# Papra — Minimalistic Self-Hosted Document Archiving

> A lightweight, self-hosted document archiving platform for organizing and preserving receipts, invoices, contracts, and other important files with tagging, full-text search, and a clean web interface.

## Install

Save as a script file and run:

# Papra — Minimalistic Self-Hosted Document Archiving

## Quick Use
```bash
docker run -d --name papra 
  -p 1221:1221 
  -v papra-data:/app/data 
  paprahq/papra:latest
# Open http://localhost:1221
```

## Introduction
Papra is a self-hosted document archiving tool designed for people who want a simple way to store, tag, and retrieve important documents. Unlike heavier document management systems, Papra focuses on doing one thing well: keeping your files organized and searchable without unnecessary complexity.

## What Papra Does
- Stores uploaded documents (PDFs, images, office files) in a structured archive
- Tags and categorizes documents with custom labels and metadata
- Provides full-text search across all archived document content
- Offers a clean, responsive web interface for browsing and managing files
- Supports bulk upload and automatic date extraction from document content

## Architecture Overview
Papra is a TypeScript application with a lightweight backend serving both the API and web UI. Documents are stored on disk in an organized directory structure, with metadata and search indices maintained in a local database. The architecture prioritizes simplicity: a single container handles everything with no external service dependencies.

## Self-Hosting & Configuration
- Deploy with a single Docker container or Docker Compose
- Mount a volume for persistent document storage and database
- Configure retention policies and storage limits via environment variables
- Set up authentication to protect access to the archive
- Export data at any time since documents are stored as plain files on disk

## Key Features
- Minimalist design focused on fast document capture and retrieval
- Full-text search powered by document content extraction
- Flexible tagging system for organizing documents by category, date, or custom criteria
- Single-container deployment with no external database or service requirements
- Privacy-first: all processing happens locally with no cloud dependencies

## Comparison with Similar Tools
- **Paperless-ngx** — feature-rich with OCR and ML classification; Papra is deliberately simpler and lighter
- **Docspell** — powerful document management with workflow automation; Papra targets quick archival
- **Mayan EDMS** — enterprise-grade DMS; Papra is for personal or small-team use
- **Google Drive** — cloud storage with search; Papra keeps everything self-hosted and private

## FAQ
**Q: Does Papra include OCR?**
A: Papra extracts text from PDFs and common document formats. For scanned images, pairing with an external OCR tool may be needed.

**Q: Can multiple users share an archive?**
A: Yes. Papra supports user accounts with shared access to the document archive.

**Q: How does it compare to Paperless-ngx?**
A: Paperless-ngx offers more automation (OCR, ML tagging, consumption directories). Papra is lighter and faster to set up when you want simple manual archiving.

**Q: What file formats are supported?**
A: PDFs, common image formats, and office documents. The system stores originals and extracts text for search.

## Sources
- https://github.com/papra-hq/papra
- https://github.com/papra-hq/papra#readme

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Source: https://tokrepo.com/en/workflows/asset-3784121e
Author: Script Depot