MangaCircus/README.md

MangaCircus

A no-frills, self-hosted manga / comic / webtoon reader.

• Zero dependencies. A Node.js server (server.js, library.js) and plain HTML/CSS/JS pages. No build step, no framework, no database server.
• Reads the manga straight from a folder tree. The same folders stay readable in any normal picture viewer.
• Accounts with per-user reading progress, view settings, an opt-in Active Reading Clock, a private Reading Story and "new chapter" notifications.
• Reader with three view modes (Flow, Page, Book), a page zoom that leaves the controls alone, and tap zones for mobile.
• A separate Greatest of All Time manga-history dashboard, with five-year periods, per-user wish ratings, community ranking, and local-library badges. Its curated titles do not enter the download queue.

Run it with Docker

The supported way to run MangaCircus is Docker Compose on a Linux host: one image, a reader service (the web app) and a scraper service (the managed download queue). Short version:

git clone <repository-url> mangacircus && cd mangacircus
mkdir -p library data/scraper data/peering data/peering-usage backup .secrets
openssl rand -hex 32 > .secrets/scraper_token && chmod 600 .secrets/scraper_token
cp .env.example .env                      # set LIBRARY_PATH etc.; see the guide
sudo chown -R 1000:1000 library data backup
docker compose build
bash deploy/circus.sh up                  # reader first, then the scraper

Open http://127.0.0.1:8080. The first account you create becomes the admin. The full guide covers configuration, LAN and HTTPS access (a ready Caddy setup is included), adding manga, updates, backups, peering and troubleshooting: docs/deployment.md.

Try it without Docker

Needs Node.js 18 or newer, nothing else:

node tools/make-dummy.js library      # five demo manga
npm run start:all                     # reader on :8080 and the scraper daemon on 127.0.0.1:8091

npm start runs the reader alone. Admins manage the persistent download queue, pauses, retries and rate limits under Settings → Admin → Scraper. The reader keeps working when the scraper is stopped. Settings → Admin → Collections & metadata manages grouped tiles, reading order and relationships, and Settings → Admin → Service health shows recovery incidents and backups (collections, resilience). Deployment-controlled reading hours and the optional progress-aware quiz are described in reading limiter; they are off unless configured. See Greatest of All Time for that dashboard's catalog and voting.

Settings workspace

Settings has User and Admin menu groups. User sections cover Reading, Reading time & privacy, Notifications and Account. Admin sections cover Scraper, Server & library, Users & access, Collections & metadata and Service health. Only admins see administration (settings navigation).

Settings (environment variables)

These configure the reader process. In Docker most are set for you by docker-compose.yml; the variables you put in .env are listed in docs/deployment.md.

Variable	Default	Meaning
PORT	8080	HTTP port
LIBRARY	./library	Library folder (read-only access is enough)
DATA	./data	Where db.json (users, progress, votes, notifications) and disposable library-index caches live
SIGNUP	closed	open lets anyone create an account. Otherwise the admin adds users under Settings
SCAN_INTERVAL	10	Minutes between shallow library change checks (0 disables this timer)
FULL_SCAN_INTERVAL	1440	Minutes between full library reconciliations (0 disables this timer)
READ_AHEAD	1	Read an opened chapter's pages (then the next chapter's) into the OS cache ahead of the browser; 0 = off (docs/performance.md)
PERF_TRACE	0	1 = performance trace from the start; it can also be switched at runtime with the file DATA/perf/trace.on (docs/performance.md)
SCAN_CONCURRENCY	8	Chapter folders and images probed at once by an uncached scan (1–64); higher helps on network storage
COOKIE_SECURE	–	1 marks the login cookie Secure (use it when you serve over HTTPS)
SCRAPER_URL	http://127.0.0.1:8091	Private scraper daemon URL
SCRAPER_TOKEN	empty	Shared daemon token; required when it listens beyond loopback
SCRAPER_TOKEN_FILE	empty	Alternative secret file (used in Compose)
BACKUP	–	Existing folder for built-in backups of DATA; unset = off. Compose: set BACKUP_PATH. Schedule and retention under Settings → Service health (backup)

Serve it behind a reverse proxy with HTTPS if it is reachable from the internet. All pages use relative URLs, so a sub-path like /manga/ works.

