Where Does Calibre-Web Store Its Database and Config?
Calibre-Web splits its own app.db from your Calibre book library. Docker volume layout, bare-metal paths and backup order.
Last updated
Calibre-Web keeps two databases apart. Its own app.db holds users, shelves and settings. Your Calibre metadata.db plus book files form the library it reads. Pointing the app at the wrong one is the classic setup failure: it wants the library folder, not a database file.
Docker installs map these as /config and /books volumes on the host. Bare-metal runs drop app.db beside the code unless CALIBRE_DBPATH says otherwise. Back up both sides, since rebuilding users and read states from the book files alone is impossible.
Where Calibre-Web stores this, by platform
/config/app.db
Inside the container, mapped to a host folder you choose (e.g. /path/to/calibre-web/data). Books mount separately at /books. Locked out? Re-run cps.py with -p pointing at this exact file.
Frequently asked questions
Where is the Calibre-Web database file?
At /config/app.db in Docker setups (a host path you mapped), or beside the application on bare metal. It holds users, shelves and settings only. Your ebooks and their Calibre metadata.db live in the separate /books mount.
How do I back up Calibre-Web?
Copy the /config volume (app.db, gdrive.db) and the whole /books library folder. Either half alone restores only part of the system. Stop the container first so the SQLite files copy cleanly.
Notice an outdated path? Let us know.