Browser PWA vs native Android OPDS client
Both Komga and Kavita include built-in web readers that work inside Chrome or Firefox on Android. For reading on the couch over home Wi-Fi, the web UI is fine.
The browser starts hurting in three places: when you step onto a plane or subway without a VPN tunnel back to your NAS, when you want long-strip manhwa auto-scroll or hardware volume-key page turns without browser chrome popping in, and when you read across both a self-hosted NAS and online catalogs in one shelf. That is what OPDS plus the OPDS-PSE page-streaming extension solves.
| Server | Catalog URL to paste in Android client | Authentication | OPDS-PSE page streaming |
|---|---|---|---|
| Komga | http(s)://host:25600/opds/v1.2/catalog | HTTP Basic Auth (Komga login email + password) | Supported on v1.2 feed |
| Kavita | http(s)://host:5000/api/opds/<api-key> | Token embedded in URL path (leave user/pass blank or any) | Enabled by default (OPDS-PS) |
The HTTP 401 cover bug we hit on Komga (and fixed in 0.2.1)
When we first tested our OPDS client against Kavita, every series cover rendered on the first try. When we pointed the exact same build at a password-protected Komga 1.28.0 container, the XML feed parsed, series titles listed, page streaming worked, and every single cover thumbnail showed a blank placeholder.
The difference came down to how the two servers authenticate image sub-resources:
- Kavita puts the API key inside the path. Every
<link rel="http://opds-spec.org/image/thumbnail">in Kavita's Atom XML carries the user's secret token in the URL itself, so an unauthenticated Coil image request succeeds. - Komga uses HTTP Basic Auth on every route. Komga's thumbnail links look like
/opds/v1.2/books/0H.../thumbnailwith no token in the query string. Our XML fetcher attached theAuthorization: Basic ...header, but handed the bare image URL to the UI layer without the catalog's credential context. Komga answered every cover fetch with401 Unauthorized.
We fixed this in Easemic 0.2.1 (and added Easemic to the Komga OPDS documentation) by scoping catalog credentials to thumbnail and page-stream requests alike. If you use another Android OPDS reader and see missing covers on Komga, check whether it forwards Basic Auth headers to image loaders.
Step-by-step: connect Komga or Kavita in Easemic
Easemic is a free, open-source (Apache-2.0) Android comic reader. To add your home server:
- Download and install the APK from easemic.com or GitHub Releases.
- Open the Browse tab and add an OPDS catalog source.
- For Komga, enter
http://<your-nas-ip>:25600/opds/v1.2/catalog(or your HTTPS reverse-proxy domain) and your Komga account email and password. - For Kavita, copy the personal OPDS URL from Kavita's web settings and paste it in.
- Browse libraries, search via OpenSearch, or tap any issue to stream pages immediately over OPDS-PSE without waiting for a full CBZ download.
Reading away from home without opening router ports
Both Komga and Kavita warn against exposing unencrypted HTTP ports on your router. If you do not want to maintain a reverse proxy or keep Tailscale running on your phone battery all day, you have two offline-friendly options in Easemic:
- Download to phone. Tap Download on any book while on home Wi-Fi. The pages sit in local storage and read offline anywhere.
- Collect to your cloud bucket. Connect Cloudflare R2, Bunny Storage, Backblaze B2 or a WebDAV drive once, then tap Collect on the series you are actively reading. Easemic pulls the pages from your NAS over LAN and mirrors them into your cloud shelf so you can stream them on cellular data without touching your home network.
Still deciding which server to deploy on Docker or Synology? Read our side-by-side Kavita vs Komga comparison.
Questions people ask
Does Komga or Kavita have an official Android app?
Neither project ships a dedicated native Android reader in Google Play. Both servers publish responsive web readers and expose OPDS catalogs (with the OPDS-PSE page streaming extension) so native Android apps like Easemic, Mihon or Librera can browse, stream and download from them.
Which Komga OPDS URL should I enter on Android?
Use the OPDS v1.2 endpoint: http(s)://your-server:25600/opds/v1.2/catalog with your Komga email and password. Komga’s v1.2 feed supports both OpenSearch series queries and OPDS-PSE 1.2 page-by-page streaming.
Where do I find my Kavita OPDS URL?
In Kavita’s web interface, open User Settings → Preferences (or Account) and copy the personal OPDS URL. Kavita embeds your user API token directly in that URL path, so you do not need a separate username and password.
Why were cover thumbnails blank on Komga OPDS feeds before Easemic 0.2.1?
Komga protects cover thumbnail endpoints (/opds/v1.2/books/{id}/thumbnail) with HTTP Basic authentication, whereas Kavita embeds the auth token in the URL. Before Easemic 0.2.1, the feed XML parser sent Basic headers but the UI image loader fetched thumbnail URLs anonymously, getting HTTP 401. Easemic 0.2.1 attaches catalog credentials to every thumbnail request.
Can I read Komga or Kavita comics when I am away from my home Wi-Fi?
Yes, in two ways. You can put Tailscale or a reverse proxy with HTTPS in front of your server, or you can tap Download or Collect in Easemic while on Wi-Fi. Downloaded comics read offline on the phone, and collected comics sync to your cloud bucket (R2, Bunny, WebDAV, Drive) so they stay reachable anywhere without opening ports on your home router.