An open-source, local-first knowledge base that merges docs, whiteboard canvas and tables in one workspace, as an alternative to Notion and Miro.
73.7K5.4KTypeScriptOtherUpdated 9 days ago
- Stars
- 38,428
- Forks
- 2,590
- Open issues
- 575
- Last commit
- 12 hours ago
What is it?
Trilium Notes is a cross-platform, hierarchical note-taking application aimed at large personal knowledge bases. Notes can be arranged in a tree of any depth, and a single note can be cloned into several places in that tree. It runs as a desktop app on Windows, macOS and Linux, and as a server that you can reach from a browser or a mobile web interface.
The editor combines a WYSIWYG text mode with markdown autoformatting, plus source-code notes with syntax highlighting. Other note types include Excalidraw-based canvases, mind maps, relation and note maps, geo maps with GPX tracks, and spreadsheet-style collections. Notes support versioning, per-note encryption, sharing to the public internet, and scripting, and a REST API is available for automation.
Synchronization is handled through a self-hosted sync server, and login can use OpenID or TOTP. The project is a community continuation of the original Trilium codebase, and existing Trilium databases can be opened without a special migration step.
Key features
- 01Notes arranged in an arbitrarily deep tree, with cloning into multiple locations
- 02WYSIWYG text editing with markdown autoformat and source-code notes with syntax highlighting
- 03Canvas, mind map, relation map and geo map note types
- 04Note versioning, per-note encryption and public sharing
- 05Scripting and a REST API for automation
- 06Self-hosted synchronization with OpenID and TOTP login
Use cases
- Building a long-term personal wiki or research archive with many interlinked notes
- Keeping encrypted private notes alongside shared notes on a self-hosted server
- Writing and organizing code snippets with syntax highlighting in the same tree as prose
- Migrating an existing Trilium database while continuing to use it on self-hosted infrastructure
Quick start
- 1
Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/TriliumNext/Trilium.git - 2
Enter the project folder
cd Trilium - 3
Install dependencies with pnpm
pnpm install - 4
Start the server (available at http://localhost:8080)
pnpm run server:start
Things to know
- Licensed under AGPL-3.0, a copyleft license that may restrict how you can reuse or distribute modified versions.
- Browser access is only tested with the latest versions of Chrome and Firefox.
Topics
FAQ
- What is Trilium?
- A free, open-source desktop and self-hosted note-taking app for building large hierarchical personal knowledge bases. Trilium Notes is a cross-platform, hierarchical note-taking application aimed at large personal knowledge bases. Notes can be arranged in a tree of any depth, and a single note can be cloned into several places in that tree. It runs as a desktop app on Windows, macOS and Linux, and as a server that you can reach from a browser or a mobile web interface.
- Is Trilium free to use? What license does it have?
- Trilium is open source under the AGPL-3.0 license. Check the license terms before using it in commercial products.
- Is Trilium still maintained?
- Actively maintained. The last commit to Trilium was on Oct 20, 2026.
- What can I use Trilium for?
- Building a long-term personal wiki or research archive with many interlinked notes Keeping encrypted private notes alongside shared notes on a self-hosted server Writing and organizing code snippets with syntax highlighting in the same tree as prose Migrating an existing Trilium database while continuing to use it on self-hosted infrastructure
- How do I install Trilium?
- Clone the repository: git clone https://github.com/TriliumNext/Trilium.git Enter the project folder: cd Trilium Install dependencies with pnpm: pnpm install Start the server (available at http://localhost:8080): pnpm run server:start
- Where can I get Trilium?
- The source code and installation instructions are on GitHub: https://github.com/TriliumNext/Trilium
Summary generated by AI from the project's README. GitHub stats refresh daily.
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