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VuFind’s ILS (Integrated Library System) driver layer is the bridge between the discovery portal and your library’s circulation system. Drivers handle real-time operations such as holdings display, patron login, hold placement, loan renewal, and fine retrieval. Each driver implements a common interface so the rest of VuFind does not need to know which ILS is behind it. You select the driver in config.ini, then configure its connection details in a driver-specific INI file.

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Selecting a driver

In your local config.ini, set the driver key under [Catalog]: 
[Catalog]
driver = KohaRest
VuFind looks for a driver class named after this value in module/VuFind/src/VuFind/ILS/Driver/. All driver-specific settings live in a matching INI file (e.g., KohaRest.ini, Folio.ini, Alma.ini) — copy the relevant file from config/vufind/ to local/config/vufind/ before editing.

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Common Catalog settings

These settings in config.ini [Catalog] apply regardless of which driver you choose: 
[Catalog]
driver                  = KohaRest

; Allow patrons to enter ILS credentials manually
allowUserLogin          = true

; Validate cached ILS credentials at login time
checkILSCredentialsOnLogin = true

; Fall back to NoILS driver if the main driver fails
loadNoILSOnFailure      = false

; How to display hold/recall links
; Options: all | availability | disabled | driver | holds | recalls
holds_mode              = "all"

; Title-level holds
; Options: disabled | always | availability | driver
title_level_holds_mode  = "disabled"

; Enable cancellation of holds, ILL requests, storage retrieval requests
cancel_holds_enabled                        = false
cancel_storage_retrieval_requests_enabled   = false
cancel_ill_requests_enabled                 = false

; Enable renewal from the My Account screen
renewals_enabled = false

; Group holdings by these fields (comma-separated)
;holdings_grouping = holdings_id,location

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Supported drivers

The Folio driver connects to FOLIO via Okapi. It supports holdings, patron login, holds, renewals, and fines.
; config.ini
[Catalog]
driver = Folio

; local/config/vufind/Folio.ini
[API]
; Okapi base URL
base_url = https://okapi.myuniversity.edu:9130
username = vufind_service_account
password = secret
; Use password_file to avoid storing credentials in this file:
;password_file = /etc/vufind/folio_password
tenant   = myinstitution

; Use the legacy /authn/login endpoint (pre-Poppy releases)
legacy_authentication = true

; Cache a single API token shared across all user sessions
global_token_cache = true

[IDs]
; Which FOLIO identifier to use as VuFind's bib record ID
; Options: instance (default) | hrid
type = instance
For FOLIO Poppy and later, set legacy_authentication = false to use the more secure /auth/login-with-expiry endpoint, which issues short-lived tokens.
The Alma driver connects to Ex Libris Alma via its REST APIs using an API key.
; config.ini
[Catalog]
driver = Alma

; local/config/vufind/Alma.ini
[Catalog]
; Alma API base URL (use the region closest to your server)
apiBaseUrl = "https://api-eu.hosted.exlibrisgroup.com/almaws/v1"
apiKey     = "your-api-key"
http_timeout = 30

; Patron login method
; Options:
;   vufind   - Retrieve patron from Alma without password (use with AlmaDatabase auth)
;   password - Alma internal user password authentication
;   email    - Passwordless login via emailed authentication link
;loginMethod = vufind

[Holds]
HMACKeys            = id:item_id:holdings_id
defaultRequiredDate = 0:1:0
extraHoldFields     = comments:requiredByDate:pickUpLocation
When using loginMethod = vufind, set method = AlmaDatabase in config.ini [Authentication] so that patron lookups use Alma as the authoritative source while VuFind manages local user records.
; config.ini
[Catalog]
driver = SierraRest
Configure credentials and base URL in local/config/vufind/SierraRest.ini. The driver uses Sierra’s REST API (v5+) and supports holds, renewals, fines, and patron login.
The Koha driver provides basic holdings lookup via direct database access. It is retained for backwards compatibility but KohaRest is preferred for new installations.
[Catalog]
driver = Koha
KohaILSDI provides additional features over the basic Koha driver using Koha’s ILS-DI API. Consider KohaRest instead for full feature coverage.
[Catalog]
driver = KohaILSDI
  • Voyager — database-only access for Voyager 6+
  • VoyagerRestful — adds hold placement and renewal via Voyager 7+ RESTful web services
[Catalog]
driver = VoyagerRestful
The Symphony driver uses SirsiDynix native APIs. Unicorn is a variant that requires installing the VuFind-Unicorn connector on your Symphony server.
[Catalog]
driver = Symphony

[Catalog]
driver = Evergreen
Evergreen support uses the OpenSRF/Evergreen web services. Configure connection details in local/config/vufind/Evergreen.ini.
The DAIA driver integrates with any system that exposes a DAIA (Document Availability Information API) endpoint.
[Catalog]
driver = DAIA
PAIA (Patron Account Information API) is a JSON-based patron services API. It is commonly used with open-source systems exposing PAIA endpoints.
[Catalog]
driver = PAIA

[Catalog]
driver = Polaris
Configure Polaris API endpoint and credentials in local/config/vufind/Polaris.ini.
[Catalog]
driver = Aleph
Configure the X-Server URL and related settings in local/config/vufind/Aleph.ini.
[Catalog]
driver = GeniePlus
The XCNCIP2 driver connects via the XC NCIP Toolkit v2.x protocol, enabling VuFind to work with any ILS that supports NCIP.
[Catalog]
driver = XCNCIP2
These drivers provide basic support for NewGenLib and Amicus library systems respectively.
[Catalog]
driver = NewGenLib
; or
driver = Amicus

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NoILS driver

Use NoILS when you have no ILS, when your ILS is undergoing maintenance, or when you want to deploy VuFind with metadata-only functionality. 
; config.ini
[Catalog]
driver = NoILS

; local/config/vufind/NoILS.ini
[settings]
; ils-none    = VuFind has no ILS; patron services are unavailable
; ils-offline = ILS is temporarily offline; some cached data may display
mode = ils-offline

; Hide the login link when no ILS patron services are available
hideLogin = false

; Holdings source
; none   = do not show any holdings info
; marc   = read holdings from MARC record fields (configure [MarcHoldings])
; custom = use settings in [Holdings] section
useHoldings = none

; Item status source (same options as useHoldings)
useStatus = none
During ILS maintenance windows, set driver = NoILS and mode = ils-offline in your local configuration. You can also set loadNoILSOnFailure = true in config.ini [Catalog] to have VuFind fall back to NoILS automatically if the primary driver fails to initialize.

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MultiBackend driver

MultiBackend lets you chain multiple ILS drivers together in a consortial environment. Each driver handles a subset of record IDs, identified by a prefix. 
; config.ini
[Catalog]
driver = MultiBackend

; local/config/vufind/MultiBackend.ini
[Drivers]
; prefix = DriverName
inst1  = KohaRest
inst2  = Folio
default = NoILS      ; used when no prefix matches

[Login]
; Which driver handles patron authentication
defaultDriver = inst1
Records from institution 1 would have IDs prefixed with inst1. (e.g., inst1.12345), and VuFind routes all ILS calls for those records to the KohaRest driver.

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Testing drivers

Two fake drivers are available for development and testing:

Sample

Fast fake driver returning bare-minimum data. Good for UI development when ILS connectivity is not required. Set driver = Sample.

Demo

Simulates a full-featured ILS including holds, fines, and loans with realistic but synthetic data. Slower than Sample due to additional Solr queries. Set driver = Demo.
Never use Sample or Demo in a production environment. They return fabricated data that could mislead real users about item availability and their account status.

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