# Bookhoard — start here

Bookhoard is a self-hosted home for the things you read and hear: your book
libraries live on your own server, you read them in the browser or on your
devices, and everything keeps track of where you are.

The moving parts, in one breath:

- **Libraries** hold your books (and your podcasts run as feeds of their own)
- The **dashboard** is your home screen — shelves that update themselves
- **Collections** are shelves you build, by hand or by rules
- **Filters** answer "which books match?" — the same rules power saved
  filters, smart collections, and dashboard shelves
- **Devices** — the Android app, KOReader on e-readers, and stock Kobo
  firmware — stay in step with the server through **sync**
- Your **profile** holds your preferences: theme, playback defaults, password

## Where to go

| You want to... | Read |
| --- | --- |
| Learn the layout: dashboard, shelves, customizing | [Dashboard](dashboard.md) |
| Browse, search, and sort your books | [Browsing your library](library-browsing.md) |
| Build shelves — by hand or with rules | [Collections](collections.md) |
| Narrow with rules, save them, reuse them | [Filters — the complete guide](filters/index.md) |
| Subscribe to shows, download, listen | [Podcasts](podcasts.md) |
| Read and annotate in the browser | [Web Reader Guide](reader-guide.md) |
| Change themes and bookshelf textures | [Themes and Wood Paneling](themes.md) |
| Edit your account, password, playback defaults | [Your profile](profile-guide.md) |
| Get the Android app talking to your server | [Android App](devices/android-app.md) |
| Use KOReader on an e-reader | [KOReader Setup](devices/koreader-setup.md) |
| Use a Kobo | [Kobo Setup](devices/kobo-setup.md) |
| Understand how it all stays in sync | [Universal Sync Guide](sync-guide.md) |
| Import from Calibre | [Calibre Integration](calibre-integration.md) |

New here? The usual path is: browse [your library](library-browsing.md),
open a book, and let the [dashboard](dashboard.md) keep track of you. Sync
comes when you add a [device](devices/android-app.md).

## A note on admins

Some screens (user management, server settings, library folders) are admin
territory; [Admin Guide](admin-guide.md) is the door, and the admin docs are
being expanded separately.

**Looking for developer documentation?** See the
[Developer Portal](../developer/development.md).