# Baikal — Lightweight Self-Hosted CalDAV and CardDAV Server

> Baikal is a lightweight, self-hosted CalDAV and CardDAV server written in PHP that syncs calendars and contacts across all your devices without third-party cloud services.

## Install

Save as a script file and run:

# Baikal — Lightweight Self-Hosted CalDAV and CardDAV Server

## Quick Use
```bash
docker run -d --name baikal -p 8080:80 
  -v baikal_config:/var/www/baikal/config 
  -v baikal_data:/var/www/baikal/Specific 
  ckulka/baikal:nginx
# Open http://localhost:8080/admin and follow the setup wizard
```

## Introduction
Baikal is a self-hosted calendar and contact server that implements the CalDAV and CardDAV protocols. It provides a simple, standards-compliant backend so you can sync events, tasks, and address books across phones, desktops, and web clients without depending on Google or Apple cloud services.

## What Baikal Does
- Serves CalDAV endpoints for calendar and task synchronization
- Serves CardDAV endpoints for contact synchronization
- Works with any standards-compliant client (iOS, Android, Thunderbird, GNOME)
- Manages multiple users and shared calendars via a web admin panel
- Stores data in SQLite or MySQL with minimal resource usage

## Architecture Overview
Baikal is a PHP application built on the sabre/dav library, which is the reference implementation of WebDAV, CalDAV, and CardDAV in PHP. It runs on any web server that supports PHP (Apache, Nginx with PHP-FPM). Data is stored in SQLite by default or MySQL for multi-user deployments. The admin interface is a simple PHP web panel.

## Self-Hosting & Configuration
- Deploy via Docker using community-maintained images or install on any LAMP/LEMP stack
- Run the web-based setup wizard on first launch to create the admin account
- Configure the database backend (SQLite or MySQL) during initial setup
- Place behind a reverse proxy with HTTPS for secure sync over the internet
- Set proper WebDAV rewrite rules in your web server configuration

## Key Features
- Full CalDAV and CardDAV compliance tested with major clients and platforms
- Lightweight footprint suitable for single-board computers like Raspberry Pi
- Web-based admin panel for managing users, calendars, and address books
- Supports calendar sharing and delegation between users
- No JavaScript frameworks or complex build steps; plain PHP deployment

## Comparison with Similar Tools
- **Radicale** — Python-based, file-backed; Baikal offers a web admin and SQL storage
- **Nextcloud** — full cloud suite with CalDAV built in; Baikal is far lighter if you only need calendars
- **DAViCal** — PostgreSQL-focused; Baikal is simpler to set up with SQLite
- **Cyrus IMAP** — includes CalDAV but is primarily a mail server; Baikal is calendar-only
- **EteSync** — encrypted sync; Baikal uses standard CalDAV without custom encryption

## FAQ
**Q: Which clients work with Baikal?**
A: iOS Calendar/Contacts, Android (DAVx5), Thunderbird, GNOME Calendar, Evolution, and any CalDAV/CardDAV client.

**Q: Can multiple users share a calendar?**
A: Yes. The admin panel lets you create shared calendars and assign user permissions.

**Q: Does Baikal support two-way sync?**
A: Yes. CalDAV and CardDAV are bidirectional protocols; changes sync both ways automatically.

**Q: How do I back up Baikal data?**
A: Back up the `Specific/` directory and the database file (SQLite) or run a MySQL dump.

## Sources
- https://github.com/sabre-io/Baikal
- https://sabre.io/baikal/

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Source: https://tokrepo.com/en/workflows/asset-79af2ead
Author: Script Depot