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BookOrbit Hosting
Host your ebook, PDF, audiobook, and comic library with reading progress and metadata tools.
No setup fees-
One click deploy -
2 GB RAM Memory needed -
25 GB Disk Space Needed -
From 5 € Price
Official links
BookOrbit’s official links and original website
BookOrbit Website
More
Tech
- Docker image
- ghcr.io/bookorbit/bookorbit:latest
- Default port
- 3000
- Database
- postgres
How BookOrbit works
BookOrbit receives digital books through its web interface or supported library workflows, extracts useful metadata, and presents the collection through searchable shelves and browser readers. The same catalogue can hold ebooks, comics, PDF documents, and audiobooks, allowing users to move between formats without maintaining a separate service for each type of publication.
Reading progress and library records are stored with user accounts in PostgreSQL. The application also exposes compatibility features for selected reading devices and clients, including OPDS-based access and supported synchronisation workflows. The exact experience depends on the file format and client, so a representative sample should be tested before migrating a large library.
Key BookOrbit features
Metadata, covers, authors, series, and collection views make a large folder tree easier to browse. Multiple users can maintain separate progress and preferences, while administrative controls govern the shared catalogue. Built-in readers reduce the need to download every file to a desktop before opening it.
Upstream BookOrbit also documents Kobo, KOReader, OPDS, analytics, and Send-to-Kindle workflows. Those integrations have different requirements. Send-to-Kindle relies on email delivery and is unavailable in this catalogue deployment because application email is disabled; the remaining device features should be checked against the models and clients a household actually uses.
BookOrbit vs BookFusion
BookOrbit is a self-hosted library server that combines several reading formats with user accounts, browser access, and device-oriented integrations. BookFusion is a provider-operated reading service with cloud storage, web and mobile applications, cross-device progress synchronisation, annotations, and Calibre-oriented workflows.
BookFusion may suit readers who value official client applications and managed synchronisation without administering a server. BookOrbit is more appropriate when the book files, catalogue database, and user access should stay on infrastructure controlled by the operator, even though device compatibility and storage planning then become local responsibilities.
Who uses BookOrbit
Families consolidate personal book collections, reading groups share an organised catalogue, and collectors bring ebooks, comics, PDFs, and audiobooks into one searchable interface. It can also support a small private library for a club or educational group when access is limited to approved users.
The service is not a book retailer or content subscription. Users must supply material they are authorised to store, and each format may behave differently in the browser. Large illustrated books and audiobooks can consume storage rapidly, so capacity should be assessed from real files rather than title counts alone.
Self-hosting BookOrbit: requirements and cost
Library files, cover images, metadata, browser-reader assets, indexing, and concurrent users determine the workload. PostgreSQL stores accounts, progress, catalogue records, and settings, while the actual publications occupy persistent storage. The database is included but unmanaged, and its memory is additional to the exported BookOrbit application requirement.
AvaHost recommends Plan 3 at €10 for the complete stack, providing 50 GB for a storage-driven starting library. Plan 4 provides 100 GB for a larger collection. One-click deployment, a custom domain, automated HTTPS, automatic application updates, and scheduled backups are included; Send-to-Kindle remains unavailable because application email is disabled.
F.A.Q
BookOrbit starts at €10 on Plan 3 after accounting for the PostgreSQL container and a storage-oriented library. The plan provides 50 GB for publications, covers, metadata, and application data. File formats, audiobook length, illustrated books, active readers, and catalogue growth determine when Plan 4 becomes the more suitable capacity choice.
Measure the real book files and allow room for covers, metadata, indexes, future imports, and operational headroom. BookOrbit is storage-driven, so Plan 3 provides a practical 50 GB starting point and Plan 4 provides 100 GB for a larger library. Keep another copy of publications that would be difficult to replace.
The deployment creates PostgreSQL and connects BookOrbit to it automatically. User accounts, reading progress, catalogue records, metadata, and settings depend on that database, while book files use persistent storage. PostgreSQL is included but unmanaged, so database data and library files should be considered together during updates, exports, or recovery planning.
No. BookOrbit documents a Send-to-Kindle workflow that depends on application email, while AvaHost disables application email across hosted services. Browser reading, the central library, and other compatible device access remain separate functions. Test OPDS, Kobo, or KOReader workflows with the exact client or device before relying on them for regular reading.