Self-Hosted / Projects / TriliumNext Notes
TriliumNext Notes
StableSpecs verified September 11, 2026
Overview
Self-hosted hierarchical knowledge base with rich notes, relations, and sync.
TriliumNext Notes is a self-hosted personal knowledge base and note-taking application for people who want deeply structured notes, rich editing, and control over their own data.
Why people choose TriliumNext Notes
The key distinction is its hierarchical note model. Instead of treating notes as a flat list, TriliumNext lets users build a tree of notes and organize a personal wiki or knowledge base around that structure.
It is a strong fit for homelab documentation, research, project notes, and personal knowledge management when backlinks, attributes, relations, and a structured hierarchy matter more than a lightweight plain-text editor.
What you get in the stack
The official repository describes a rich WYSIWYG note editor, note hierarchy, attributes, relations, templates, scripting, search, cloning, and workspaces/hoisting. Notes can include code, images, tables, tasks, and other rich content.
TriliumNext supports desktop use and server synchronization, with official Docker assets in the repository. The server path is useful for multiple devices, but it means persistent data, authentication, upgrades, and backups become operator responsibilities.
What to know before you deploy
TriliumNext is closer to a personal wiki and structured knowledge base than to a collaborative Google Docs replacement. Its hierarchy and scripting are valuable, but they can be more structure than a casual notes workflow needs.
Do not treat sync as a backup. Keep a tested copy of the application data and verify restores. When exposing the server, use HTTPS, strong credentials, and a reverse proxy or private network boundary appropriate to the sensitivity of your notes.
The project is a community-maintained continuation under the TriliumNext organization. Check the current repository documentation and release notes before upgrades because deployment details can change.
Best fit
Choose TriliumNext for personal knowledge bases, homelab runbooks, research, and structured private notes. Compare Joplin, AppFlowy, or a simpler Markdown wiki when you need broader client sync, collaborative editing, or a flatter workflow.
Interface previews
Screenshots of the TriliumNext Notes interface.
Feature support
| Feature | Support |
|---|---|
| Hierarchical note treeThe repository and project description center the personal knowledge base around hierarchical notes. | Supported |
| Rich WYSIWYG note editingThe official project presents a rich editor for structured notes. | Supported |
| Note attributes and relationsAttributes and relations support metadata and links between notes. | Supported |
| Full-text searchSearch is part of the knowledge-base workflow. | Supported |
| Templates and cloningTemplates and note cloning support repeatable documentation structures. | Supported |
| Scripting and automationThe project includes scripting capabilities; review permissions and security before using scripts on untrusted content. | Supported |
| Workspaces and hoistingWorkspaces and hoisting let users focus on parts of a large note tree. | Supported |
| Self-hosted server syncThe repository includes server and synchronization deployment material. | Supported |
| Docker deploymentOfficial repository assets include Docker-related deployment files. | Supported |
| Real-time multi-user collaborationTriliumNext is primarily a personal knowledge-base tool; do not assume Google Docs-style collaboration without verifying the current release documentation. | Partial support |
Community signals
- Stars
- 38.4k
- Forks
- 2.6k
- Open issues
- 614
- Last commit
- 11h ago
- Latest release
- v0.106.0
- Repo created
- May 2017
Includes open pull requests
3w ago
Refreshed nightly from the GitHub API.
Alternatives
Questions
What is TriliumNext Notes used for?
TriliumNext Notes is used for personal knowledge bases, homelab documentation, research, project notes, and structured private wikis.
Can TriliumNext Notes be self-hosted?
Yes. The TriliumNext project provides server and Docker-related deployment material for running the application on your own infrastructure.
How is TriliumNext different from a simple Markdown notes app?
Its main difference is the hierarchical knowledge-base model with rich editing, attributes, relations, templates, and scripting rather than a flat folder of Markdown files.
Does TriliumNext Notes sync between devices?
Yes, the project supports server synchronization, but you must operate the server path and should keep separate backups of the stored application data.
Is TriliumNext a Notion alternative?
It can be an alternative for personal knowledge bases and structured notes, especially when self-hosting and hierarchy matter. It is not automatically a replacement for every collaborative Notion workflow.
Is TriliumNext Notes open source?
Yes. The TriliumNext repository is published under the AGPL-3.0 license.
Who should choose TriliumNext Notes?
Choose it for private, deeply structured notes, research, and homelab runbooks. Choose Joplin or another tool when offline-first multi-platform sync or collaboration is the higher priority.
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