jaap14/yacreader-multiuser repository overview

⁠YACReader Multiuser

A Docker-based multi-user setup for YACReader that allows multiple users to share the same comic library while maintaining separate reading progress.

⁠Features

• 🎯 Multiple Users, One Library - Share comics, keep separate reading progress
• 📊 Independent Databases - Each user gets their own .ydb database file
• 🌐 Web + Desktop Access - Use via browser or native Mac client
• 🐳 Docker-based - Easy deployment on any platform
• 🔒 Isolated Config - Per-user settings and preferences

⁠Quick Start

⁠Docker Hub Image

Pre-built images available at: jaap14/yacreader-multiuser:latest⁠

⁠Basic Setup

1. Create docker-compose.yml:

services:
  yacreader-user1:
    image: jaap14/yacreader-multiuser:latest
    container_name: yacreader-user1
    environment:
      - YACREADER_USER=user1
      - PUID=1000
      - PGID=1000
      - TZ=America/Los_Angeles
    volumes:
      - /path/to/comics:/comics
      - /path/to/config/user1:/config
    ports:
      - "9080:8080"
    restart: unless-stopped

1. Start containers:

docker compose up -d

1. Access web interface:

http://your-server:9080

1. Add library:

docker exec yacreader-user1 YACReaderLibraryServer add-library "Comics" /comics

⁠Mac Desktop Client

For a native macOS experience, download the YACReader MultiUser Mac Client:

📥 Download from GitHub Releases⁠

The Mac client allows you to connect directly to your Docker server instances with a native desktop interface.

⁠Installation

Two files are available:

1. YACReaderLibrary-MultiUser.dmg - The Mac application
2. YACReaderLibrary-MultiUser-Backup.tar.gz - Application + launcher scripts

⁠Setup Method 1: Using Launcher Scripts (Recommended)

This method automatically connects to the correct user's server.

1. Download and extract: YACReaderLibrary-MultiUser-Backup.tar.gz

2. Install the app:

   # Extract the backup
   tar -xzf YACReaderLibrary-MultiUser-Backup.tar.gz
   cd YACReaderLibrary-MultiUser-Backup
   
   # Install to Applications
   cp -r YACReaderLibrary-MultiUser.app /Applications/
   

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3. Copy launcher scripts to Desktop (or anywhere convenient):

   cp YACReaderLibrary-Jaap.command ~/Desktop/
   cp YACReaderLibrary-Jeremy.command ~/Desktop/
   

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4. Make scripts executable:

   chmod +x ~/Desktop/YACReaderLibrary-Jaap.command
   chmod +x ~/Desktop/YACReaderLibrary-Jeremy.command
   

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5. Double-click the appropriate launcher:

   • YACReaderLibrary-Jaap.command - Opens YACReader for Jaap
   • YACReaderLibrary-Jeremy.command - Opens YACReader for Jeremy

6. Configure server connection (first time only):

   • Server: http://your-server-ip:9080 (for Jaap) or :9081 (for Jeremy)
   • The app will remember this for each user

How it works:

• Each launcher script sets the YACREADER_USER environment variable
• The app uses this to connect to the correct user's database
• Example script contents:

  #!/bin/bash
  export YACREADER_USER=jaap
  /Applications/YACReaderLibrary-MultiUser.app/Contents/MacOS/YACReaderLibrary
  

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⁠Setup Method 2: Manual Connection

If you just want to install the DMG:

1. Download and open: YACReaderLibrary-MultiUser.dmg

2. Drag to Applications folder

3. Open YACReader Library

4. Configure server connection:

   • File → Preferences → Server
   • Server: http://your-server-ip:9080 (for user 1)
   • Repeat for additional users on different ports (9081, 9082, etc.)

Note: Without launcher scripts, you'll need to manually switch between servers in preferences.

⁠Creating Custom Launcher Scripts

To create launchers for additional users:

#!/bin/bash
export YACREADER_USER=username
/Applications/YACReaderLibrary-MultiUser.app/Contents/MacOS/YACReaderLibrary

Save as YACReaderLibrary-Username.command and make executable:

chmod +x YACReaderLibrary-Username.command

⁠Troubleshooting Mac Client

"App can't be opened because it is from an unidentified developer"

# Remove quarantine attribute
xattr -d com.apple.quarantine /Applications/YACReaderLibrary-MultiUser.app

Or: Right-click app → Open → Click "Open" in the dialog

"Command file won't run"

# Make sure it's executable
chmod +x YACReaderLibrary-Jaap.command

Can't connect to server

• Verify server IP and port (check docker ps for port mappings)
• Ensure Docker container is running
• Check firewall isn't blocking the port

