> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.reader.dev/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](/home/introduction), 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 title="reader on GitHub →" href="https://github.com/vakra-dev/reader" horizontal icon="github">
  Full source, issues, Dockerfile, and examples.
</Card>

## 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

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Installation" icon="download" href="/self-hosted/getting-started/installation">
    Install the package and its system dependencies.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Quickstart" icon="bolt" href="/self-hosted/getting-started/quickstart">
    Make your first scrape in 60 seconds.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Examples" icon="code" href="/self-hosted/getting-started/examples">
    Real runnable examples for every feature.
  </Card>

  <Card title="API Reference" icon="book" href="/self-hosted/api-reference/reader-client">
    Full type reference for every option and result.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>