Open-Source DevOps · benjaminjonard

koillection

Koillection is a self-hosted, open-source collection management application written in PHP that lets users catalog and organize physical collections (books, DVDs, stamps, games, etc.). It supports custom metadata scraping and runs on MySQL, MariaDB, or PostgreSQL with no external APIs required.

Talk to DEV.co Discuss Implementation

Source: GitHub — github.com/benjaminjonard/koillection

1.2k

GitHub stars

Forks

PHP

Primary language

MIT

License (OSI-approved)

Key facts

Objective fields from the source. Values we can't verify are shown as “Unknown” rather than guessed.

Field	Value
Repository	benjaminjonard/koillection
Owner	benjaminjonard
Primary language	PHP
License	MIT — OSI-approved
Stars	1.2k
Forks	54
Open issues	116
Latest release	1.8.3 (2026-06-25)
Last updated	2026-07-07
Source	https://github.com/benjaminjonard/koillection

What koillection is

Built on Symfony and API Platform, Koillection provides a REST API backend with a web UI for managing collections. It requires PHP with MySQL ≥8.0, MariaDB ≥10.0, or PostgreSQL ≥10.0, and users can build custom HTML scrapers for metadata extraction. The application handles data migrations on version updates.

Quickstart

Get the koillection source

Clone the repository and explore it locally.

terminalbash

1git clone https://github.com/benjaminjonard/koillection.git2cd koillection3# follow the project's README for install & configuration

Need it deployed, integrated, or customized instead? DEV.co ships production installs.

Best use cases

Small-to-medium team collection management

Ideal for hobby groups, libraries, or small institutions needing to catalog and share collection inventories without relying on external SaaS platforms.

Internal asset or inventory tracking

Companies managing internal collections (archives, equipment, samples) where data sovereignty and self-hosting are requirements and metadata needs are customizable.

Migration from closed collection platforms

Organizations seeking to escape vendor lock-in from proprietary collection management tools can self-host and build custom scrapers to populate their own instance.

Implementation considerations

Database backup is explicitly critical per maintainer warning—implement automated backup strategy before and during any version upgrade.
Requires PHP environment and relational database setup; no Docker configuration or container reference found in provided data, so containerization may require custom work.
Custom HTML scrapers must be written and tested; no pre-built metadata sources are available, so integration complexity depends on scraping needs.
Wiki documentation is marked as 'under construction', so expect gaps in deployment, configuration, or troubleshooting guidance.
Version 1.8.3 released mid-2026 with active commits; verify compatibility with your PHP version (≥7.4 likely, exact requirement not stated) before deployment.

When to avoid it — and what to weigh

Enterprise-grade multi-tenancy required — Koillection is built for single-tenant self-hosted deployment; it is not designed for large-scale SaaS multi-tenant operations.
Out-of-the-box metadata providers needed — Unlike some commercial tools, Koillection does not include pre-built integrations for ISBN, IMDB, or other metadata APIs; custom scrapers must be built.
Need for extensive vendor support or SLA — This is community-driven open source with no commercial support guarantees; uptime and issue resolution depend on community responsiveness and your own maintenance capacity.
Real-time analytics or advanced reporting — Koillection is a data entry and catalog tool, not a BI or analytics platform; complex reporting and dashboards are not built-in features.

License & commercial use

Released under the MIT License, a permissive OSI-approved license permitting modification, distribution, and private use with minimal restrictions (retain license and copyright notice).

MIT License permits commercial use, including modifications and redistribution, provided the original license and copyright notice are retained. However, no warranties or support obligations are included. Any commercial deployment should include legal review and backup/support strategy independent of the upstream project.

DEV.co evaluation signals

Editorial assessment — not user reviews. Directional, with an explicit confidence level.

Signal	Assessment
Maintenance	Active
Documentation	Adequate
License clarity	Clear
Deployment complexity	Moderate
DEV.co fit	Good
Assessment confidence	High

Security considerations

Self-hosted deployment places security responsibility on the operator: database credentials, network exposure, authentication mechanisms, and access control must be configured and maintained by the deployment team. No explicit security audit, penetration test results, or security advisory disclosure process mentioned in provided data. Standard web application security practices (HTTPS, strong DB passwords, input validation via Symfony/API Platform) are assumed but not validated here. Backup strategy is essential given data importance.

Alternatives to consider

Tropy (Mozilla/open source)

Open-source collection management with collaborative features and built-in media handling; different architecture and may offer more documentation, but also PHP/web-based like Koillection.

Omeka (CHNM/open source)

Museum and archive-focused collection platform with plugin ecosystem and institutional deployments; more mature but heavier than Koillection and broader scope.

Nextcloud + custom apps

Self-hosted collaboration platform with file management and plugin support; can be extended for collection tracking but less specialized than purpose-built collection managers.

Software development agency

Build on koillection with DEV.co software developers

Koillection gives you full control over your collection data with self-hosting and REST APIs. Discuss your deployment needs, custom scrapers, and integration strategy with Devco's web and API specialists.

Talk to DEV.co

Related open-source tools

Surfaced by semantic similarity across the DEV.co open-source index.

php-crud-api databasement fugue

Related on DEV.co

Explore the category and the services that help you build with it.

Open-Source DevOps Web app development API development Cloud deployment Talk to DEV.co

koillection FAQ

Do I need to migrate my collection manually, or can I import data?

Provided data does not describe import/export mechanisms or bulk data loading. Custom scraper support is mentioned, but batch import APIs or CSV loaders are not documented. Requires review of wiki or source code.

What is the recommended PHP version and how frequently are dependencies updated?

README specifies Packagist PHP badge but exact minimum version not stated in provided data. Symfony and API Platform versions not detailed. Check Composer.json or releases page for dependency requirements.

Can multiple users access the same collection, and is role-based access control available?

Not clearly stated in provided data. No mention of multi-user permissions, sharing, or RBAC in README. Assume single-user or basic multi-user model until confirmed in wiki or source.

Is there a cloud-hosted option, or must I self-host?

Koillection is self-hosted only; no managed or cloud-hosted offering mentioned. You are responsible for provisioning infrastructure, database, and backups.

Custom software development services

DEV.co is a software development agency delivering custom software development services to companies building on open source. Our software developers and web developers design, integrate, and ship production systems — spanning web development, APIs, AI, data, and cloud. If koillection is part of your open-source devops roadmap, our team can implement, customize, migrate, and maintain it.

Ready to manage your collections your way?

Talk to DEV.co Schedule a Consultation