ThinkRead

A dead‑simple self‑hosted EPUB library + reader:

• Upload multiple EPUB files from your device
• Browse them in a shelf view with extracted book covers
• Read in-browser with themes + typography controls (font, size, margins, line height, colors)
• Upload and use custom fonts (TTF, OTF, WOFF, WOFF2)
• Remembers your last position per book
• Install as PWA (Progressive Web App)

Screenshots

Desktop

Mobile

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

Important Notes

• Books: This repository does not include any sample books. You must add your own EPUB files to the data/books/ directory. Only include books you have the legal right to distribute.
• Fonts: Only open-source fonts are included. Custom fonts can be uploaded by users.
• Dependencies: All npm dependencies are open-source with permissive licenses.

Deploy to Server

Default User Credentials:

• Username: admin
• Password: admin

Docker Compose

services:
  thinkread:
    image: nikunjsingh/thinkread-ebook-reader:latest
    ports:
      - "8080:8080"
    volumes:
      - ./thinkread/data:/data # this is the data directory for the database and the files
    environment:
      - DATA_DIR=/data
    restart: unless-stopped

Separate Volumes Configuration

Use this configuration if you want to store your library (book files) on a different drive or directory from the application data (covers, settings, users).

services:
  thinkread:
    image: nikunjsingh/thinkread-ebook-reader:latest
    ports:
      - "8080:8080"
    volumes:
      # Application data (covers, fonts, database)
      - ./thinkread/data:/data
      # Your book library (external HDD or specific folder)
      - /path/to/your/books:/books
    environment:
      - DATA_DIR=/data
      - BOOKS_DIR=/books
    restart: unless-stopped

Docker Run

docker run -d \
  --name thinkread \
  -p 8080:8080 \
  -v ./thinkread/data:/data \
  -e DATA_DIR=/data \
  --restart unless-stopped \
  nikunjsingh/thinkread-ebook-reader:latest

Development Mode (with Docker)

For development with hot-reload and watch mode:

docker compose -f docker-compose.dev.yml up --build

Access:

• Web UI: http://localhost:5173
• API Server: http://localhost:8080

Production Build (Docker)

For production deployment:

docker compose up --build

Access:

• Application: http://localhost:8080

Uploaded books + app data are stored in ./thinkread/data (mapped to /data inside the container).

Notes / Limitations

• Supported Formats: EPUB, MOBI (automatically converted to EPUB), and PDF.
• Automatic Extraction: EPUB covers and PDF thumbnails are automatically extracted.
• Custom fonts: Upload TTF, OTF, WOFF, or WOFF2 files in the reader settings for personalized typography.