Open Source

Koha: the world's leading open-source library system

Koha is open-source, community-maintained, and free to use. KohaSupport adds the cloud infrastructure, migration, training, customization, and support to get your library live on Koha on AWS cloud.

Trusted by thousands of libraries worldwide

Built for libraries, by librarians

Koha is a complete open-source Integrated Library System — covering cataloging, circulation, patron management, acquisitions, and reporting.

Global community

Koha is maintained by a worldwide community of librarians and developers. The name comes from the Māori word for a gift — reflecting the project's open and collaborative spirit.

It's trusted by tens of thousands of libraries across every institution type.

Continuous development

  • Biannual feature releases
  • Monthly security and bugfix updates
  • Shared development and documentation
  • Worldwide support network

A brief history

1999

First open-source ILS

Koha becomes the world's first open-source Integrated Library System, developed in New Zealand for the Horowhenua Library Trust.

2000s

Global adoption

Libraries worldwide adopt Koha, drawn by its open-source model, flexibility, and active community development.

2010s

Enterprise features

Koha gains REST APIs, advanced reporting, multilingual support for 30+ languages, and a cloud-ready architecture.

Today

Koha in the cloud

Koha powers tens of thousands of libraries globally. KohaSupport helps libraries run Koha in the cloud on AWS — with migration, onboarding, and production support included.

Open-source. No vendor lock-in.

Koha is free and open-source software — but running it well in production requires infrastructure, maintenance, and expertise.

No licensing fees

Koha is licensed under the GNU General Public License (GPL). No software licensing fees, ever.

No feature restrictions

Full access to all Koha modules and features. KohaSupport pricing tiers are based on infrastructure capacity, not software features.

No vendor dependency

You can run Koha yourself, work with KohaSupport, or choose from other providers. No lock-in to a single vendor.

Full customisation

Complete access to source code allows customisation and integration with your existing institutional systems.

Data ownership

Your data is yours. Export, migrate, or back up anytime — no vendor approval required.

Community support

A global community of libraries, developers, and vendors collaborating to improve Koha continuously.

The difference KohaSupport adds: Koha is free software — but deploying, configuring, migrating data, and keeping it running on production infrastructure takes real work. KohaSupport handles that gap: from getting your library's data across, to a production-ready setup, to ongoing operations if you need them.

What Koha includes

A complete library system — staff interface, public catalog, and all core modules

All-in-one web interface

  • Staff portal for cataloging, circulation, and administration
  • Public catalog (OPAC) for patron self-service
  • Mobile-ready access with no software installation

Standards compliant

  • MARC21 and UNIMARC cataloging standards
  • Z39.50 client and server for catalog sharing
  • SIP2 for self-checkout integration
  • NCIP for consortia integration

Advanced search

  • Full-text search capabilities
  • Federated search across multiple sources
  • Custom search filters and facets

Reporting & analytics

  • Custom report builder with SQL access
  • Pre-built circulation and acquisition reports
  • Data export in multiple formats

Multilingual support

  • 30+ language translations
  • Multilingual catalog records
  • Right-to-left language support

Automated communications

  • Email and SMS notifications
  • Overdue notices and holds alerts
  • Customisable notice templates

Koha in the cloud on AWS

Koha is the software. KohaSupport is the deployment, production setup, migration, and support layer on top of it.

What Koha provides

  • Complete open-source library management software
  • All modules: cataloging, circulation, acquisitions, reports
  • MARC21, Z39.50, SIP2 standards support
  • Community-maintained, continuously updated
  • No software licensing fees

What KohaSupport adds

  • Koha on AWS cloud — fast, secure, and under your control
  • Planning, migration, training, customization, and support
  • Premium OPAC themes
  • Ongoing support, Koha upgrades, and monitoring (optional)
  • Koha runs in your AWS account — you keep ownership

All tiers include the complete Koha library system. Pricing is based on infrastructure and support — not on software feature restrictions.

View pricing

Koha on AWS — fast, secure, and under your control

Planning, migration, training, customization, and support — from planning to production