolated reading data, and native support for Authentik, Keycloak, and Authelia via OIDC.
- Multilingual interface managed on Crowdin with community translations.
- Content delivery via OPDS, Send-to-Kindle by email, browser drag-and-drop uploads, and a Book Dock drop folder for hands-free importing.
Self-hosting
BookOrbit ships a docker-compose.yml and a Dockerfile. The minimum setup uses Postgres and runs the server plus a static frontend on a single host. The official installation guide covers reverse proxies, file permissions on NAS, external databases, and the full environment variable reference. There are also dedicated migration guides for users coming from Audiobookshelf (one-time import) and Calibre-Web Automated (stopped-snapshot import).
How it compares to Audible, Scribd, and Kindle
Where Audible, Scribd, and Kindle lock your library inside their apps and bill you monthly for access, BookOrbit reads your own files on infrastructure you control. Highlights and progress follow you across the web reader, a Kobo, or KOReader instead of being trapped in one vendor's ecosystem. The audiobook player handles the same formats Audible does (M4B, MP3, M4A, OPUS, OGG, FLAC) without a subscription gate, and the Send-to-Kindle bridge lets you push EPUB and PDF files straight to a Kindle device if you still want one.
