While Calibre remains a powerful tool for its age, containerization poses several challenges. The KasmVNC server instance required by the UI is notoriously difficult to use on mobile devices and consumes significant resources, making it impractical for low-power servers.

Fortunately, Calibre-Web has filled this gap by providing an alternative solution that's lightweight, modern, and accessible. However, when compared to its counterpart, Calibre, it lacks some key features. This disparity leads many users to run both services in tandem, compensating for each other's shortcomings. While this approach provides a functional workaround, it can result in an imperfect solution that feels clunky and fragmented.

So, what does this mean? Simply put, a new era of eBook management has begun with the launch of Calibre-Web Automated.

What is Calibre-Web Automated?

Calibre-Web Automated aims to be an all-in-one solution, combining the modern lightweight web UI from Calibre-Web with the robust, versatile feature set of Calibre, with a slew of extra features and automations thrown in on top.

Calibre-Web Automated Additional Features

  • Seamless Conversion: Automatically converts files to support various formats.
  • Compliance Guarantee: Ensures that metadata and cover information is accurately enforced.
  • Effortless Batch Editing & Deletion: Allows for bulk editing and deletion of files with ease.
  • Secure Backup: Automatically backs up files, keeping them safe from loss or corruption.
  • Streamlined Onboarding: Guides new users through a smooth setup process.
  • EPUB Fixer: Quickly repairs EPUB files to ensure they can be opened correctly.
  • Format Compatibility: Supports multiple file formats for convenient conversion.
  • Auto-Detecting Libraries: Automatically detects and recognizes library collections.
  • Server Insights: Provides detailed statistics on server performance and activity.
  • Customizable Display: Allows users to switch between light and dark themes with ease.
  • Update Notifications: Sends internal notifications when updates are available.
  • File Compression: Compresses backed up files for efficient storage.
  • Enhanced Metadata: Adds additional metadata providers for improved file information.

Install Calibre-Web Automated via Docker Compose

If you don't have Docker installed and need help getting started, I recommend checking out our self-hosting guides for beginners. These guides cover the basics of setting up Docker on your server. They're designed to help you get up and running smoothly, even if you're new to self-hosting. It's also good practice to use UID and PID but for the sake of this guide we are using root on a local machine that will NOT be exposed.

Use the following Docker Compose to install Calibre-Web Automated:

services:
  calibre-web-automated:
    image: crocodilestick/calibre-web-automated:latest
    container_name: calibre-web-automated
    environment:
      # Only change these if you know what you're doing
      - PUID=1000
      - PGID=1000
      - TZ=America/Chicago
    volumes:
      - /path/to/config/folder:/config 
      - /path/to/the/folder/you/want/to/use/for/book/ingest:/cwa-book-ingest
      - /path/to/your/calibre/library:/calibre-library 
    ports:
      - 8083:8083 
    restart: unless-stopped

I strongly advise checking the Calibre-Web Automated Github repo for the latest changes in the Docker Compose config just incase things have changed.

Change the volume paths to your desired location and be sure to change the TZ to your time zone.

Getting Started with Calibre-Web Automated

Navigate to your server IP on port 8083 to access the CWA web interface. To log into Calibre-Web Automated for the first time use the following credentials:

Username: admin
Password: admin123

When asked for location of Calibre Library, enter /calibre-library and click save. Next, click on the little sunglasses icon in the upper right to switch to the dark mode "Plex" looking theme. I suggest changing the admin password next.

Adding Books to Calibre-Web Automated

Now all you have to do is drop ebooks into the ingest folder you mapped in the Docker Compose config. Calibre-Web Automated will add them to your library automatically.

I'm going to drop my hefty collection of Star Trek eBooks into the ingest folder. These are all EPUB format. CWA can detect books within folders too so don't worry about that!

At the time of this guide, there was a small bug that would not convert any other file types that were added to the ingest folder. You can fix this by going into the /config folder and adding another folder with this name .cwa_conversion_tmp .

This will fix the issue and CWA will now convert eBooks to EPUB by default. You can drop a bunch more different (supported) formats into the ingest folder and CWA will convert them to your target format preference. This can also be changed in the settings.

Now in the Calibre-Web Automated UI, we can see the books I added through the ingest folder have completed and are now being displayed in the library.

I thought I'd share a quick video tour of Calibre-Web Automated with you. It covers some of the basics, and I hope it might give you a good starting point for getting familiar with the UI.

Enable Send to eReader

So, if you're trying to send an eBook from Calibre-Web Automated to your Kindle, I'm sure you've figured out most of the basics. To set it up, go into settings and make sure your SMTP server is all configured. Then, head over to your profile page and add in your email address that's linked to your e-reader account under "Send to eReader Email Address". That's pretty much it! It's a bit of a process, but trust me, it's worth it.

When viewing an eBook, look for that little paper airplane icon in the top right corner. Clicking on it will add the book to the queue to be sent to your e-reader.

Final Notes and Thoughts

Calibre-Web has finally gotten the refresh it needed with Calibre-Web Automated, and I'm thrilled with the result. The new automated features are seriously taking eBook curation to a whole new level. It still retains all the things that made me fall in love with Calibre and Calibre-Web in the first place like the Send to eReader feature.

If you like what the devs are doing with the Calibre-Web Automated project, be sure to stop by and give the project a star on their Github page!