What is Folio?
Folio is a self-hosted book collection manager. You install it on your own computer or server and use it through a web browser — no accounts, no subscriptions, no data sent to third parties.
Think of it as your personal digital library that you fully own and control.
What can you do with it?
- Add books — manually or by searching OpenLibrary / Google Books by title or ISBN.
- Add authors — with biographies, birth dates, and photos pulled from public sources.
- Track loans — lend books to friends or colleagues and track return dates.
- Accept requests — let registered users request books through the app.
- Showcase your collection — make a public catalog page that anyone can browse.
- Manage from mobile — companion iOS/Android app for quick access on the go.
Three ways to use Folio
Folio has three profiles that change how the app behaves:
| Profile | Best for |
|---|---|
| Single User | One person managing their own books privately |
| Library | A team or small library with multiple users and lending workflows |
| Public Showcase | Displaying a collection online without borrowing features |
You switch profiles in the admin settings — no reinstall required.
Ready to start?
You don't need to know coding
The setup process uses a few commands in a terminal window, but you don't need programming experience. The next pages walk you through each step.