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+# MetaChan
+
+Welcome to **MetaChan**. MetaChan is an Anime and Manga metadata API that provides a RESTful interface for accessing metadata for various anime and manga titles. MetaChan best integrates with [MyAnimeList](https://myanimelist.net/) and uses **MAL IDs** as the primary identifier for anime and manga titles. [AniList](https://anilist.co/) is also supported partially and will reverse lookup MAL IDs.
+
+> [!WARNING]  
+> I _do not_ provide pre-hosted instances of the MetaChan API. You will need to host your own instance of the API to use it. MetaChan is provided on an "as-is" basis and fetches data from various public sources and projects, some of which may have rate limits, restrictions, and even contain pirated content. The API is intended for personal use only and should not be used for commercial purposes. I do not take any responsibility for any legal issues that may arise from using the API. Please use it at your own risk. I _do not_ condone piracy or illegal distribution of content.
+
+> [!CAUTION]
+> The API is still under **heavy development** and the `main` branch contains breaking changes. A lot of features are still missing and the Documentation is not complete. There are _no releases_ yet. If you still want to use the API, you can build it from the source code or use the [Dockerfile](Dockerfile) to build a Docker image. The API is not production ready yet and should be used at your own risk. I am not responsible for any data loss or damage caused by using the API.
+
+## Deployment Options
+
+You can deploy this API using either a [Docker](https://www.docker.com) container or by running it directly with [Go](https://go.dev). The API supports multiple database systems including [SQLite](https://www.sqlite.org/index.html), [PostgreSQL](https://www.postgresql.org/), [MySQL](https://www.mysql.com/), and [Microsoft SQL Server](https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/sql-server/sql-server-downloads).
+
+Database configuration is handled through environment variables<sup>[See: [Configuring Environment Variables](#configuring-environment-variables)]</sup>.
+
+## Local Development
+
+### Prerequisites
+
+- [Go](https://go.dev) 1.24.1 or later
+- [Make](https://www.gnu.org/software/make/)
+
+If you wish to use Docker, you will also need to install [Docker](https://www.docker.com). Additionally, you may need to install one of the supported databases if you wish to use a database other than SQLite.
+
+- [PostgreSQL](https://www.postgresql.org/)
+- [MySQL](https://www.mysql.com/)
+- [Microsoft SQL Server](https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/sql-server/sql-server-downloads)
+- [SQLite](https://www.sqlite.org/index.html) (not required, but recommended for development)
+
+You might also need to install [Git](https://git-scm.com/) if you want to clone the repository.
+
+### Building/Running the API
+
+After you have installed the prerequisites, [forked](https://github.com/luciferreeves/metachan/fork) the repository and cloned it to your local machine, start by installing the dependencies:
+
+```bash
+make setup
+```
+
+This will create an example `.env` file in the root directory of the project. You can use this file to configure the environment variables for your local development environment and database connection.
+
+Now you can start the development server by running:
+
+```bash
+make dev
+```
+
+Or you can build the binary and run it directly:
+
+```bash
+make build
+make run
+```
+
+This will build the binary and run it. The API will be available at `http://localhost:3000` by default.
+
+### Configuring Environment Variables
+
+You can configure the environment variables by creating a `.env` file in the root directory of the project. The example `.env` file contains all the available environment variables and their default values. You can modify these values to suit your needs.
+The following environment variables are available:
+| Variable Name | Description | Default Value |
+| -------------- | ----------- | ------------- |
+| `DB_DRIVER` | The database driver to use. Supported drivers are `sqlite`, `postgres`, `mysql`, and `sqlserver`. The options are **case-sensitive**. | `sqlite` |
+| `DSN` | The Data Source Name (DSN) for the database connection. This is used to connect to the database. The format of the DSN depends on the database driver you are using. Following are the DSN formats for each driver:<br><br>• **_sqlite_**: `metachan.db` or `/path/to/metachan.db`<br>• **_postgres_**: `host=localhost port=5432 user=postgres password=postgres dbname=metachan sslmode=disable`<br>• **_mysql_**: `root:password@tcp(localhost:3306)/metachan`<br>• **_sqlserver_**: `sqlserver://localhost:1433?database=metachan` | `metachan.db` |
+| `PORT` | The port to run the API on. | `3000` |
+
+### Docker
+
+You can also run the API using Docker. The Dockerfile is included in the repository and can be used to build a Docker image for the API. To build the Docker image, run the following command:
+
+```bash
+docker build -t metachan .
+```
+
+This will build the Docker image with the name `metachan`. You can then run the Docker image using the following command:
+
+```bash
+docker run -p 3000:3000 -e DB_DRIVER=sqlite -e DSN=metachan.db --name metachan metachan
+```
+
+This will run the Docker image and expose the API on port `3000`. You can change the `DB_DRIVER` and `DSN` environment variables to use a different database. The API will be available at `http://localhost:3000` by default.
+
+## API Documentation
+
+> [!CAUTION]
+> Documentation for this API is **not yet available**. The API is still under heavy development and the endpoints are subject to change. This [README](README.md) file will be updated with the API documentation once it is available.