Sources and copyright

The scraper can download from MangaDex (on by default; official API) and from WeebCentral and MangaPill. The last two are unofficial sites that mostly host unlicensed copies, so they are off by default. An admin can switch each one on under Settings → Admin → Scraper → Hoster settings. Peering can copy chapters between servers. You are responsible for only downloading and sharing what you are allowed to copy where you live, and for respecting each site's terms. The scraper is deliberately slow and stops on access errors; it never bypasses CAPTCHAs, logins or other access controls (scraper/AGENT_RUNBOOK.md).

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Library format

Always three folder levels, Manga / Book / Chapter, with plain page images in the chapter folder. Page roles are tags in the file name:

library/
  Moon Garden/                      <- manga folder (its name is the manga's id)
    manga.json  cover.jpg           <- optional
    v01 Spring/                     <- book (volume / season)
      c0001 The Seed/               <- chapter
        chapter.json                <- recommended
        0001_cover.jpg  0002.jpg  0003_double.jpg  0004_rot90.jpg  0005_extra.jpg
      c0002 Roots [MangaDex]/       <- same number twice = two versions of one chapter
      c0002 Roots [Official]/
      c0002.5 Tea Time/             <- in-between chapter
      x01 Character Sheets/         <- extra chapter, outside the numbering
    x01 Specials/                   <- extra book

Documentation

Document	For
docs/deployment.md	Docker deployment: setup, configuration, HTTPS, operation (deploy/circus.sh), updates, backups, troubleshooting
docs/library-format.md	The folder format: naming rules, page tags, metadata fields, chapter dates, versions, extras, what survives a rename
docs/import.md	How the library is scanned and indexed, caching, change detection and notifications
docs/architecture.md	Components, data model, API, security, the reader's layout engine, design decisions
docs/scraper-service.md	The managed download queue, private API and adapter contract
docs/scraper-guide.md	Rule book (agent-readable) for scrapers and other tools that write into the library
scraper/AGENT_RUNBOOK.md	Conservative scraper workflow, rate limits and stop conditions for automated agents
docs/source-modules.md	Adding a new source to the scraper
docs/peering.md	Optional server-to-server sharing over mutual TLS
docs/backup.md	Built-in scheduled backup of data/, what it contains, retention and restore
docs/settings-navigation.md	User/Admin settings sections, scraper tabs and routes
docs/reading-insights-concept.md	Active-time presentation, private summaries, export and deletion
docs/resilience.md	Supervisors, automatic recovery limits and incidents
AGENTS.md	Working on the code: layout, tests, rules for contributors and coding agents

Unnumbered MangaDex pilots and one-shots use stable special-mangadex-<chapter-uuid> chapter keys and human labels, not invented numbers. In Settings → Admin → Scraper, Inspect & queue shows the source edition before Confirm download. "Job finished" refers to its selected scope, not verified whole-series completeness.

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Reading

Flow	All pages below each other at the same width. Double pages keep the same height and are twice as wide, but never wider than the screen. Webtoon slices join without gaps
Page	One page (or one double page) at a time
Book	Two facing pages, in reading order (right page first for rtl). Covers and double pages stand alone. Pairing restarts after each of them, so one odd page never shifts the whole chapter. If pairs still look wrong, ⇄ Shift moves the pairs of the current section by one page (remembered per chapter)

