Espial

Espial is an open-source web application for saving, organizing, and searching bookmarks in a self-hosted environment. It supports multiple user accounts and stores data in a SQLite database to keep deployment and maintenance simple.

Key Features

• Multi-user bookmarking with per-account collections
• Bookmarklet for fast saving from a browser while logged in
• SQLite-backed storage for straightforward setup and backups
• Import tools for Pinboard-compatible JSON exports
• Import tools for Firefox bookmark exports
• Web UI for browsing and managing saved links

Use Cases

• Personal bookmark server to replace hosted “read later” and bookmarking services
• Small team knowledge collection for links, references, and research
• Migrating and consolidating bookmarks from Pinboard or Firefox into one instance

Limitations and Considerations

• SSL/TLS is expected to be handled via a reverse proxy
• Configuration changes in the embedded settings file require rebuilding the executable

Espial is a practical choice for users who want a lightweight bookmarking web app with a simple SQLite datastore and easy bookmark capture via a bookmarklet. It is especially well-suited to individuals or small groups looking for a maintainable, self-managed bookmarking workflow.