COPS vs Librum
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted e-books & media library options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | COPS | Librum |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 73 · Good | 59 · Fair |
| Category | E-books & Media Library | E-books & Media Library |
| License | GPL-2.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | PHP | C++ |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 134 | ★ 5,319 |
| First released | 2013 | 2023 |
| Replaces | Kindle | Kindle, Goodreads |
What are COPS and Librum?
COPS
COPS is a lightweight Calibre OPDS and HTML PHP server that exposes a Calibre library without needing Calibre running. It targets users wanting a minimal way to share their library. It is deployed via Docker or a PHP stack.
- OPDS and HTML catalog
- Reads Calibre metadata database
- Very lightweight
- No Calibre process needed
Librum
Librum is a modern e-book reader application with a clean interface and a self-hostable server for syncing a library across devices. It targets readers who want a private, synced reading setup. It is deployed via Docker.
- Modern cross-platform reader
- Self-hostable sync server
- Annotations and bookmarks
- Free e-book sources
COPS vs Librum: key differences
COPS is written in PHP, while Librum is built with C++. Licensing differs — GPL-2.0 for COPS versus GPL-3.0 for Librum. COPS is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 512 MB for Librum. COPS is the more established project (first released 2013), while Librum arrived in 2023. Librum has the considerably larger community, at 5,319 GitHub stars versus 134.
Why pick each one
Choose COPS if…
- Extremely lightweight
- Easy to host
- Good OPDS support
Watch out for
- Read-only catalog
- Basic interface
Choose Librum if…
- Clean modern reader
- Syncs across devices
- Open source
Watch out for
- Self-hosting sync is newer
- Smaller ecosystem
Frequently asked questions
Is COPS or Librum better?
Neither is universally better. Librum has the larger community, while COPS is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are COPS and Librum free and open-source?
Yes. COPS is licensed under GPL-2.0 and Librum under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run COPS and Librum with Docker?
COPS: yes. Librum: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, COPS or Librum?
COPS has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for Librum. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.