Readarr — Automated eBook and Audiobook Collection Manager

Introduction

Readarr is a book collection manager in the Servarr family (Sonarr, Radarr, Lidarr). It monitors author catalogs, searches for new releases, and manages downloads from Usenet and torrent sources, then organizes files into your library with consistent naming and metadata.

What Readarr Does

• Monitors authors and automatically searches for new book releases
• Integrates with Usenet indexers and torrent trackers for download sources
• Renames and organizes downloaded files with configurable naming schemes
• Fetches book metadata, covers, and author information from online databases
• Manages both eBook (EPUB, MOBI, PDF) and audiobook formats

Architecture Overview

Readarr is a .NET application with a web-based frontend served from an embedded Kestrel web server. It uses an SQLite database for local state and communicates with download clients (SABnzbd, NZBGet, qBittorrent, Transmission) via their APIs. Metadata is sourced from book databases and indexers are queried via the Newznab/Torznab API standards. A scheduler periodically checks for new releases matching monitored authors.

Self-Hosting & Configuration

• Deploy via Docker (recommended) or install natively on Windows, macOS, or Linux
• Configure download clients in Settings for Usenet or torrent automation
• Add indexers (Newznab for Usenet, Torznab for torrents) for search sources
• Set root folders where organized book files are stored
• Configure quality profiles to prefer specific formats and editions

Key Features

• Automatic monitoring and search for new releases by author
• Integration with major download clients and indexer standards
• Customizable file naming and folder organization
• Quality profiles for selecting preferred book formats
• Calendar view showing upcoming and recently released books

Comparison with Similar Tools

• Calibre — powerful local library manager but does not automate searching or downloading
• Calibre-Web — web interface for Calibre libraries; read-only, no automation
• LazyLibrarian — similar automation tool but older and less actively maintained
• Kavita — self-hosted reader focused on reading experience, not acquisition
• Sonarr / Radarr — same Servarr family but for TV shows and movies respectively

FAQ

Q: Is Readarr stable for production use? A: Readarr is in active development. The 'develop' branch is recommended for most users as the stable release cadence is slower.

Q: Can I import my existing Calibre library? A: You can point Readarr at your existing book folders. It will scan and match files against its metadata database.

Q: Does it support audiobooks? A: Yes. Readarr manages both eBooks and audiobooks, with format-specific quality profiles.

Q: How does it relate to Sonarr and Radarr? A: They share the same codebase architecture and UI patterns. Sonarr handles TV, Radarr handles movies, and Readarr handles books.

Sources

• https://github.com/Readarr/Readarr
• https://readarr.com