Data providers
Data providers can be configured to customize where BookLogr fetches its book information and metadata.
Configuration
By default, BookLogr uses OpenLibrary as its primary source and falls back to the openlibrary-local-db backend. You can change these by setting the following environment variables for the booklogr-api service:
DATA_PROVIDER=openlibrary
DATA_PROVIDER_FALLBACK=https://metadata.booklogr.app
See Environment variables for more information.
Available Providers
| Provider | Value | Description |
|---|---|---|
| OpenLibrary | openlibrary | The standard OpenLibrary API. This is the default primary source. |
| openlibrary-local-db | [https://metadata.booklogr.app](https://metadata.booklogr.app) | A dedicated metadata database. This is the default fallback source. |
The URL https://metadata.booklogr.app is an official hosted instance of the openlibrary-local-db backend.
You can also provide a custom URL (e.g., [http://192.168.1.50:5000](http://192.168.1.50:5000)) if you are hosting your own instance of the openlibrary-local-db backend.
Self-Hosting
You can host your own version of the metadata database for better privacy or offline access using the openlibrary-local-db project. Once your local instance is running, simply point DATA_PROVIDER or DATA_PROVIDER_FALLBACK to your instance's address.
How it works
When you search for a book or view details, BookLogr always checks your local database first. If the book already exists in your library, that local data is displayed to ensure your personal edits, reading progress, and ratings are preserved. If the book is not found locally, the system initiates a primary lookup by attempting to fetch data from the source defined in the DATA_PROVIDER variable. Should that primary provider be unavailable or fail to respond, the system automatically triggers its fallback logic to retrieve the metadata from the provider specified in DATA_PROVIDER_FALLBACK.