⁠How It Works

⁠Architecture

┌─────────────────────────────────────────┐
│         Shared Comics Directory         │
│       /share/Multimedia/Comics/         │
│                                         │
│  ├── Series 1/                         │
│  ├── Series 2/                         │
│  └── .yacreaderlibrary/                │
│      ├── library_user1.ydb  ←─────────┼─── User 1's progress
│      ├── library_user2.ydb  ←─────────┼─── User 2's progress
│      └── covers/              ←─────────┼─── Shared thumbnails
└─────────────────────────────────────────┘
           ↑              ↑
           │              │
    ┌──────┴───┐   ┌──────┴───┐
    │ Container│   │ Container│
    │  User 1  │   │  User 2  │
    │ Port 9080│   │ Port 9081│
    └──────────┘   └──────────┘

⁠Multi-User Magic

The YACREADER_USER environment variable tells each container:

• Which database file to use: library_${YACREADER_USER}.ydb
• Where to store user preferences
• How to isolate reading progress

Example:

• Container 1: YACREADER_USER=alice → uses library_alice.ydb
• Container 2: YACREADER_USER=bob → uses library_bob.ydb

Both read from /comics, but track progress independently.

⁠Configuration

⁠Environment Variables

⁠Volume Mounts

⁠Ports

⁠Examples

⁠Example 1: Two Users on QNAP

services:
  yacreader-alice:
    image: jaap14/yacreader-multiuser:latest
    container_name: yacreader-alice
    environment:
      - YACREADER_USER=alice
      - TZ=America/New_York
    volumes:
      - /share/Comics:/comics
      - /share/AppData/yacreader/alice:/config
    ports:
      - "9080:8080"
    restart: unless-stopped

  yacreader-bob:
    image: jaap14/yacreader-multiuser:latest
    container_name: yacreader-bob
    environment:
      - YACREADER_USER=bob
      - TZ=America/New_York
    volumes:
      - /share/Comics:/comics
      - /share/AppData/yacreader/bob:/config
    ports:
      - "9081:8080"
    restart: unless-stopped

⁠Example 2: Family Setup with Network

services:
  yacreader-dad:
    image: jaap14/yacreader-multiuser:latest
    environment:
      - YACREADER_USER=dad
    volumes:
      - /mnt/media/comics:/comics
      - ./config/dad:/config
    ports:
      - "9080:8080"
    networks:
      - family-network

  yacreader-kid1:
    image: jaap14/yacreader-multiuser:latest
    environment:
      - YACREADER_USER=kid1
    volumes:
      - /mnt/media/comics:/comics
      - ./config/kid1:/config
    ports:
      - "9081:8080"
    networks:
      - family-network

networks:
  family-network:
    driver: bridge

⁠Administration

⁠Add Library via CLI

docker exec CONTAINER_NAME YACReaderLibraryServer add-library "Library Name" /comics

⁠List Libraries

docker exec CONTAINER_NAME YACReaderLibraryServer list-libraries

⁠View Logs

docker logs CONTAINER_NAME
docker logs -f CONTAINER_NAME  # Follow logs

⁠Restart Container

docker restart CONTAINER_NAME

⁠Update to Latest Version

docker compose pull
docker compose up -d

⁠Data Management

⁠Database Locations

Reading progress databases are stored in your comics directory:

/path/to/comics/.yacreaderlibrary/
├── library_user1.ydb
├── library_user2.ydb
└── covers/

⁠Backup Strategy

Critical: Always backup before major changes!

# Backup all user databases
tar -czf yacreader-backup-$(date +%Y%m%d).tar.gz \
  /path/to/comics/.yacreaderlibrary/

# Backup user configs
tar -czf yacreader-config-backup-$(date +%Y%m%d).tar.gz \
  /path/to/config/

⁠Automated Backup Script

#!/bin/bash
BACKUP_DIR="/path/to/backups"
DATE=$(date +%Y%m%d-%H%M%S)

# Backup databases
tar -czf "$BACKUP_DIR/yacreader-db-$DATE.tar.gz" \
  /path/to/comics/.yacreaderlibrary/

# Backup configs
tar -czf "$BACKUP_DIR/yacreader-config-$DATE.tar.gz" \
  /path/to/config/

# Keep only last 7 days
find "$BACKUP_DIR" -name "yacreader-*.tar.gz" -mtime +7 -delete

echo "Backup completed: $DATE"

⁠Restore from Backup

# Stop containers
docker compose down

# Restore databases
tar -xzf yacreader-backup-YYYYMMDD.tar.gz -C /

# Restore configs
tar -xzf yacreader-config-backup-YYYYMMDD.tar.gz -C /

# Start containers
docker compose up -d

⁠Troubleshooting

⁠Container Won't Start

Check logs:

docker logs CONTAINER_NAME

Common issues:

