Syncs Calibre ebook libraries between devices over the local network, without cloud services or cables, keeping metadata intact.

Source Code

Role

Developer

Timeline
April 2026

Technologies

  • Rust
  • Tauri
  • React
  • Axum
  • SQLite
  • TypeScript
  • mDNS

Tools

  • Tokio
  • Tantivy
  • Tailwind CSS
  • DaisyUI
  • TanStack Query

Background

Getting a Calibre library from my desktop onto other devices always involved a cable or handing my books to some third-party cloud. Neither seemed necessary for devices sitting on the same network, so I built the tool I wanted.

Solution

Tauri + Rust desktop app. One device hosts the library over the local network; others connect to browse and sync. mDNS discovery means zero manual configuration, and parsing Calibre's metadata database directly means series and tags survive the trip.

Process

The bulk of the work was a reliable sync engine and treating Calibre's database with care: Axum for the local API, Rusqlite for metadata extraction. React + Tailwind frontend with a high-contrast mode tuned for e-ink screens, and clients cache metadata for offline browsing.

Final Product

Impact

Updating books on my e-reader went from a cable ritual to automatic. Being Calibre-specific is the point: it preserves metadata that generic transfer tools drop.

Reflection

This was my proper introduction to Rust and Tauri: async task management, and bridging systems-level backend code with a web UI. It also confirmed my preference for local-first tools: they're faster, private, and there's no subscription.