# kovidgoyal/calibre

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24,146 stars · 2,557 forks · Python · gpl-3.0

## Links

- GitHub: https://github.com/kovidgoyal/calibre
- Homepage: https://calibre-ebook.com
- awesome-repositories: https://awesome-repositories.com/repository/kovidgoyal-calibre.md

## Topics

`calibre` `ebook` `ebook-formats` `ebook-manager` `ebook-reader` `ebooks` `epub` `epub-generation` `kindle` `python`

## Description

Calibre is a comprehensive suite for digital library management, serving as a centralized hub for organizing, converting, and editing e-book collections. It functions as a multi-purpose platform that combines a relational database for metadata tracking with a powerful processing engine capable of transforming document formats and restructuring internal markup. Beyond local management, the software acts as a content server, enabling users to host their libraries over a network for remote access and reading via standard web browsers.

The project distinguishes itself through its deep extensibility and automation capabilities. It features a modular plugin architecture that allows for custom code injection, alongside a sophisticated template-driven logic system that enables complex metadata manipulation, arithmetic, and conditional branching. Users can automate recurring tasks such as news aggregation and content retrieval, or utilize command-line utilities to integrate library administration into broader workflows. The system also provides specialized tools for book validation, repair, and version tracking, ensuring that digital materials remain consistent and compatible across various reading devices.

The platform covers a broad spectrum of content-related operations, including bibliographic metadata retrieval, advanced text searching, and granular control over reading appearance and page layout. It supports synchronization across multiple devices, including the management of reading progress and direct transfers to hardware readers. Security is maintained through user account management and encrypted network connections, while the interface remains accessible through both graphical and terminal-based environments.

## Tags

### Content Management & Publishing

- [E-book Servers](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/content-management-publishing/media-management/audiobook-servers/e-book-servers.md) — Serves as a comprehensive suite for organizing, converting, and managing digital book collections. ([source](https://manual.calibre-ebook.com/zh_TW/index.html))
- [Document Processing and Conversion](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/content-management-publishing/content-processing-transformation/document-processing-conversion.md) — Transforms digital books between various file formats while allowing customization of layout, structure, and content. ([source](https://manual.calibre-ebook.com/fr/index.html))
- [Personal Library Managers](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/content-management-publishing/media-management/audiobook-servers/e-book-servers/comic-book-libraries/personal-library-managers.md) — Provides a comprehensive suite for organizing, searching, and maintaining large digital book collections.
- [Content Authoring and Editing](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/content-management-publishing/authoring-editorial-interfaces/content-authoring-editing.md) — Modifies the internal structure, styling, and code of books using a dedicated editor with live preview. ([source](https://manual.calibre-ebook.com/fr/index.html))
- [Format Conversion Toolkits](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/content-management-publishing/content-processing-transformation/document-processing-conversion/document-processing-tools/format-conversion-toolkits.md) — Transforms digital books between various file formats while customizing layout and structure.
- [Editors](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/content-management-publishing/media-management/audiobook-servers/e-book-servers/editors.md) — Includes a specialized editor for modifying internal HTML, CSS, and metadata structure with live preview.
- [Book Cover Managers](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/content-management-publishing/book-cover-managers.md) — Downloads, generates, or manually assigns cover images to books, including tools for trimming borders. ([source](https://manual.calibre-ebook.com/metadata.html))
- [Content Extraction Engines](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/content-management-publishing/content-processing-transformation/content-extraction-engines.md) — Fetches and cleans web content into structured digital publications using custom parsing rules.
- [Library Structure Managers](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/content-management-publishing/library-structure-managers.md) — Organizes internal files into logical folders and upgrades internal formats to newer standards. ([source](https://manual.calibre-ebook.com/edit.html))
- [Book Asset Optimizers](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/content-management-publishing/book-asset-optimizers.md) — Embeds fonts and bundles external resources to optimize digital book files. ([source](https://manual.calibre-ebook.com/edit.html))
- [Content Aggregators](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/content-management-publishing/content-aggregation-curation/content-aggregators.md) — Automates the retrieval and aggregation of online news content into structured digital publications.
- [Versioning & Change Tracking](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/content-management-publishing/content-management-systems/versioning-change-tracking.md) — Creates checkpoints of a book's state to allow for easy comparison and restoration of previous versions. ([source](https://manual.calibre-ebook.com/edit.html))
- [Markup and Structure Parsers](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/content-management-publishing/content-processing-transformation/document-processing-conversion/document-processing-tools/markup-and-structure-parsers.md) — Parses and reconstructs book files by manipulating internal markup structures for cross-device compatibility.
- [Dynamic PDF Generators](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/content-management-publishing/content-processing-transformation/document-processing-conversion/document-processing-tools/pdf-manipulation-utilities/pdf-editors/dynamic-pdf-generators.md) — Adds dynamic headers, footers, and tables of contents to PDF files using templates. ([source](https://manual.calibre-ebook.com/conversion.html))
- [Table of Contents](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/content-management-publishing/documentation-knowledge-management/table-of-contents.md) — Generates, reorders, and edits tables of contents for books, including inline versions within the main text. ([source](https://manual.calibre-ebook.com/edit.html))
- [Format Management Systems](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/content-management-publishing/format-management-systems.md) — Associates multiple file versions with a single book entry and synchronizes metadata. ([source](https://manual.calibre-ebook.com/metadata.html))
- [Metadata Logic Modifiers](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/content-management-publishing/metadata-logic-modifiers.md) — Modifies internal algorithms for sorting authors and automatically assigning series index numbers to books. ([source](https://manual.calibre-ebook.com/customize.html))
- [Library Context Switchers](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/content-management-publishing/library-context-switchers.md) — Changes the active library collection by referencing its folder name or a unique identifier. ([source](https://manual.calibre-ebook.com/url_scheme.html))
- [News Production Platforms](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/content-management-publishing/news-production-platforms.md) — Fetches and formats online news content into structured digital publications on a recurring schedule. ([source](https://manual.calibre-ebook.com/es/index.html))

