Install with Docker

Arcagrad ships as a single Docker image. From nothing to reading takes three steps.

Before you begin

Install Docker Desktop (Windows or macOS) or Docker Engine with Docker Compose (Linux). That’s the only thing Arcagrad needs.

1. Create the Arcagrad folder. Make a new, empty folder anywhere, and inside it create a file named docker-compose.yml with this content:

   docker-compose.yml

   services:
     arcagrad:
       image: ghcr.io/kalining/arcagrad:latest
       ports:
         - "3000:3000"
       volumes:
         - /path/to/your/library:/content  # your existing books & comics — CHANGE THIS
         - ./data:/data                     # Arcagrad's database & settings (made for you)
       restart: unless-stopped

   Replace /path/to/your/library with the real folder that holds your files — for example:

   # Linux
   - /home/<your-user>/Comics:/content
   # macOS
   - /Users/<your-user>/Comics:/content
   # Windows
   - C:/Users/<your-user>/Comics:/content

2. Start it. From that same folder, run:

   docker compose up -d

3. Open Arcagrad and create your admin account.

   • On this computer: http://localhost:3000
   • On a NAS or server: http://SERVER-IP:3000 — swap in the server’s address.

   Arcagrad scans your library in the background — covers fill in as it works.

That’s the whole install. Everything below is reference for when you want it.

Prefer a one-liner?

No file needed — run it directly (replace the library path the same way):

docker run -d -p 3000:3000 \
  -v /path/to/your/library:/content \
  -v arcagrad-data:/data \
  --name arcagrad ghcr.io/kalining/arcagrad:latest

The two volumes

Arcagrad only needs two mounts, and the split is deliberate: your original files are never rewritten, and everything Arcagrad generates lives in one place you can back up.

Mount	Path	What it holds
Library	/content	your comic, manga, and book files
Data	/data	the database, thumbnail cache, and config

Back up one folder

Everything Arcagrad derives — the index, thumbnails, tags, reading progress — lives in /data (the data/ folder in the compose setup). Copy it and you’ve backed up everything except the files themselves.

Good to know

Data folder permissions

The container runs as root by default, so the /data folder just works — no chown needed, even the one Docker auto-creates for a bind mount. If you switch to a non-root user:, make /data writable by that uid first (sudo chown -R 1000:1000 data).

Next

What Arcagrad isOne library for everything, with your original files kept intact.

Add metadata with pluginsPull tags, covers, and descriptions from external sources.