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📚 RanobeDB Metadata Provider

RanobeDB (ranobedb.org) is a community driven light novel database that offers extensive metadata for light novels, including titles, authors, illustrators, genres, synopses, and cover images. Integrating RanobeDB as a metadata provider in Booklore allows users to enrich their light novel collections with accurate and detailed information.

What You'll Get

RanobeDB provides metadata including book IDs, community ratings, titles, authors, descriptions, publishers, publication dates, languages, genres, series information, and cover images.

🌍 About RanobeDB​

RanobeDB is specifically useful for light novels only, it does not include manga or other book types. It is particularly valuable for:

  • Japanese Light Novels: Comprehensive coverage of Japanese light novels and authors, with metadata in English.
  • Series Information: Excellent handling of light novel series with proper numbering

⚙️ Enabling RanobeDB​

RanobeDB does not require any API tokens or authentication. Simply enable it in your settings.

Step 1: Access Metadata Settings​

  1. Open Booklore settings
  2. Navigate to the 'Metadata 2' section
  3. Find the metadata provider toggles

Step 2: Enable the Provider​

  1. Locate "Ranobedb" in the provider list
  2. Toggle the switch to enable the provider
  3. Save your settings
No Setup Required

That's it! RanobeDB is now active and can be used for metadata fetching. No API tokens, cookies, or additional configuration needed.

📊 Available Metadata Fields​

When you fetch metadata from RanobeDB, the following information may be available:

Core Book Information​

  • Title: Book title in English (if available) as listed on RanobeDB
  • Authors: One or more authors (only authors are provided, illustrators are not included)
  • Description: Book synopsis and description in English if available
  • Cover Image: Cover artwork, cover artwork is usually the original Japanese cover

Publication Details​

  • Publisher: Publishing house name
  • Published Date: Publication date
  • Language: Book language (with ISO 639-1 codes)

Identifiers & Ratings​

  • RanobeDB ID: Unique identifier for the book on ranobedb.org
  • RanobeDB Rating: Community rating (converted from 10-point to 5-point scale)

Categorization​

  • Categories: Book genre/category
  • Series Name: Book series title
  • Series Number: Position in the series (e.g., "Book 3")
Rating Scale Conversion

RanobeDB uses a 10-point rating scale, which Booklore automatically converts to a 5-point scale for consistency with other providers. For example, an 8.0 rating on RanobeDB becomes 4.0 in Booklore.

🔍 Using RanobeDB in Metadata Fetch​

Once enabled, RanobeDB can be used in Advanced Metadata Fetch Configuration.

Setting Provider Priority​

  1. Open a book's metadata options
  2. Click "Advanced" in the metadata fetch dialog
  3. Set Ranobedb as Priority 1, 2, 3, or 4 for any field
  4. Configure different priorities per field if desired

For Light Novels:

  • Set RanobeDB as Priority 1 for most fields
  • Don't use any fallbacks since titles frequently don't match, or use Google Books or Goodreads as fallback priorities
Smart Fallback

If RanobeDB doesn't have data for a specific field, Booklore automatically tries your next priority provider. This ensures comprehensive metadata coverage.

📖 Viewing RanobeDB Metadata​

After fetching metadata, you can view RanobeDB-specific information in several places:

Metadata Viewer​

The metadata viewer displays:

  • RanobeDB rating with the site's favicon
  • Clickable link to the book page on ranobedb.org

Metadata Picker​

The metadata picker shows:

  • RanobeDB ID: The RanobeDB book identifier
  • RanobeDB Rating: The community rating (5-point scale)

Both fields can be individually locked to prevent them from being overwritten during future metadata refreshes.

🔧 Troubleshooting​

If you're experiencing issues with RanobeDB metadata:

  • ✅ Ensure the provider is enabled in Settings → Metadata 2
  • 📚 Verify the book exists on ranobedb.org (search manually)
  • 📝 Use title + author name for best search results
  • 🌐 Confirm your Booklore instance can access ranobedb.org (check firewall/network)
Rate Limiting

RanobeDB is community driven and to avoid overloading their servers, Booklore implements rate limiting when fetching metadata. If you encounter delays, please be patient and try again later.

🔗 External Links​

API Information

RanobeDB API is still under development, and the Booklore integration uses available endpoints to fetch metadata. Future updates may enhance functionality as the API matures.