LibReader

An open-source EPUB/PDF reader application built with Angular 21, NgRx, Express, and PostgreSQL.

Quick Start with Docker

The fastest way to run LibReader is with Docker Compose. This starts the Angular frontend, the Express backend, and a PostgreSQL database — all in one command.

Prerequisites

• Docker and Docker Compose (v2+)

1. Clone the repository

git clone https://github.com/<your-org>/light-reader.git
cd light-reader

2. (Optional) Configure environment

Copy the example env file and adjust values if needed:

cp .env.example .env

Variable	Default	Description
POSTGRES_USER	libreader	PostgreSQL username
POSTGRES_PASSWORD	libreader_pass	PostgreSQL password
POSTGRES_DB	libreader	PostgreSQL database name
APP_PORT	4600	Port the app is accessible on

3. Start the application

docker compose up -d

This builds and starts three containers:

Container	Description
libreader-frontend	Angular app served by Nginx
libreader-backend	Express API server
libreader-db	PostgreSQL 16 database

The database migrations run automatically on first startup.

4. Open LibReader

Navigate to http://localhost:4600 in your browser.

Stopping

docker compose down

To also delete stored data (books, database):

docker compose down -v

Updating

git pull
docker compose up -d --build

---

Development

Local development server

npm install
npm start

Open http://localhost:4200/. The app auto-reloads on file changes.

Backend (requires PostgreSQL running)

cd backend
npm install
npm run dev

Building

ng build

Build artifacts are stored in dist/.

Running unit tests

npm test

Tests use Vitest.

Architecture

• Frontend: Angular 21 standalone components, NgRx state management, Angular Material
• Backend: Express + TypeORM (PostgreSQL)
• Storage: File uploads stored on disk (uploads/ volume), metadata in PostgreSQL

License

See LICENSE for details.