altero documentation¶

altero is a self-hosted synchronization server for Zotero Desktop.

Warning

altero is under active development. Use a test Zotero profile or a library you can recreate. Do not use it yet as the only copy of a library you care about.

Start here¶

I want to…	Read this
Try altero locally	Getting started
Connect Zotero Desktop	Connecting a Zotero client
Run or upgrade a server	Deployment
Look up a configuration setting	Configuration
Manage users, groups, retention or sign-in providers	Administration
Let another application reach a library	Connecting other applications
Configure outgoing email	Email
Use the browser interface	Web interface
Test synchronization with two real clients	Two-client testing
Check whether a feature is implemented	Implementation status
Understand why altero exists	Motivation
Investigate Zotero protocol behavior	Compatibility reference
Understand the database	Database schema
Work on the browser design system	Design system

Choose your path¶

I am evaluating altero¶

Read these in order:

Why altero exists — what problem it solves, what it does not try to replace, and the current limits.
Getting started — run a local test instance and connect Zotero Desktop.
What works — feature status and known omissions.

You do not need the compatibility or schema documents to try altero.

I run an altero server¶

Start with Deployment. It covers Docker Compose, source installations, upgrades, health checks, reverse proxies and the main configuration settings.

Then use:

Configuration for every setting, its default, and how to set it from config.py, the environment or Docker.
Administration for accounts, API keys, groups, retention, library moves and institutional sign-in.
Connecting other applications for registering a third-party application and giving it scoped access instead of an API key.
Email if you want confirmations, invitations, security messages or group digests delivered by mail.
Web interface for what ordinary users and administrators can do in the browser.

I use altero but do not administer the server¶

The Web interface is the main guide. It links to shorter pages for account settings, library browsing, sharing, groups and data transfer.

For Zotero Desktop setup, use Connecting a Zotero client.

I develop or test altero¶

Use:

Implementation status for the supported API surface.
Compatibility reference for behavior copied from or deliberately different from zotero.org.
Two-client testing for end-to-end synchronization with real Zotero installations.
Database schema for persistence and concurrency rules.
Design system for browser UI work.

A few terms used throughout the docs¶

Instance
One running altero server and its database and attachment storage.

Library
A Zotero personal library or group library.

Group
A shared Zotero library with members and permissions.

API key
The credential Zotero Desktop uses to synchronize with altero. Browser sessions and API keys are separate credentials.

Access token
The other credential the v3 API accepts: scoped and expiring, issued to a third-party application the account holder approved.

Instance administrator
An account allowed to manage the altero installation itself. This role does not automatically grant access to other users' library contents.