Flatnotes

Flatnotes is a self-hosted, database-less note-taking web app that keeps all notes as markdown files in a single flat folder. Its design principle is a distraction-free app that puts note content first: there are no folders or notebooks, only your notes, backed by search and tagging. The code is written in Vue and licensed under the MIT license.

A second principle is that your notes are never held hostage. Because they are ordinary markdown files without a database or proprietary format, you can move them to another app at any time. The only thing flatnotes caches is the search index, which syncs incrementally on every search and at startup, so you can add, edit or delete files outside the app even while it runs.

Features include a mobile-responsive interface, raw and WYSIWYG markdown editor modes, advanced search, tagging, a customizable home page, wikilinks between notes, light and dark themes, a REST API and several authentication options from none to read-only, username and password, or two-factor authentication. A quick full-text search is available with the slash key. A demo resets every 15 minutes, and PikaPods offers hosting.