calibre-server

Start a server to distribute e-books. Access at

$ calibre-server

$ calibre-server --port [port]

$ calibre-server --username [username] --password [password]

calibre-server [options]

--allow-anonymous 0|1|2
    Anonymous access level: 0=login required, 1=all features, 2=basic UI only

--app-id ID
    Override application ID for user-agent

--auto-reload
    Automatically reload library on changes

--bypass-token-auth
    Disable token-based auth for admins

--cache-server-memory MB
    Max memory for book content cache

--daemonize
    Run in background as daemon

--debug
    Enable debug logging

--gid GID
    Run as group ID

--group NAME
    Run as group name

--help, -h
    Show help message

--hide-tags TAG1,TAG2
    Hide specified tags from UI

--https-certfile FILE
    HTTPS certificate file

--https-private-key FILE
    HTTPS private key file

--interface IP
    Listen on specific IP (default 127.0.0.1)

--library-path PATH
    Path to Calibre library

--log-level LEVEL
    Logging verbosity (DEBUG|INFO|WARN|ERROR)

--password PASS
    Admin password

--pidfile FILE
    PID file location

--port PORT
    TCP port (default 8080)

--read-only
    Disable writes to library

--search-engine 0|1
    0=builtin, 1=sqlite

--socket-workers COUNT
    Socket worker threads

--ssl-certfile FILE
    SSL cert for HTTPS

--ssl-keyfile FILE
    SSL private key

--timeout SEC
    Client inactivity timeout

--uid UID
    Run as user ID

--username USER
    Admin username

--url-prefix PREFIX
    URL prefix for reverse proxy

--verbose
    Verbose output

--version
    Show version

--with-library LIBRARY_PATH
    Use specific library

--worker-processes COUNT
    Worker processes (0=auto)

calibre-server is the built-in content server for the open-source Calibre e-book management suite. It transforms your Calibre library into a network-accessible catalog, serving books via a responsive web interface or OPDS feeds for e-readers and apps.

Launch it to browse, search, and download books from any device on your LAN or remotely. Features include metadata editing, format conversion on demand, thumbnail generation, and virtual libraries. Supports user authentication, read-only mode, and HTTPS for secure access.

Ideal for home media servers or sharing collections. Runs as a foreground process or daemon, with auto-reload for library changes. Access defaults to http://127.0.0.1:8080. Customize ports, hosts, and restrictions via options. Integrates with Calibre's powerful search engine for advanced queries.

Requires a Calibre library path; multiple libraries supported via --with-library. Efficient for large collections, with caching and worker processes for performance. Essential for OPDS clients like iOS/Android readers.

Exposing to internet requires firewall/HTTPS; high memory use with large libraries; Python dependency via Calibre.

Use --username/--password and HTTPS (--https-certfile/--https-private-key) for public access; avoid --allow-anonymous=1 online.

Access feeds at /opds for catalog apps; supports OPDS 2.0 in recent versions.

Introduced in Calibre 0.7.6 (2010) by Kovid Goyal; evolved with OPDS2, content server 2.0 in Calibre 5.x for improved performance and UI.

calibre(1), ebook-viewer(1)