> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://reader.mintlify.site/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Introduction

> Run the Reader scraping engine yourself - open-source Node library, CLI, and deployment scripts.

Reader is also available as an open-source Node library you can run yourself. It's the same engine that powers [Reader Cloud](https://reader.mintlify.site/home/introduction.md), distributed under Apache 2.0.

Most users should start with Reader Cloud - it handles proxies, browser management, scaling, and billing, and starts free with 1,000 credits a month. Self-hosting is worth the extra operational overhead when you need:

* **Data residency or network isolation** - air-gapped environments, on-premise deployments, strict compliance
* **A custom fork** - you want to modify scraping behavior, add new engines, or ship patches to your own version
* **Extreme volume** - your workload is high enough that infrastructure costs beat API credits

> [card] [reader on GitHub →](https://github.com/vakra-dev/reader)
>
> Full source, issues, Dockerfile, and examples.

## Cloud vs Self-Hosted

| Feature | Reader Cloud | Self-hosted |
| - | - | - |
| **Setup time** | Instant (sign up + API key) | Install Node, configure proxies, manage browsers |
| **Proxies** | Managed pool included | You provide your own |
| **Cost model** | Monthly credits (free tier: 1,000/mo) | Your infrastructure |
| **Webhooks** | Built-in | Build your own |
| **SSE events** | Built-in | Build your own |
| **Scaling** | Automatic | You manage it |
| **Updates** | Automatic | `npm update` |
| **Support** | Discord + email | Community (GitHub) |
| **Best for** | Shipping apps fast, LLM pipelines, RAG, agents | Compliance, isolation, custom forks, extreme volume |

## What self-hosted Reader gives you

* **`ReaderClient`** - high-level API with lazy initialization, browser pool management, and proxy rotation
* **`scrape()` and `crawl()`** - the same primitives as the Cloud API
* **Playwright browser engine** - full headless Chrome with JavaScript execution and anti-bot bypass via stealth plugin
* **Proxy tiers** - standard (datacenter) and premium (residential) proxy pools, selectable per request
* **Browser pool** - recycled Chrome instances with health checks and graceful retirement
* **CLI** - one-off scrapes, crawls, and a daemon mode with shared pool
* **Pluggable config** - domain profiles, block detection, and URL rewriters are all caller-provided
* **Deployment scripts** - production-ready Dockerfile and Docker Compose setup

## Where to go next

> [card] [Installation](https://reader.mintlify.site/self-hosted/getting-started/installation.md)
>
> Install the package and its system dependencies.

> [card] [Quickstart](https://reader.mintlify.site/self-hosted/getting-started/quickstart.md)
>
> Make your first scrape in 60 seconds.

> [card] [Examples](https://reader.mintlify.site/self-hosted/getting-started/examples.md)
>
> Real runnable examples for every feature.

> [card] [API Reference](https://reader.mintlify.site/self-hosted/api-reference/reader-client.md)
>
> Full type reference for every option and result.


This documentation is built and hosted on [Mintlify](https://mintlify.com), a developer documentation platform.