# Radicale — Simple CalDAV and CardDAV Server

> Radicale is a lightweight, self-hosted CalDAV and CardDAV server written in Python. It syncs calendars and contacts across devices with minimal configuration and no database dependency.

## Install

Save in your project root:

# Radicale — Simple CalDAV and CardDAV Server

## Quick Use
```bash
pip install radicale
python -m radicale --storage-filesystem-folder=/path/to/data
# Connect your calendar app to http://localhost:5232
```

## Introduction
Radicale is a minimalist CalDAV and CardDAV server that lets you sync calendars, contacts, and to-do lists across all your devices. It runs as a single Python process with file-based storage and requires almost no configuration.

## What Radicale Does
- Serve calendars (CalDAV) and contacts (CardDAV) over HTTP/HTTPS
- Support multiple users with per-user collections
- Store data as standard iCalendar and vCard files on disk
- Handle concurrent access with file-level locking
- Authenticate users via htpasswd, LDAP, or custom scripts

## Architecture Overview
Radicale is a pure Python application with no external dependencies beyond the standard library. It runs a built-in WSGI server and stores each calendar and address book as a directory of iCalendar or vCard files. A JSON-based internal index accelerates queries without requiring a database.

## Self-Hosting & Configuration
- Install via pip or run the official Docker image
- Set the storage path and authentication method in a TOML config file
- Use htpasswd files for simple user management
- Place behind Nginx or Caddy for TLS termination
- Back up by copying the storage directory

## Key Features
- Zero external dependencies — runs anywhere Python is available
- File-based storage with no database to maintain
- Works with any CalDAV/CardDAV client: Thunderbird, iOS, Android DAVx5, macOS Calendar
- Multi-collection support for separate work and personal calendars
- LDAP authentication plugin for enterprise environments

## Comparison with Similar Tools
- **Baikal** — PHP-based with a web UI; Radicale is lighter and needs no web server
- **Nextcloud** — full-featured cloud suite; Radicale does one thing well with minimal resources
- **DAViCal** — PostgreSQL-backed; Radicale uses flat files and needs no database
- **Google Calendar** — cloud-hosted; Radicale keeps all data on your server

## FAQ
**Q: Which clients work with Radicale?**
A: Any standard CalDAV/CardDAV client, including Thunderbird, Apple Calendar, iOS Contacts, DAVx5 on Android, and GNOME Calendar.

**Q: Does it support shared calendars?**
A: Yes. Multiple users can access the same collection with appropriate permissions.

**Q: How do I back up my data?**
A: Copy the storage directory. Each calendar is a folder of plain-text iCalendar files.

**Q: Can it handle thousands of contacts?**
A: Yes. The internal index keeps lookups fast even with large address books.

## Sources
- https://github.com/Kozea/Radicale
- https://radicale.org

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Source: https://tokrepo.com/en/workflows/asset-d953664c
Author: AI Open Source