### Business & Productivity Software

- [Library Hosting](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/business-productivity-software/document-digitization-tools/document-serving/library-hosting.md) — Exposes local book collections over a network for remote browsing and reading via web browsers. ([source](https://manual.calibre-ebook.com/server.html))
- [Reading Trackers](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/business-productivity-software/reading-trackers.md) — Tracks reading position and manages persistent bookmarks across devices. ([source](https://manual.calibre-ebook.com/viewer.html))

### Data & Databases

- [Library](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/data-databases/data-governance-modeling/data-management-governance/metadata-management-systems/metadata-databases/library.md) — Tracks book metadata and file paths in a centralized relational database for efficient library management.
- [Bibliographic Metadata Retrievers](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/data-databases/search-indexing-technologies/search-indexing/search-information-retrieval/bibliographic-metadata-retrievers.md) — Fetches bibliographic metadata and cover images from online sources to populate or correct library entries. ([source](https://manual.calibre-ebook.com/generated/en/cli-index.html))
- [Cross-Device Synchronization Engines](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/data-databases/data-synchronization/cross-device-synchronization-engines.md) — Synchronizes books, storage locations, and reading annotations with connected hardware devices. ([source](https://manual.calibre-ebook.com/gui.html))
- [Collection Importers](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/data-databases/data-import-and-export/compressed-collection-importers/collection-importers.md) — Imports books from folders or archives while automatically extracting metadata. ([source](https://manual.calibre-ebook.com/gui.html))
- [Formatting Patterns](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/data-databases/custom-data-fields/metadata-querying/formatting-patterns.md) — Constructs custom strings or file paths by injecting book metadata into defined patterns with support for conditional logic. ([source](https://manual.calibre-ebook.com/template_lang.html))
- [Column Transformation](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/data-databases/column-transformation.md) — Provides virtual columns that display calculated values derived from other metadata fields using template expressions. ([source](https://manual.calibre-ebook.com/template_lang.html))
- [Metadata Filtering](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/data-databases/metadata-filtering.md) — Refines library subsets by overlaying search criteria based on metadata attributes. ([source](https://manual.calibre-ebook.com/virtual_libraries.html))
- [Search and Indexing](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/data-databases/search-indexing-technologies/search-indexing/search-and-indexing.md) — Performs search queries across library collections with support for virtual library filtering. ([source](https://manual.calibre-ebook.com/url_scheme.html))
- [Text Search](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/data-databases/text-search.md) — Performs advanced text searches and replacements across files using strings or regular expressions. ([source](https://manual.calibre-ebook.com/edit.html))

### Networking & Communication

- [Web-Based Library Bridges](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/networking-communication/remote-access/web-based-library-bridges.md) — Translates internal database queries into browser-accessible interfaces for remote reading.

