Self-Host Memos: Privacy-First Lightweight Note-Taking Platform

What is Memos?

Memos is a privacy-first, lightweight note-taking service designed for capturing thoughts, organizing knowledge, and sharing insights effortlessly. This self-hosted alternative to Notion, Obsidian, and other note-taking platforms focuses on simplicity, speed, and data ownership. With Markdown support, sharing capabilities, and a RESTful API, Memos provides everything you need for personal knowledge management without the complexity of feature-heavy alternatives.

Key Features of Memos Platform

📝 Simple & Powerful Note Taking

• Markdown Support: Write notes in clean Markdown with live preview and syntax highlighting
• Quick Capture: Instant note creation with minimal friction and distraction-free interface
• Text-First Approach: Focus on content over formatting with a minimalist design philosophy
• Fast Search: Quickly find notes with full-text search across all your content
• Tag Organization: Organize notes with hashtags for easy categorization and discovery

🔒 Privacy & Data Ownership

• Self-Hosted: Complete control over your notes and personal data
• No Third-Party Analytics: Zero tracking, analytics, or data collection
• Open Source: Transparent codebase with community-driven development
• Local Storage: Notes stored on your infrastructure, not in external clouds
• Export Freedom: Easy data export in multiple formats for portability

🚀 Sharing & Collaboration

• Public Sharing: Share notes publicly with customizable visibility settings
• Link Sharing: Generate shareable links for specific notes or collections
• Social Features: Timeline view for chronological note browsing
• Embed Support: Embed shared notes in websites and documentation
• Access Control: Granular permissions for shared content

🔧 Developer-Friendly Features

• RESTful API: Complete API access for integrations and automation
• Docker Deployment: One-command deployment with Docker containers
• Database Flexibility: Support for SQLite, PostgreSQL, and MySQL
• Webhook Integration: Real-time notifications for note events
• Custom Themes: Customizable interface with light/dark mode support

Why Choose Memos Over Other Note-Taking Apps?

Memos vs Notion ($8-16/user/month)

Memos vs Obsidian ($8-16/user/month for sync)

• Simplicity: Web-based simplicity vs complex desktop application
• Collaboration: Built-in sharing vs separate sync service required
• Deployment: Easy self-hosting vs local-first with paid sync
• Learning Curve: Immediate productivity vs extensive configuration needed

Memos vs Roam Research ($15/month)

• Cost: Free forever vs expensive subscription
• Performance: Fast and responsive vs often sluggish interface
• Privacy: Self-hosted data vs cloud-only storage
• Complexity: Simple note-taking vs overwhelming feature set

Quick Deployment Options

Option 1: Docker One-Command Deploy (Recommended)

Perfect for getting started quickly with minimal configuration.

# Quick start with SQLite
docker run -d \
  --name memos \
  --publish 5230:5230 \
  --volume ~/.memos/:/var/opt/memos \
  neosmemo/memos:stable

# Access Memos at http://localhost:5230

Option 2: Docker Compose Production Setup

Ideal for production deployments with external database.

version: '3.8'
services:
  memos:
    image: neosmemo/memos:stable
    ports:
      - "5230:5230"
    environment:
      - MEMOS_MODE=prod
      - MEMOS_PORT=5230
      - MEMOS_DSN=postgres://memos:password@postgres:5432/memos?sslmode=disable
    depends_on:
      - postgres
    volumes:
      - memos_data:/var/opt/memos

  postgres:
    image: postgres:15
    environment:
      - POSTGRES_USER=memos
      - POSTGRES_PASSWORD=secure_password
      - POSTGRES_DB=memos
    volumes:
      - postgres_data:/var/lib/postgresql/data

volumes:
  memos_data:
  postgres_data:

Option 3: Manual Installation

For advanced users wanting maximum control and customization.

