Download Book

Examples of downloading individual books from the Shamela library

Download complete book data including pages and titles from the Shamela library.

Basic Download as JSON

Download a book as JSON:

import { downloadBook } from 'shamela';

const bookId = 26592;

await downloadBook(bookId, {
  outputFile: { path: `./book_${bookId}.json` }
});

Download as SQLite

Download a book as a SQLite database:

import { downloadBook } from 'shamela';

const bookId = 26592;

await downloadBook(bookId, {
  outputFile: { path: `./book_${bookId}.db` }
});

With Pre-fetched Metadata

Optimize downloads by pre-fetching metadata to avoid extra HTTP calls:

import { getBookMetadata, downloadBook } from 'shamela';

const bookId = 26592;

// Fetch metadata first
const metadata = await getBookMetadata(bookId);
console.log(`Major release: ${metadata.majorRelease}`);
console.log(`Major release URL: ${metadata.majorReleaseUrl}`);

if (metadata.minorReleaseUrl) {
  console.log(`Minor release available: ${metadata.minorReleaseUrl}`);
}

// Use metadata in download
await downloadBook(bookId, {
  bookMetadata: metadata,
  outputFile: { path: `./book_${bookId}.json` }
});

Check for Book Updates

Check if there are updates for a specific book version:

import { getBookMetadata } from 'shamela';

const bookId = 26592;

// Check for updates from version 1.0
const metadata = await getBookMetadata(bookId, {
  majorVersion: 1,
  minorVersion: 0
});

console.log(`Latest major release: ${metadata.majorRelease}`);
if (metadata.minorRelease) {
  console.log(`Latest minor release: ${metadata.minorRelease}`);
}

Response Structure

GetBookMetadataResponsePayload

type GetBookMetadataResponsePayload = {
  majorRelease: number;          // Major version number
  majorReleaseUrl: string;       // Download URL for major release
  minorRelease?: number;         // Minor version number (optional)
  minorReleaseUrl?: string;      // Download URL for minor release (optional)
};

Example Response

{
  "majorRelease": 2,
  "majorReleaseUrl": "https://shamela.ws/api/books/26592/download/2.zip",
  "minorRelease": 1,
  "minorReleaseUrl": "https://shamela.ws/api/books/26592/patch/1.zip"
}

Get Book Cover URL

Generate the URL for a book’s cover image:

import { getCoverUrl, getMaster } from 'shamela';

const master = await getMaster();

// Generate cover URLs for all books
master.books.forEach(book => {
  const coverUrl = getCoverUrl(book.id);
  console.log(`${book.name}: ${coverUrl}`);
});

Single Book Cover

import { getCoverUrl } from 'shamela';

const coverUrl = getCoverUrl(26592);
console.log(coverUrl);
// Output: "https://shamela.ws/covers/26592.jpg"

Download Multiple Books

Batch download multiple books:

import { downloadBook } from 'shamela';

const bookIds = [26592, 12345, 67890];

for (const bookId of bookIds) {
  try {
    await downloadBook(bookId, {
      outputFile: { path: `./books/${bookId}.json` }
    });
    console.log(`Downloaded book ${bookId}`);
  } catch (error) {
    console.error(`Failed to download book ${bookId}:`, error);
  }
}

File Format Detection

The output format is automatically detected from the file extension:

import { downloadBook } from 'shamela';

const bookId = 26592;

// SQLite format (.db or .sqlite)
await downloadBook(bookId, {
  outputFile: { path: './book.db' }       // SQLite
});

await downloadBook(bookId, {
  outputFile: { path: './book.sqlite' }   // SQLite
});

// JSON format
await downloadBook(bookId, {
  outputFile: { path: './book.json' }     // JSON
});

The library automatically handles patches. If a minor release is available, it will be applied on top of the major release.

Related Functions

• getBook - Retrieve book data as a JavaScript object
• getBookMetadata - Fetch book metadata
• getCoverUrl - Generate cover image URL