What is Koha used for?

Koha is a free and open-source integrated library system for managing library catalogs, circulation and patrons, developed by a worldwide community. It is a good fit for managing a school or public library and replacing a commercial library system.

Yes. Koha is open source under the GPL-3.0 licence. Its source code is on GitHub at Koha-Community/Koha and is written mainly in Perl.

Yes. Koha is open source, so the software itself is free to use.

Can I self-host Koha?

Yes. Koha can be self-hosted on your own server or infrastructure.

What are some alternatives to Koha?

Similar open-source tools in the Education & LMS category include Moodle, Open edX and Tutor. SaaS products in the same category include LearnDash, 360Learning and Absorb LMS.

Is Koha actively maintained?

Yes. The most recent commit to Koha was on 1 October 2026. The project has 593 stars on GitHub.

Koha: open-source education & LMS

About Koha

Koha is a free, open-source integrated library system, or ILS, used to run library operations. Its website describes it as a fully featured and scalable library management system, funded by libraries of different types and sizes, volunteers and support companies around the world. The code is licensed under GPL-3.0 or later.

The project publishes a release schedule, documentation, a public demo, a community calendar and downloads, and it runs mailing lists, web forums and chat for community support. Companies that offer paid support can be listed on the site. Development uses its own bug tracker rather than GitHub pull requests, and this repository is a synced mirror of the official code.

Koha is written in Perl. The community meets at KohaCon events held in different years, and the Koha Charitable Foundation and the Horowhenua Library Trust are part of its project organization.

Key features

Integrated library system for catalog and circulation
Scalable for libraries of different sizes
Public demo available to try
Documentation and release schedule published
Community and paid support options

Good fit for

→Managing a school or public library
→Replacing a commercial library system

Built with: Perl
Tags: library; ils; library-management; perl; catalog; open-source; self-hosted

Koha: questions and answers

What is Koha used for?: Koha is a free and open-source integrated library system for managing library catalogs, circulation and patrons, developed by a worldwide community. It is a good fit for managing a school or public library and replacing a commercial library system.
Is Koha open source?: Yes. Koha is open source under the GPL-3.0 licence. Its source code is on GitHub at Koha-Community/Koha and is written mainly in Perl.
Is Koha free?: Yes. Koha is open source, so the software itself is free to use.
Can I self-host Koha?: Yes. Koha can be self-hosted on your own server or infrastructure.
What are some alternatives to Koha?: Similar open-source tools in the Education & LMS category include Moodle, Open edX and Tutor. SaaS products in the same category include LearnDash, 360Learning and Absorb LMS.
Is Koha actively maintained?: Yes. The most recent commit to Koha was on 1 October 2026. The project has 593 stars on GitHub.