# Prerequisites: Go 1.19+, Node.js 16+, pnpm
git clone https://github.com/usememos/memos.git
cd memos

# Build frontend
cd web && pnpm install && pnpm build && cd ..

# Build backend
make build

# Run Memos
./memos

Getting Started with Memos

Initial Setup Process

1. Deploy Instance: Choose your preferred deployment method above
2. Access Interface: Navigate to your Memos URL (default: http://localhost:5230)
3. Create Account: Register your first admin account
4. Configure Settings: Set up basic preferences and customize the interface
5. Start Writing: Begin capturing your thoughts and organizing knowledge

Essential Configuration

1. Profile Setup: Configure your profile information and avatar
2. Privacy Settings: Set default visibility for new notes (private, public, or unlisted)
3. Theme Customization: Choose between light/dark modes and customize appearance
4. API Access: Generate API tokens for third-party integrations
5. Backup Configuration: Set up regular data backups and export procedures

Markdown Features

# Headers and formatting
**Bold text** and *italic text*
- Bullet lists
- [x] Task lists with checkboxes
- [ ] Uncompleted tasks

## Code blocks
```javascript
// Syntax highlighting support
const note = "Hello, Memos!";

Links and references

External links
#hashtags for organization
@mentions for referencing

## Popular Use Cases

### Personal Knowledge Management
- **Daily Journaling**: Capture daily thoughts, reflections, and experiences
- **Learning Notes**: Document learning from books, courses, and research
- **Idea Collection**: Quickly capture and organize creative ideas and insights
- **Reference Library**: Build a personal database of useful information and resources

### Project Documentation
- **Meeting Notes**: Record meeting minutes and action items
- **Research Documentation**: Organize project research and findings
- **Decision Tracking**: Document important decisions and their rationale
- **Progress Updates**: Track project milestones and status updates

### Content Creation
- **Blog Drafts**: Write and organize blog post ideas and drafts
- **Social Media Content**: Plan and draft social media posts and campaigns
- **Newsletter Content**: Organize newsletter ideas and draft content
- **Documentation Writing**: Create technical documentation and how-to guides

### Team Collaboration
- **Shared Knowledge Base**: Build team knowledge repositories
- **Process Documentation**: Document workflows and standard procedures
- **Announcement Hub**: Share important updates and announcements
- **Collaborative Research**: Gather and organize team research efforts

## Advanced Features & Integrations

### API Integration
```bash
# Create a new memo via API
curl -X POST "https://your-memos.com/api/v1/memo" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer your-api-token" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "content": "My new memo content #productivity",
    "visibility": "PRIVATE"
  }'

# Get all memos
curl -X GET "https://your-memos.com/api/v1/memo" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer your-api-token"

# Search memos
curl -X GET "https://your-memos.com/api/v1/memo?filter=tag:productivity" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer your-api-token"

Mobile App Integration

Memos provides a responsive web interface that works perfectly on mobile devices:

• Progressive Web App: Install Memos as a PWA on mobile devices
• Touch-Optimized: Mobile-friendly interface with touch gestures
• Offline Support: Limited offline functionality for viewing cached notes
• Quick Capture: Fast note creation on mobile with minimal interface

Browser Extensions

// Create bookmark extension integration
async function savePage() {
  const content = `# ${document.title}\n\n${window.location.href}\n\n${getSelection()}`;
  
  await fetch('https://your-memos.com/api/v1/memo', {
    method: 'POST',
    headers: {
      'Authorization': 'Bearer your-api-token',
      'Content-Type': 'application/json'
    },
    body: JSON.stringify({
      content: content,
      visibility: 'PRIVATE'
    })
  });
}

Memos Community & Support

• GitHub Repository: 30,000+ stars with active open-source development
• Community Discord: Active community for support and feature discussions
• Documentation: Comprehensive guides for setup, API, and best practices
• Regular Updates: Frequent releases with new features and improvements
• Contributor Friendly: Welcoming community for new contributors and feedback

Migration Guide

From Notion

1. Export Data: Export your Notion workspace as Markdown files
2. Content Conversion: Convert Notion blocks to Memos-compatible Markdown
3. Import Process: Bulk import notes using the API or manual copy-paste
4. Organization: Recreate your organizational structure with tags and folders
5. Team Migration: Set up shared access for team members

From Other Note-Taking Apps

1. Data Export: Export notes from current platform (Obsidian, Roam, etc.)
2. Format Conversion: Convert notes to Markdown format if needed
3. Bulk Import: Use API for batch importing large numbers of notes
4. Link Restoration: Update internal links to work with Memos structure
5. Workflow Adaptation: Adapt existing note-taking workflows to Memos features

Experience the freedom of truly private, lightweight note-taking with Memos - the self-hosted platform that puts your thoughts and privacy first.