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Rabithua

Rabithua/Rote

A self-hosted personal note-taking app with an open API, Markdown articles, optional AI memory, and data export.

Open-source alternative to:NotionMemosDay One

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What is it?

Rote is a self-hosted personal note repository. Users record short notes and standalone Markdown articles, and notes can reference articles. The frontend and backend are separate services, and the stack uses Bun, Hono, Drizzle, PostgreSQL and React. It can be deployed with Docker Compose or the Dokploy template.

The project focuses on keeping data under the owner's control. It exposes an open API for recording and retrieving data from other tools, and the data can be exported freely. Community projects extend it with a browser clipper, a Raycast extension and a CLI toolkit.

An optional Memory feature adds AI chat over the user's own notes and articles, with semantic search, related-note suggestions and streamed responses. AI is off by default, and administrators configure OpenAI-compatible providers and control access through a permission. An iOS client is also available.

Key features

  • 01Open API for recording and retrieving notes from other tools
  • 02Standalone Markdown articles that notes can reference
  • 03Free data export with self-hosted deployment via Docker Compose
  • 04Optional AI chat over your own notes with semantic search
  • 05Admin-controlled AI with support for OpenAI-compatible providers
  • 06Separate frontend and backend services that can be deployed independently

Use cases

  • Keeping a private daily log or journal on your own server
  • Capturing notes from a browser, Raycast or scripts through the API
  • Writing and reading long-form Markdown articles alongside short notes
  • Searching and chatting with your own notes using a self-chosen AI provider

Quick start

  1. 1

    Copy docker-compose.yml to your server (Docker and Docker Compose required)

  2. 2

    Create a .env file beside docker-compose.yml with VITE_API_BASE and POSTGRES_PASSWORD set

  3. 3

    Start Rote with the latest stable image

    docker compose up -d

Things to know

  • Memory (AI chat) is only in the develop image until the next stable release includes it.
  • AI features need you to configure your own chat and embedding provider.
  • Self-hosting requires Docker, a server, and careful setup of VITE_API_BASE and the database password.

Topics

#notes#self-hosted#markdown#open-api#postgresql#typescript#docker#rag#bun#drizzle

FAQ

What is Rote?
A self-hosted personal note-taking app with an open API, Markdown articles, optional AI memory, and data export. Rote is a self-hosted personal note repository. Users record short notes and standalone Markdown articles, and notes can reference articles. The frontend and backend are separate services, and the stack uses Bun, Hono, Drizzle, PostgreSQL and React. It can be deployed with Docker Compose or the Dokploy template.
Is Rote free to use? What license does it have?
Rote is open source under the MIT license. Check the license terms before using it in commercial products.
Is Rote still maintained?
Actively maintained. The last commit to Rote was on Oct 14, 2026.
What can I use Rote for?
Keeping a private daily log or journal on your own server Capturing notes from a browser, Raycast or scripts through the API Writing and reading long-form Markdown articles alongside short notes Searching and chatting with your own notes using a self-chosen AI provider
How do I install Rote?
Copy docker-compose.yml to your server (Docker and Docker Compose required) Create a .env file beside docker-compose.yml with VITE_API_BASE and POSTGRES_PASSWORD set Start Rote with the latest stable image: docker compose up -d
Where can I get Rote?
The source code and installation instructions are on GitHub: https://github.com/Rabithua/Rote

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