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Get Started

What Stashix does, what it needs to run, and how to install it.

Stashix is a self-hosted library for comics and ebooks. You point it at the folders where your files already live, and it builds a browsable, searchable shelf you can read from any browser on your network.

What you get

  • A reader in the browser. Open a comic or manga and start reading. Your place is saved per user, so you can pick up on another device.
  • A library that keeps itself up to date. Stashix watches your folders and imports new files a few seconds after they land.
  • Metadata from your files. Series, issue numbers, creators and publishers come from ComicInfo.xml, MetronInfo.xml, sidecar files and filenames. See how to organise your folders.
  • Full-text search across titles, series and publishers.
  • Accounts for the household. Admin and user roles, per-library permissions and age-gates for younger readers.
  • Installable on your phone as a progressive web app on Android.

Stashix reads .cbz, .cbr, .cb7, .pdf and .epub files. Anything else in a library folder is ignored. EPUBs are shown as their images, so they work for manga and comics but not yet for text ebooks such as novels; see supported formats.

How it fits together

Stashix runs as two containers: the Stashix server and a PostgreSQL database. The default Compose file mounts your library folder read-write, so metadata you edit can be saved back into your files. Covers, thumbnails and caches go into a separate data volume.

your library folder ◀─(read-write)─▶ stashix ◀──▶ postgres
                                        │
                                        ▼
                              browser · :4000

Before you install

You needDetails
Docker with ComposeAny host that runs Linux containers: a home server, a NAS or a VPS.
Your library on diskOne folder (or a parent of several) that holds your comics and ebooks.
A user ID that can use itStashix runs as PUID/PGID (default 1000) and must be able to read the library folder, and write to it to save metadata.
Three random secretsGenerated with openssl during setup. See Installation.
A modern browserAny current desktop or mobile browser.

PostgreSQL ships in the Compose file, so you don’t need to install a database yourself.

Choose how to install

Docker ComposeRecommended

Copy .env.example, set your secrets and library path, then run docker compose up -d. A setup wizard opens on first launch.

For development. Needs Elixir 1.18+, Erlang/OTP 27+, PostgreSQL and a few system tools (vips, p7zip, unrar, pdfinfo, pdftoppm).

Once Stashix is running, open http://<your-server>:4000, create the admin account, and add your first library.

Install Stashix with Docker Compose, from an empty folder to your first library.