Komga
What Jellyfin is for video, Komga is for comics, manga, BDs, magazines, and eBooks: point it at folders of CBZ, CBR, CBT, PDF, and EPUB files and it becomes a proper library with cover art, embedded metadata import, and per-user reading progress. The responsive web reader handles multiple reading modes - left-to-right for western comics, right-to-left for manga, webtoon scrolling - while collections and read lists organize crossovers and story arcs, with ComicRack .cbl read list import for existing curation. Its openness is the real differentiator: OPDS v1.2 and v2.0 feeds serve virtually every reader app (Panels, Moon+ Reader, Mihon/Tachiyomi, KyBook), with OpenSearch and page-streaming extensions so mobile apps fetch pages on demand instead of whole archives. E-ink support is built in, not bolted on - Kobo devices sync directly against Komga instead of Kobo's servers, with two-way read progress, on-the-fly KEPUB conversion via Kepubify, and optional proxying so official Kobo purchases still work; KOReader sync covers everything else. Multi-user management brings per-library access control, age restrictions, and label restrictions for family setups. Housekeeping tools detect duplicate files and duplicate pages, and a REST API feeds a healthy ecosystem of community scripts. Runs from a single Docker container with embedded SQLite.
Kavita
Manga, comics, ebooks, and light novels get a streaming-service-style home in Kavita - a fast, cross-platform reading server for the DRM-free collection you share with family and friends. It natively serves CBZ, CBR, CB7, ZIP/RAR/7z archives, raw images, EPUB, and PDF, with hand-crafted web readers per format: webtoon scrolling, single and dual-page spreads with advanced caching for the comic reader, and a book reader with adjustable fonts, spacing, margins, color themes, and column modes. Reading progress tracks per user, so everyone resumes exactly where they stopped on any device. Metadata parses from filenames, ComicInfo.xml, and EPUB fields, feeding index-backed search, smart filters, collections, reading lists with CBL import, and Want to Read queues. Role-based user management covers age restrictions, per-library access, and OIDC authentication. An OPDS feed connects third-party clients - Panels on iOS, Librera on Android, KOReader on e-ink devices - and a comprehensive REST API supports custom integrations. EPUB annotation and highlight support, custom theming, and full localization round it out. Built with .NET and Angular, it handles 50,000+ file libraries without strain; optional Kavita+ adds AniList scrobbling, recommendations, and external metadata.
Calibre
Serious readers organize, convert, edit, and serve their e-book libraries with Calibre - the definitive open-source e-book manager. This deployment runs the full Calibre desktop application on your server, accessible from any browser, so your library lives in one authoritative place instead of scattered across devices. Its conversion engine is the best in the business, translating between every major format - EPUB, MOBI, AZW3, PDF, DOCX, and dozens more - with fine control over fonts, margins, metadata, and structure detection. Metadata management downloads covers, descriptions, series info, and identifiers from online sources, and every field is editable in bulk. Beyond cataloging, Calibre includes a full e-book editor for EPUB and AZW3 internals, a news engine that fetches newspapers and magazines from the web on schedule and converts them into e-books, book comparison tools, and device syncing that sends the right format to each connected reader. The built-in content server exposes your library over HTTP so phones, tablets, and e-readers can browse and download remotely. A deep plugin ecosystem extends everything - metadata sources, format support, store integrations. For power users, the complete CLI (calibredb, ebook-convert) enables scripted library automation. Your books, your metadata, your server - permanent and DRM-free storage under your control.
Calibre-Web
With over 17,700 GitHub stars and continuous development since 2015, Calibre-Web has become the definitive self-hosted digital library solution for book enthusiasts who want beautiful web access to their Calibre collections. The responsive Bootstrap 3 interface delivers instant browsing, searching, and filtering across titles, authors, tags, series, book formats, and languages, with custom shelves for organizing personal reading collections. In-browser reading supports EPUB, PDF, TXT, CBR, CBT, CBZ, and DJVU formats with a configurable EPUB reader featuring multiple themes and page location tracking, while one-click email delivery sends books directly to Kindle, Kobo, and other E-Readers without leaving the interface. Native Kobo sync lets Kobo device owners synchronize their entire Calibre library wirelessly, maintaining reading progress and bookmarks across devices. Metadata management includes editing capabilities with automatic metadata downloading from Google Books, Amazon, and other configurable sources, plus eBook format conversion through Calibre binaries for on-the-fly EPUB, MOBI, AZW3, and PDF conversion. User management provides fine-grained per-user permissions controlling download access, upload rights, editing capabilities, and content visibility based on categories or Custom Column values. Authentication supports local accounts, LDAP directory integration, Google and GitHub OAuth, proxy authentication, and Magic Link login for easy E-Reader access. The OPDS catalog feed enables any compliant E-Reader app to browse and download from the library. Running on a dedicated VPS on RepoCloud with guaranteed CPU, RAM, and SSD, full root SSH access, and a browser serial console. GPL-3.0 licensed.