Kavita

What it's good for#

If you've collected EPUBs, PDFs or comic archives over the years, they're probably scattered across a laptop, a phone and an old USB stick. Kavita gathers them into one library with covers, series and reading lists, and lets you read them in any browser. Each person has their own account, so your bookmarks and "continue reading" shelf aren't mixed up with anyone else's, and Kavita remembers where you stopped whichever device you pick up.

It's built for series, which is why comics and manga readers like it: volumes and chapters are grouped and put in order for you.

Signing in#

A new Kavita has no accounts, and upstream's own setup asks whoever opens it first to make the admin. LibrePortal doesn't leave that door open. While the install runs, Kavita is only reachable from the server itself; LibrePortal makes the admin account through Kavita's own first-run step, checks that it can sign in with it, and only then lets anyone else reach the app.

The account is called admin, and its password is in the Login Details shown when the install finishes. Press Welcome on the app's page to see it again. Then open Kavita with the Web Interface button.

LibrePortal also sets up three empty libraries while it's there, Books, Comics and Manga, so your first visit isn't a blank page.

Getting your books in#

Kavita has no upload page. It reads files from folders on the server, and each library is one folder in Kavita's app folder:

(If you've moved Kavita to another disk, the folders moved with it.)

The one rule that trips people up: every series needs a folder of its own. Kavita ignores files sitting loose at the top of a library folder. A single novel counts as a series of one, so it gets a folder too:

books/
  Terry Pratchett - Mort/
    Mort.epub
comics/
  Saga/
    Saga v01.cbz
    Saga v02.cbz

The folders belong to Docker's own user on the server, dockerinstall, so copy files in with sudo and hand them to that user. From a folder of books in your home directory, for example:

sudo rsync -a --chown=dockerinstall:dockerinstall ~/Books/ /libreportal-containers/kavita/books/

Kavita watches these folders, so new files usually appear by themselves after a short while. If they don't, open the library in Kavita and use Scan Library from its menu.

Kavita only ever reads these folders. It won't rename, tag or delete your files.

Adding people#

Give everyone their own account, so their reading progress stays theirs. Use the Tools tab:

New accounts can see every library to begin with. If a library shouldn't be shared (the manga collection that isn't for the children, say), edit that person on Kavita's own Users page, where you can also set an age rating limit.

Reset User Password works for anyone, including admin; when you reset admin through it, LibrePortal keeps its own copy of the password in step, which it needs because the Tools sign in as admin to do their work. So change the admin password with the tool rather than inside Kavita. List Users, Set Admin Status and Delete User Account do what they say. The last two won't touch admin, for the same reason.

Reading on an e-reader or phone#

Kavita's web reader works well on a phone or tablet browser, and remembers your page. If you'd rather use an app, Kavita speaks OPDS, the standard catalogue format that many reading apps understand. It's switched on in a new Kavita.

Each person has their own OPDS address, with a private key built into it, in their account settings in Kavita, with a button to copy it. Paste that into the app as a new OPDS catalogue. KOReader, which runs on many Kobo, PocketBook and Android devices, is a good choice: Kavita's own documentation lists it as able to sync your reading progress back as well.

Treat that OPDS address like a password, because anyone who has it can browse your library as you.

That's why Kavita's port is open to anyone who can reach your server, with no extra login in front: e-readers have to sign in on the same port, and they can't get past a second login. If you only read at home, you can make it private and use the LibrePortal VPN when you're away. With a domain, Kavita answers at books.your-domain.

Good to know#

• Updates are automatic. It installs on 0.9.1 and takes new builds of that version, and from this release it also climbs to newer versions on its own, one at a time, one step a day, with a backup taken and checked before each. You can move it up yourself with Upgrade on its Updates tab, or hold it on its current version by setting it to Manual. See Updates.
• Backups include everything in Kavita's app folder: its database, everyone's reading progress, covers and settings, and the books, comics and manga folders too. A large comic collection makes for a large first backup, so check your backup location has room. After that, only new files add to it.
• One per server. Kavita can't run as several copies side by side, because LibrePortal's Tools and admin setup find it by its container name.