BookLore: Self-Host Your Digital Library Using Docker Compose

BookLore is a powerful, self-hosted application that transforms how you manage and read your digital book collection. By organizing PDFs and EPUBs in one centralized interface, it lets you access your entire library from any device with a browser—no proprietary platforms required. Docker Compose simplifies deployment by containerizing the application and its dependencies (like MariaDB), ensuring consistent performance across environments. Here’s how to set it up on Ubuntu.

Prerequisites

Before installing, ensure you have:

Ubuntu 18.04 or later
A user account with sudo privileges
Basic terminal familiarity

Step 1: Install Docker Engine

Docker is the foundation for running containers. Execute these commands:

# Update repositories  
sudo apt update  

# Install dependencies  
sudo apt install -y apt-transport-https ca-certificates curl software-properties-common  

# Add Docker’s GPG key  
curl -fsSL https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu/gpg | sudo gpg --dearmor -o /usr/share/keyrings/docker-archive-keyring.gpg  

# Add Docker’s repository  
echo "deb [arch=$(dpkg --print-architecture) signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/docker-archive-keyring.gpg] https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu $(lsb_release -cs) stable" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/docker.list > /dev/null  

# Install Docker  
sudo apt update  
sudo apt install -y docker-ce docker-ce-cli containerd.io  

# Enable Docker at startup  
sudo systemctl enable docker && sudo systemctl start docker  

# Verify installation  
sudo docker run hello-world

You should see a confirmation message. If you encounter Permission denied errors, add your user to the docker group with sudo usermod -aG docker $USER, then log out and back in.

Step 2: Install Docker Compose

Docker Compose manages multi-container applications. Install the standalone version:

# Download the binary  
sudo curl -L "https://github.com/docker/compose/releases/latest/download/docker-compose-$(uname -s)-$(uname -m)" -o /usr/local/bin/docker-compose  

# Apply executable permissions  
sudo chmod +x /usr/local/bin/docker-compose  

# Verify installation  
docker-compose --version

Troubleshooting: 
If you see docker-compose: command not found, create a symbolic link: sudo ln -s /usr/local/bin/docker-compose /usr/bin/docker-compose

Step 3: Deploy BookLore with Docker Compose

Create a directory for BookLore and navigate into it:

mkdir ~/booklore && cd ~/booklore

Create a docker-compose.yml file:

nano docker-compose.yml

Paste this configuration, replacing /your/local/path/... with your actual directories:

services:
  booklore:
    image: ghcr.io/adityachandelgit/booklore-app:latest
    container_name: booklore
    environment:
      - PUID=1000
      - PGID=1000
      - TZ=Etc/UTC
      - DATABASE_URL=jdbc:mariadb://mariadb:3306/booklore
      - DATABASE_USERNAME=booklore
      - DATABASE_PASSWORD=your_secure_password # Change this!
      - SWAGGER_ENABLED=false
    depends_on:
      mariadb:
        condition: service_healthy
    ports:
      - "6060:6060"
    volumes:
      - ./booklore/data:/app/data
      - ./booklore/books:/books
    restart: unless-stopped

  mariadb:
    image: lscr.io/linuxserver/mariadb:11.4.5
    container_name: mariadb
    environment:
      - PUID=1000
      - PGID=1000
      - TZ=Etc/UTC
      - MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD=super_secure_password # Change this!
      - MYSQL_DATABASE=booklore
      - MYSQL_USER=booklore
      - MYSQL_PASSWORD=your_secure_password # Must match DATABASE_PASSWORD above
    volumes:
      - ./mariadb/config:/config
    restart: unless-stopped
    healthcheck:
      test: ["CMD", "mariadb-admin", "ping", "-h", "localhost"]
      interval: 5s
      timeout: 5s
      retries: 10

Key adjustments:

Replace your_secure_password and super_secure_password with strong passwords.
Use relative paths (e.g., ./booklore/books) to avoid permission issues.

Launch the containers:

docker-compose up -d

Step 4: Access and Use BookLore

Once running:

Access the web UI at http://your-server-ip:6060.
Upload books by placing files in ./booklore/books.
Browse your library, track reading progress, or use metadata tools.

Common Issues & Fixes

Container name conflict:
- Error: Cannot create container... name already in use.
- Solution: Run docker-compose down first, or delete conflicting containers with docker rm -f container_name.
Slow file access on macOS/Windows:
- Docker’s VM layer slows volume mounts. Use Docker volumes instead of host paths if performance suffers.
Dependency boot failures:
- MariaDB might not initialize before BookLore starts. The condition: service_healthy directive in the config prevents this.
Permission errors:
- Ensure your local paths (e.g., ./booklore/books) are owned by your user: chown -R $USER:$USER ./booklore

Why This Setup Works

Simplicity: Docker Compose handles networking, dependencies, and updates in one file.
Security: Data is stored locally, not in the cloud.
Portability: Move your library by migrating the ./booklore directory.

BookLore’s roadmap includes features like OPDS support and reading analytics. By self-hosting, you maintain full control over your digital library while enjoying a modern reading experience.

Pro tip: 
Backup your docker-compose.yml and ./booklore directory regularly. To update, run docker-compose pull && docker-compose up -d.