Overview

Araru catalogs files, derives folder navigation, enriches metadata, and provides built-in readers. It is self-hosted and currently installation-oriented, although it supports reading profiles within that installation.

CURRENT STATE

• React/Vite frontend, served by Nginx in production;
• backend Node.js/Express;
• PostgreSQL as persistent source of state and index;
• Redis for shared cache with TTL;
• local filesystem as main source; Google Drive optional;
• PDF, EPUB, MOBI, CBZ and CBR in the internal reader;
• PWA and explicit offline download;
• jobs and maintenance performed in the backend process.

Core concepts

• Library File: indexed physical file with an ID and fingerprint.
• Work: canonical work that can group more than one file/format.
• categoryPath: string of directories that defines the category.
• Profile: local context that isolates progress and preferences; not an authenticated account.
• Derived File: cover or other regenerable feature.

Details are in the glossary and domain model.