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Self-host Kavita

updated Sep 2026prices checked · Jul 2026Install verified on Ubuntu 26.04 · Sep 2026 · how we test
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A self-hosted reading server for manga, webtoons, comics (cbz/cbr/zip/rar/7z) and books (EPUB, PDF), with web readers, collections, reading lists and multi-user roles.

Key facts

CategoryE-books & comics
LicenseGPL-3.0
StackC#, .NET, Angular
Min RAM512 MB
Official imageyes
Measured idle RAM327 MB
Difficulty
Sourcegithub.com/Kareadita/Kavita (opens in new tab)
Websitekavitareader.com (opens in new tab)

What you need

  • Any VPS with at least 512 MB of RAM
  • A domain you control — most self-hosted setups need HTTPS in front of them
  • Under an hour if you've used Docker before
Where to host itaffiliate disclosure
Hetzner Cloudrun it on
From $23.59/mo · 2 vCPU / 4 GB / 80 GB · EU + US
Get Hetzner Cloud (opens in new tab)
Kamaterafree trial
From $4/mo · 1 vCPU / 1 GB / 20 GB · US + EU + Asia
Start free on Kamatera → (opens in new tab)
DigitalOceanalso works on
From $6/mo · 1 vCPU / 1 GB / 25 GB · US + EU + Asia
Deploy on DigitalOcean → (opens in new tab)

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Install

Run these commands on your server:

# Kavita — official Docker image, per wiki.kavitareader.com/installation/docker/dockerhub
mkdir -p kavita/config kavita/library
docker run -d --name kavita -p 5000:5000 \
  -v $PWD/kavita/config:/kavita/config \
  -v $PWD/kavita/library:/manga \
  -e TZ=Etc/UTC --restart unless-stopped \
  jvmilazz0/kavita:latest
# open http://SERVER_IP:5000 — the first account you register becomes admin; put your files in kavita/library and add /manga as a library
vps picksBest VPS for self-hostingbenchmarked quarterly · re-priced monthly

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