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EverReed

EverReed field guide

Read the books stored on your NAS, on the device you actually use

A NAS — network-attached storage — is the quiet workhorse of a lot of home reading setups. It is the box that keeps growing collections in one place, survives phone upgrades, and does not care whether a particular file was bought five years ago or last week. What a NAS does not do particularly well on its own is hand a book to a phone in a way that feels good to read on. That is where an OPDS-compatible server and a reading app come in. This page explains what a NAS is, why storing ebooks on one makes sense, why the standard workflow puts an OPDS server between your NAS and your reader, and how EverReed fits at the end of that chain: NAS → OPDS server → EverReed → Read · Track · Organize.

What you get

Designed around the way readers actually move.

  • What a NAS is

    A NAS is a small dedicated storage device on your local network. Instead of files living on one laptop, they live on a device that stays on and is reachable from other machines. It is where a lot of readers end up putting the ebook collection they intend to keep around for years.

  • Why readers store books on a NAS

    Capacity, durability, and independence. A NAS is designed to keep files safe over long spans of time and to make them available to whatever device wants to read them. For someone who has ever lost a library when a laptop died, that alone justifies the setup.

  • Why an OPDS server sits in the middle

    Files on a NAS are just files. A phone-friendly reader needs a catalog: titles, authors, covers, series, links to the actual files. That is what an OPDS-compatible server provides. It runs on the NAS itself, in a container, or on another machine that can reach the NAS, and it turns a folder of files into something a mobile reader can browse.

  • The standard workflow

    NAS → OPDS server → EverReed → Read · Track · Organize. Your library lives on the NAS. The OPDS server exposes it as a catalog. EverReed connects to that catalog over HTTPS, browses it like any other library source, and opens supported books in the built-in reader.

  • How EverReed fits at the reading end

    EverReed reads the OPDS catalog your server publishes, lists the books it finds, and opens supported EPUB and PDF files in the built-in reader. Reading progress, bookmarks, and highlights save to your account so they follow you across devices. Your NAS keeps hosting the files; EverReed handles the reading.

  • What EverReed does not do

    EverReed does not mount NAS shares, does not browse SMB or NFS directly, and does not host or supply any ebook files. Its role is deliberately narrow: read what an OPDS catalog publishes. That keeps the pieces cleanly separated and lets you swap either side out later.

  • Who this is for

    Readers who already keep an ebook library on a NAS, or plan to. If you want that library to be readable from a phone or tablet without giving up ownership or moving files into a proprietary cloud, running an OPDS server against the NAS and reading through EverReed is a well-worn pattern.

  • Related technologies

    Common OPDS-capable servers used with NAS setups include Calibre content server, Kavita, and Komga. The specific choice depends on what kind of files you keep and how you like to organise them. Each has its own EverReed guide linked below.

Useful details

Frequently asked questions.

Can EverReed connect directly to my NAS?

No. EverReed connects to an OPDS-compatible catalog over HTTPS. You run an OPDS-capable server against the files on your NAS, and EverReed connects to that server.

Why do I need an OPDS server at all?

A folder of files on a NAS is not a catalog. The OPDS server is what turns those files into something a reading app can browse — with titles, authors, covers, and download links.

Where should the OPDS server run?

On the NAS itself if it supports containers or apps, or on another machine on your network that can reach the NAS. The important part is that the OPDS URL is reachable over HTTPS from outside your local network.

Which OPDS servers work well with a NAS?

Calibre's content server, Kavita, and Komga are all common choices. Any server that publishes a standard OPDS catalog over HTTPS will work with EverReed.

Do I have to expose my NAS to the internet?

You have to expose the OPDS URL over HTTPS in a way EverReed can reach. How you do that safely — a reverse proxy with a trusted certificate, a tunnel, or a VPN with a public HTTPS endpoint — is up to you.

Is my collection stored in EverReed?

No. Your files stay on the NAS. EverReed streams a book from your OPDS server when you open it and does not maintain a permanent copy.

Which file formats will actually open?

EPUB and PDF open in the built-in EverReed reader. Other formats your OPDS catalog serves may appear but will not open in the reader if they fall outside those two.

Are progress and highlights written to my NAS?

No. Progress, notes, highlights, and bookmarks live in your EverReed account. Your NAS files are not modified.

What happens when the NAS or server is offline?

Browsing new titles and opening books both need the OPDS server to be reachable. If your NAS or the server on top of it is offline, EverReed cannot fetch new books from that source until it is back.

Does EverReed sell books?

No. EverReed does not sell, host, or distribute ebook files. Your library remains yours, stored on your own hardware.

Continue exploring

Keep reading

Turn your NAS into a proper reading setup.

Expose your library through an OPDS server and read it in EverReed.

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