Starting the server
Install Lightnovel Crawler
Make sure
lncrawl is installed. See the Quickstart guide for installation options.Start the server
Run the The server starts on
server subcommand:0.0.0.0:8080 by default. To enable info-level logging and specify a port explicitly:Open the browser UI
Navigate to http://localhost:8080 in your browser.
Change the default password after your first login. The default credentials are well-known and should not be used on any network-accessible server.
Server options
| Flag | Short | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
--host TEXT | -h | 0.0.0.0 | Host address to bind to. Use 127.0.0.1 to restrict to localhost. |
--port INTEGER | -p | 8080 | Port to listen on. |
--watch | -w | False | Enable auto-reload on code changes (development use). |
--worker INTEGER | -n | 1 | Number of worker processes (only applies in watch mode). |
What the web UI provides
- Library management — add novels to your library, browse metadata, and track reading progress.
- Crawling jobs — submit download jobs for individual novels or chapters and monitor their status in the job queue.
- Artifact downloads — download generated e-books in any supported format directly from the browser.
- Source browsing — explore and search across all supported crawler sources.
- Configuration — adjust server and crawler settings through the UI.
REST API
The REST API is available at:| Path prefix | Description |
|---|---|
/api/auth | Authentication tokens and user management |
/api/novels | Novel library management (list/search/delete) |
/api/novel/{id}/chapters | Chapter listing for a novel |
/api/novel/{id}/volumes | Volume listing for a novel |
/api/chapter/{id} | Individual chapter data and content |
/api/jobs | Background crawl job queue |
/api/job/create/* | Create crawl, chapter, and artifact jobs |
/api/artifacts | Generated e-book files |
Port configuration
To run on a different port:Running in Docker
For persistent, production-style deployments use Docker. See the Docker page for full instructions, including a Docker Compose setup with PostgreSQL.LNCRAWL_DATA_PATH environment variable controls where the container stores its data (/data by default).