### Software Engineering & Architecture

- [Extensible Plugin Architectures](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/software-engineering-architecture/extensible-plugin-architectures.md) — Supports custom plugins to add new features, integrate external tools, or modify existing behaviors. ([source](https://manual.calibre-ebook.com))
- [Modular Plugin Architectures](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/software-engineering-architecture/modular-plugin-architectures.md) — Supports modular extensions for file conversion, metadata processing, and interface enhancements.

### Development Tools & Productivity

- [Reading Customization Interfaces](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/development-tools-productivity/reading-assistants/reading-customization-interfaces.md) — Provides interfaces for personalizing reading appearance including fonts and layouts. ([source](https://manual.calibre-ebook.com/viewer.html))
- [CLI Administration Tools](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/development-tools-productivity/cli-administration-tools.md) — Provides command-line utilities for library management, file conversion, and administrative operations. ([source](https://manual.calibre-ebook.com))
- [Template Functions](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/development-tools-productivity/template-extensions/template-functions.md) — Saves complex template logic as named functions to be invoked across multiple locations, supporting parameter passing. ([source](https://manual.calibre-ebook.com/template_lang.html))

### System Administration & Monitoring

- [System Repair Tools](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/system-administration-monitoring/system-repair-tools.md) — Scans and repairs malformed markup, broken links, and invalid CSS to ensure device compatibility. ([source](https://manual.calibre-ebook.com/edit.html))
- [User Account Management](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/system-administration-monitoring/user-account-management.md) — Manages distinct user profiles and permissions for server access via graphical and command-line interfaces. ([source](https://manual.calibre-ebook.com/server.html))

### User Interface & Experience

- [Template Logic Implementations](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/user-interface-experience/layout-utilities/presentation-engines/template-engines/control-flow-directives/template-logic-implementations.md) — Provides an expression language for complex metadata manipulation, arithmetic, and conditional branching.
- [Document Annotators](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/user-interface-experience/text-highlighting/document-annotators.md) — Allows users to select text to create highlights, add notes, and browse all annotations across a library. ([source](https://manual.calibre-ebook.com/viewer.html))
- [Library Partitioning](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/user-interface-experience/viewport-based-virtualization/library-partitioning.md) — Filters master databases into focused subsets based on saved search criteria to simplify library navigation.
- [Document Style Overrides](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/user-interface-experience/css-styling/document-style-overrides.md) — Allows injection of custom CSS to override and fine-tune document layouts. ([source](https://manual.calibre-ebook.com/conversion.html))
- [Content Styling](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/user-interface-experience/styling-theming-systems/content-styling.md) — Applies automated rules to modify CSS properties, remove unused styles, or convert punctuation across entire books. ([source](https://manual.calibre-ebook.com/edit.html))

### Web Development

- [Template Logic](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/web-development/template-logic.md) — Processes metadata using programmatic templates that support variables, arithmetic, loops, and conditional branching. ([source](https://manual.calibre-ebook.com/template_lang.html))
- [Page Layout Configurations](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/web-development/layout-engines/page-layout-configurations.md) — Adjusts margins and device-specific profiles to optimize document layout. ([source](https://manual.calibre-ebook.com/conversion.html))

### Security & Cryptography

- [Remote Access Security](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/security-cryptography/remote-access-security.md) — Protects remote library access with username authentication and HTTPS encryption. ([source](https://manual.calibre-ebook.com/server.html))

### Operating Systems & Systems Programming

- [Filename Parsers](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/operating-systems-systems-programming/system-administration-maintenance/file-system-management/file-systems/filename-templates/filename-parsers.md) — Parses book filenames using custom patterns to populate metadata fields. ([source](https://manual.calibre-ebook.com/regexp.html))