Introduction
Z-library was established in early 2009.
At the end of 2022, Z-library was shut down, and in early 2023, Z-library announced its return.
The history of Z-library mostly occurred within these couple of months, and this article aims to help you clarify what happened during these two months.
Once you understand this, you will have access to a 31TB digital library that will never go offline.
1. Official Z-lib Projects
Let’s first talk about the official channels of Z-library, as it has officially returned.
1.1 Z-lib Homepage
In early 2023, Z-library announced its return, but in a new way.
The new Z-library no longer has a unified “homepage”; instead, there is a “login page”. You can register by visiting https://singlelogin.me (magic is required).
After registration, the system automatically assigns you two “exclusive domains”. Save them, and then you can log in using the password you set at registration.
Registration defaults to a basic user, with 10 downloads per day; donating can upgrade you to a premium user.
1.2 Z-lib Mobile App
The official Z-library Android app has always been available, with the latest version being 1.07, but requires magic to access. (Android only)
Download: https://www.lanzouv.com/b07or2pgh
1.3 Z-lib Telegram Bots
Z-library has two official Telegram bots: the Premium bot and the Basic bot. (magic needed)
Premium bot:
The Premium bot is only available to donating users; once linked, it can be used. Address: https://t.me/zlibrary2bot
Type book title, author, ISBN, or ASIN in the chat box to receive download links.
You can download up to 60 times per day.
Basic bot:
Since the Basic bot is frequently banned, Z-library launched a personal exclusive Z-library bot; similar to the website homepage, now everyone can have one.
- Click the “Telegram bot” button at the bottom right corner of the Z-library page.
- Click https://t.me/BotFather to enter Telegram.
- Type /newbot in the chat box.
- Input the bot name (can be anything).
- Input the bot username (must be unique and end with “bot”).
- Save the generated Token and paste it into the previous webpage to complete binding.
Desktop Telegram:
If the desktop Telegram cannot receive the verification code and can’t login, you can use the Telegram Lite version.
Android Telegram:
The Android Telegram can also use third-party apps such as NekoX, which has a built-in proxy and supports direct access within China.
1.4 Z-lib TOR Browser
This method is somewhat difficult to understand.
Thanks to Z-library’s return, if you don’t get it, you can just skip it.
Basically, download the TOR browser (magic required), then open any of the following web addresses.
Address 1: http://loginzlib2vrak5zzpcocc3ouizykn6k5qecgj2tzlnab5wcbqhembyd.onion
Address 2: http://zlibrary24tuxziyiyfr7zd46ytefdqbqd2axkmxm4o5374ptpc52fad.onion
2. Z-lib Community Projects
Now let’s focus on what happened on the internet during the time when Z-library was shut down.
2.1 Zlib App
After Z-library was closed, the Android app still worked.
The domestic team Zhelper analyzed the installation package and obtained the app’s API, then built multiple mirror websites using zlib.app as the server.
Mirror websites:
https://zlibrary.ml
https://zlibrary.tk
https://zlibrary.ga (supports paper search)
https://zlibrary.cf (supports paper search)
The biggest feature of these sites is that they can be accessed directly from within China.
When downloading, the app first calls the official interface, then goes through the Zlib App download route; since it uses a public account, there is no download limit.
2.2 Anna’s Archive
Before Z-library shut down, a user named Anna scraped all the resources from Z-library.
The reason is that Z-library originated from Libgen, but she believed that Z-library’s approach of not syncing subsequent added content back to Libgen was detrimental to knowledge dissemination.
So, she released the collected 31TB of ebooks on the Pirate Library Mirror.
Later, she uploaded the resources to a decentralized IPFS network and created a search website called “Anna’s Archive”.
Address: https://annas-Archive.org
The website supports Chinese search and offers three download methods: Libgen download, IPFS download, and TOR browser download.
You can ignore the “Libgen” and “TOR browser” download options.
The main method is to download via the “IPFS Gateway”.
