lector
Latin for "reader"
A self-hosted language learning reader. Read, practice, remember. All on your own terms.
Latin for "reader"
A self-hosted language learning reader. Read, practice, remember. All on your own terms.
Lector is a self-hosted language learning reader that combines LingQ-style reading with Clozemaster-style cloze practice, AI-powered writing correction, an LLM tutor, and direct AnkiConnect integration. Import EPUBs or web articles, click words to translate, mine vocabulary, drill sentences, and write journal entries with grammar feedback. All from a single app running on your own hardware.
Beautiful Literata serif typography with click-to-translate powered by Claude. Track word states as you read: new, learning, known.
2900+ pre-loaded sentence pairs from Tatoeba, ordered by word frequency. Multiple choice and typing modes with SRS scheduling.
Save words while reading, track known and learning states. Build your personal vocabulary database as you go.
Push cards directly to Anki Desktop from your browser. No proxy, no middleman. Just browser-to-localhost over AnkiConnect.
Extract articles from any URL via Readability, or paste text directly. Turn anything into reading practice.
Stay motivated with streak tracking, sound effects, and a hard mode for cloze practice that keeps you honest.
Optional Google Cloud TTS integration for hearing words and sentences pronounced correctly.
Claude API or local LLMs (Ollama, Llama, Gemma) for translating uncommon words and phrases on demand. Falls back to a local 2000-word dictionary when offline.
Write journal entries in your target language and get AI-powered grammar corrections with inline highlighting, explanations, and before/after comparisons.
An always-available AI tutor for asking grammar questions, getting explanations, and practising your target language. Works with Claude or local LLMs.
Track your CEFR fluency level, vocabulary growth, reading streaks, activity heatmaps, and cloze mastery. See your progress at a glance.
SQLite server-side, IndexedDB client-side. All your data stays local. No cloud accounts, no sync services, no data harvesting.
2900+ sentence pairs, full dictionary, and word frequency data. The most complete language pack.
Coming soon.
Coming soon.
The reader itself works with any language. Language packs add sentence banks and dictionaries for cloze practice. Want your language? Open a PR – adding a new language pair is straightforward.
Your reading history, vocabulary, and progress live in a SQLite file on your hardware. No third-party databases, no analytics, no telemetry.
Deploy once, learn forever. No monthly fees, no premium tiers, no feature gates. LingQ charges $12.99/mo, Clozemaster Pro is ~$13/mo. Lector is free.
The reader, cloze practice, and vocabulary tracking all work without internet. AI translation is the only feature that needs a connection.
One SQLite file, one Docker volume. Back it up however you like: rsync, borg, or just copy it to a USB drive.
# Create a directory for Lector
mkdir lector && cd lector
# Create a docker-compose.yml
cat <<EOF > docker-compose.yml
services:
lector:
image: ghcr.io/heuwels/lector:latest
container_name: lector
restart: unless-stopped
ports:
- "3400:3000"
environment:
- NODE_ENV=production
volumes:
- ./data:/app/data
EOF
# Start it up
docker compose up -dThen open http://your-server:3400 in your browser. That's it.
See the full documentation for environment variables, AnkiConnect setup, and reverse proxy configuration.