Kobo Downloader (Vue)

Utility for downloading purchased audiobook MP3 and decrypted epub files from your Kobo account.

How To Use

Warning

🚧 As an independently-made .exe without a paid signing certificate, Microsoft Defender SmartScreen may not recognize kbd.exe and share a warning when trying to run it. This can be surpassed by clicking More Info, followed by Run Anyway. Alternatively, you can download the source code and run it yourself with Development instructions below (requires node/npm).

Microsoft Defender SmartScreen warning

Microsoft Defender SmartScreen after clicking 'More Info'

Warning

📶 The executable will host a small web server on your computer. It is used to proxy requests to Kobo's web api and to decrypt files with Kobo's DRM.

🔑 When first launched, Windows Security may ask to confirm granting the app access to your network. This must be allowed for the application to work.

Network Access warning

Instructions for just using the executable to run the application and download audiobooks and ebooks from Kobo:

1. Download kbd.exe from latest release here.
2. Run kbd.exe (See above for expected warnings)

kbd.exe running in terminal

3. Open web browser to http://localhost:3000
4. Sign in with kobo.com username and password, and following instructions to get captcha

Sign In Page

5. Download audiobook (audio files in .zip) or books (.epub)

Audiobooks Page

Books Page

Development

Requires npm

Run

1. git clone https://github.com/PrimalZed/kobo-book-downloader-vue.git to get source files
2. npm ci to install dependency packages in this workspace
3. npm run dev
4. Open in http://localhost:5173

Build Nodejs

1. git clone https://github.com/PrimalZed/kobo-book-downloader-vue.git to get source files
2. npm ci to install dependency packages in this workspace
3. npm run build

Creates dist folder with files to run with node. Can be run with node dist/index.cjs, and the web app access at http://localhost:3000

Create kbd.exe

1. git clone https://github.com/PrimalZed/kobo-book-downloader-vue.git to get source files
2. npm ci to install dependency packages in this workspace
3. npm run build
4. npm run publish

Creates artifacts/kbd.exe file. Can be moved/shared to run from anywhere, and the web app accessed while running at http://localhost:3000.

Tech Stack

This application is built with Node.js, express, and Vue.js.

Acknowledgments

This app is latest in a line of work from others:

• subdavis' kobodl
• TnS-hun's kobo-book-downloader
• Physisticated's obok.py

TODO

• Replace pkg with node single executable app: https://nodejs.org/api/single-executable-applications.html
  • Having trouble with all dependencies in single file during snapshot: depd throws 'callSite.getFileName is not a function'
    • Try webpack instead of rollup? Other rollup plugins to better encapsulate dependencies?
    • Maybe solve single-file issues with depd by dropping express? https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Learn/Server-side/Node_server_without_framework
• Electron instead of node.js web backend?
  • Not sure whether authentication would work