At this point, it’s necessary to explain IPFS.
Simply, IPFS is a decentralized distributed file system, i.e., a P2P system.
With it, Z-library no longer needs a central server, thus avoiding the risk of being shut down again; files can be permanently stored on the network.
You just need to configure the IPFS gateway to download; usually, the website has these configured.
Common IPFS gateways:
https://dweb.link
https://gateway.pinata.cloud
https://ipfs.best-practice.se
If one day these are unavailable, you can use the IPFS gateway checker tools below to substitute; the lower the latency, the better the gateway.
https://ipfs.github.io/public-gateway-checker
https://ipfs-checker.1kbtool.com
2.3 Book Searcher
Afterwards, domestically, some sites started to imitate Anna’s Archive, among which two are well-known:
https://clibrary.cn
https://bk.hallowlib.org
But these sites often overburden due to many visitors.
So some users built an index of Anna’s Archive database, allowing searches to obtain IPFS CIDs, and then download via IPFS gateways.
This project was initially called zLib Searcher, later renamed Book Searcher.
Address: https://github.com/book-searcher-org/book-searcher
Since it’s open source, many people built various search websites on it, which can be used without login and have no download limits.
Search websites:
https://zbook.lol
https://zlib.awesc.com
https://zlibsearch.1kbtool.com
https://zlib.knat.network (no gateway)
Besides, Book Searcher has been referenced to create various finished projects.
For example, a desktop client: Pake
Pake essentially packages the web page into a desktop application version of Book Searcher, supporting Windows, Mac, and Linux platforms.
Address: https://github.com/tw93/Pake/releases
For mobile apps: XLibrary
This Android app was developed by user sdsf on the Wuyou platform; similarly, its main feature is that it works normally on domestic networks, and it includes multiple routes.
Download: https://www.lanzouv.com/b07or2pgh
In other words, almost all apps tagged with Zlib Searcher, Book Searcher, and those that use IPFS to download are based on the open source projects of Anna’s Archive and Book Searcher.
2.4 Ylibrary
In addition, the Zhelper team created a major project.
Since Z-library is a foreign project, it did not cover Chinese book collections well.
So Zhelper added Superlib (the Chaoxing library) resources to the Book Searcher project, greatly increasing the number of Chinese books.
They also named the library Ylibrary.
Ylibrary uses an API interface model and is integrated into the website “Yi Book Search”, and is currently the best Chinese ebook search engine.
Address: https://search.yibook.org
3. Choosing a Z-lib Project
After introducing many Z-library projects, both official and community, how do you choose?
3.1 First choice: Z-library
Z-library’s advantage is the comprehensive collection of books in various languages and is currently the largest digital library which is continuously growing.
Moreover, the official Z-library website offers many user-friendly functions like favorites, comments, and book recommendations.
There is no reason not to prioritize the official Z-library website.
3.2 Second choice: Zlib App
If you cannot access the official Z-library website directly, the second choice is the Zlib App mirror websites.
Essentially, it is Z-library’s official library, with a book collection consistent with the official one, and its biggest feature is that it can be accessed directly from within China.
Furthermore, it provides public accounts, so there are no download restrictions.
3.3 Last choice: Community Projects
Due to the emergence of the Anna’s Archive project,
Z-library’s library before December 2022 was open sourced, together with the open-source index of Book Searcher.
Now, you effectively own a 31TB digital library that will never go offline, complemented by the Ylibrary Chaoxing book collection.
You should never worry about finding ebooks again.
| Project | Library Description |
|---|---|
| Official Z-library | Currently the largest ebook library; basic users can download 10 books per day |
| Zlib App | Same library as official Z-library, and no download limits |
| Anna’s Archive | Offline library; the collection is only updated until December 2022 |
| Book Searcher | Same as Anna’s Archive and has an open-source index |
| Ylibrary | Z-library collection + Chaoxing library; currently the best Chinese ebook search engine |