• Port already in use: Change external port in docker-compose.yml
• Permission denied: Check PUID/PGID match your file ownership
• Network not found: Create network or remove from compose file

⁠Library Not Showing

Check comics mount:

docker exec CONTAINER_NAME ls -la /comics

Add library manually:

docker exec CONTAINER_NAME YACReaderLibraryServer add-library "Comics" /comics

Verify database exists:

ls -la /path/to/comics/.yacreaderlibrary/library_USERNAME.ydb

⁠Reading Progress Not Saving

Check write permissions:

docker exec CONTAINER_NAME touch /comics/.yacreaderlibrary/test.txt
docker exec CONTAINER_NAME rm /comics/.yacreaderlibrary/test.txt

Verify database ownership:

ls -la /path/to/comics/.yacreaderlibrary/

Should be owned by PUID:PGID (default 1000:1000)

⁠Web UI Not Accessible

Check container status:

docker ps | grep yacreader

Verify port mapping:

docker port CONTAINER_NAME

Test from server:

curl http://localhost:9080

⁠Performance Issues

For large libraries (10,000+ comics):

1. Use SSD storage for database files
2. Increase container resources if limited
3. Pre-generate covers before adding users
4. Optimize database:

   docker exec CONTAINER_NAME sqlite3 \
     /comics/.yacreaderlibrary/library_USERNAME.ydb "VACUUM;"
   

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⁠Building from Source

If you want to build your own image:

# Clone this repo
git clone https://github.com/jaapjan14/yacreader-multiuser.git
cd yacreader-multiuser

# Build Docker image
docker build -t my-yacreader:latest .

# Or use the build script
./build_multiuser.sh

⁠For Mac Desktop Client

See the build instructions in the source code, or download the pre-built DMG from releases.

⁠Project Structure

yacreader-multiuser/
├── docker/
│   └── Dockerfile.multiuser     # Docker build file
├── docker-compose.yml           # Production config
├── docker-compose.example.yml   # Example for others
├── build_multiuser.sh           # Build script
├── README.md                    # This file
├── DEPLOYMENT_GUIDE.md          # Advanced deployment
└── YACReaderLibrary/            # Source code

⁠Advanced Topics

⁠Custom Network Setup

networks:
  yacreader-net:
    driver: bridge
    ipam:
      config:
        - subnet: 172.20.0.0/16

⁠Reverse Proxy (Nginx)

server {
    listen 80;
    server_name comics.example.com;

    location /user1/ {
        proxy_pass http://localhost:9080/;
        proxy_set_header Host $host;
        proxy_set_header X-Real-IP $remote_addr;
    }

    location /user2/ {
        proxy_pass http://localhost:9081/;
        proxy_set_header Host $host;
        proxy_set_header X-Real-IP $remote_addr;
    }
}

⁠HTTPS with Traefik

services:
  yacreader-user1:
    image: jaap14/yacreader-multiuser:latest
    labels:
      - "traefik.enable=true"
      - "traefik.http.routers.yacreader-user1.rule=Host(`user1.comics.example.com`)"
      - "traefik.http.routers.yacreader-user1.tls=true"
      - "traefik.http.routers.yacreader-user1.tls.certresolver=letsencrypt"

⁠Contributing

Contributions welcome! Please:

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch
3. Make your changes
4. Submit a pull request

⁠Resources

• Docker Hub: https://hub.docker.com/r/jaap14/yacreader-multiuser⁠
• YACReader Official: https://www.yacreader.com/⁠
• YACReader GitHub: https://github.com/YACReader/yacreader⁠
• Issue Tracker: https://github.com/jaapjan14/yacreader-multiuser/issues⁠

⁠Support

• Check the Troubleshooting⁠ section
• Review closed issues⁠
• Open a new issue with:
  • Docker compose configuration
  • Container logs: docker logs CONTAINER_NAME
  • Error messages
  • Steps to reproduce

⁠License

This project packages YACReader, which is licensed under GPLv3.

⁠Acknowledgments

• YACReader development team
• YACReader multiuser fork contributors
• Docker community

⁠Maintenance & Support

This project is maintained on a best-effort basis. It's stable and working well for my family's use, and I've documented everything thoroughly so others can benefit. That said, I'm not a YACReader developer - I built this Docker setup with AI assistance and my expertise is limited. I'm happy to help where I can, but I can't promise active feature development or deep code-level support.

For YACReader core functionality issues, please refer to the official YACReader repository⁠.

Pull requests welcome! If you have improvements or fixes, contributions are appreciated.

Docker Hub: jaap14/yacreader-multiuser⁠
Maintained by: jaapjan14
Last Updated: February 2026