• Which mode opens: Settings → Open chapters in = a fixed mode or the mode I used last. With Use the fitting mode… on, content that isn't made for your choice opens in the mode that fits (webtoons always open in Flow). That automatic switch never changes your remembered mode. Only clicking a mode in the reader does.
• Page zoom: 100 % means the page fits the screen (in Flow: a normal single page fits the screen; for webtoons, the strip is as wide as the screen but never wider than its own width). Pages may end up larger than the screen, exactly fitting, or smaller. The toolbar −/+ buttons and keyboard -/+ move in 5-percentage-point steps from 20 % through 600 %; 0 or the percentage button returns to 100 %. Ctrl + mouse wheel, touchpad pinch and two-finger pinch remain continuous for still finer control. This zooms only the pages; zooming over the toolbar zooms the whole page as usual. When a page is larger than the screen, drag it with the mouse (hand cursor) or pan with a finger. Flow locks horizontal movement while the content fits within the viewport, then enables it automatically when zoom makes the content wider. The zoom is remembered per mode for your account.
• Flow page gap: Settings → Reading lets each user keep the normal separator between Flow pages or remove it for continuous webtoon artwork and text that crosses image edges.
• Page tone: the reader's Tone button cycles Original → Inverted → Sepia → Dim → Extra dim in Flow, Page and Book. It changes only the artwork, never the controls or site theme. The choice is saved per user; it can also be selected in Settings → User → Reading.
• Active Reading Clock: opt in under Settings → User → Reading time & privacy. No scrolling-speed limit; a visit counts at 60% viewed-page coverage and saves on exit. Pauses in the background or after 30 seconds without reader activity. Tap the clock for this visit's time, coverage, qualification and loading wait.
• Continue where you left off: the first line of the library content (below the search, filters and tags) is one row of the five manga you read most recently and have not finished (same tiles as the grid; they stay in the grid too). It hides while a search is typed, a status filter is set, or the library is sorted by Recently read; tags and collection grouping do not affect it. Turn it off under Settings → User → Reading → Library page.
• Your Reading Story: private active-time summaries appear on the library and manga pages when history exists. Chapter rows show the last timed read (60%-coverage visit), rereads remain visible as lifetime time, and Settings lets each user hide, export, or delete their own history. No leaderboards or speed ranking are used.
• Tap / click zones:
  • Tapping beside the pages always shows or hides the controls.
  • On a page, its left and right part turn the page, following the reading direction. For rtl, the left part goes forward.
  • In Flow: the bottom part of the screen goes forward, the top part goes back.
  • The middle of the page also toggles the controls (useful when a zoomed page fills the screen).
  • A horizontal swipe also turns pages on touch screens.
  • Keys: arrows, Space / PageDown, i = controls, m = save a moment, f = fullscreen, ? = all shortcuts (also under Settings → User → Keyboard shortcuts).
• Moments: the bookmark button in the top bar (or m) saves the page you are on (in Book mode the spread) as a moment. A picture that runs over several pages can take up to four: + Previous page / + Next page add them, stacked in Flow and side by side in Page and Book. Drag over the preview to keep only a region (pages it doesn't touch are left out), and pick exactly one category: Twist, Hot, Awesome, Cute, Funny or Feels, plus an optional note. The button is filled on pages that already have one. Each manga page shows Your moments as a strip of crops, sorted by story or by when you saved them; click one to step through them, see the full page, edit, delete or jump into the reader at that page. Moments are private to each user.
• Controls stay out of the way: they hide as soon as you turn a page or scroll, and come back only with a tap (middle of the page or beside it) or i. Scrolling up never brings them back. The first time they hide, a short hint says so.
• Controls: the top bar has a chapter picker with every chapter of the manga, grouped by book, with ✓ for read ones. The bottom bar has the page slider, the mode switch, Shift, zoom, the version picker and previous/next chapter.
• Loading: the next pages (next 3 in Page mode, next 2 spreads in Book mode) are downloaded and decoded in advance, so page turns don't flash. A page that still isn't there shows a spinner. On phones, "Add to home screen" opens the app without browser bars, and the ⛶ button (where supported) goes fullscreen.
• Progress is saved per user and chapter version: the last page, whether the chapter is done, and book-mode shifts. The manga page offers Continue. Tap a chapter's status to mark it read/unread.
• Notifications: press Notify me on a manga. When a rescan finds new chapter numbers, they show up under the bell. Optionally, the server also POSTs a short text to a webhook URL of your choice (e.g. an ntfy.sh or Gotify topic, set in Settings).
• Finding manga: the library can search titles, alternative titles, and authors; filter by publication status; combine tags with AND matching; and sort by title, activity, or first release date. Tag links on a manga open the library with that tag selected.
• Manga overview: metadata is shown in a structured panel (with the complete raw manga.json available for inspection). Chapters are newest-first, with multi-select volume filters; selecting no volume means all volumes.

Files

server.js         HTTP server, accounts, progress, votes, notifications (JSON file storage)
library.js        folder scanner + image size reader
public/           the web pages (library, manga, reader, settings, login)
scraper/          download queue daemon, source adapters, publisher
peering/          optional server-to-server sharing
deploy/           Docker operations helper (circus.sh) and HTTPS with Caddy
tools/            demo library generator, maintenance and test tools

License

MIT, see LICENSE. Manga you read or download with it are not covered by this license and belong to their rights holders.