Blinko — Self-Hosted Personal AI Note-Taking Tool

Introduction

Blinko is a self-hosted, AI-enhanced personal note-taking tool designed for fast capture of fleeting thoughts and structured notes. It combines a clean writing interface with AI-powered organization, automatic tagging, and semantic search, all running on your own server with PostgreSQL storage.

What Blinko Does

• Captures quick notes and longer-form content with a Markdown editor and instant save
• Automatically tags and categorizes notes using a connected AI model (OpenAI or local Ollama)
• Provides semantic search across all notes using vector embeddings for meaning-based retrieval
• Organizes content with hashtags, favorites, and timeline views for easy browsing
• Syncs across devices through the responsive web interface accessible from any browser

Architecture Overview

Blinko is built with Next.js for both the frontend and API layer, using tRPC for type-safe client-server communication. Notes are stored in PostgreSQL with pgvector for embedding-based search. The AI integration layer supports OpenAI-compatible APIs or local Ollama endpoints for tagging and search embeddings. File attachments are stored on the local filesystem or S3-compatible storage.

Self-Hosting & Configuration

• Deploy with Docker using a single container; PostgreSQL can be bundled or run externally
• Set OPENAI_API_KEY or configure OLLAMA_URL in environment variables for AI features
• Mount /app/data as a persistent volume for database and file storage
• Configure a reverse proxy with HTTPS for secure remote access
• Use the settings panel to adjust AI model, language, and note display preferences

Key Features

• Sub-second note capture with keyboard shortcut support for rapid idea logging
• AI-generated tags eliminate manual categorization overhead
• Vector-based semantic search finds related notes even without exact keyword matches
• Progressive Web App support for mobile home screen installation
• Daily review feature surfaces notes from the past for spaced-repetition reflection

Comparison with Similar Tools

• Memos — Microblogging-style notes; Blinko adds AI tagging and semantic search
• Logseq — Outliner-based knowledge graph; Blinko is simpler with a focus on quick capture
• Joplin — Desktop-first with sync; Blinko is web-first with AI organization built in
• SiYuan — Block-based editor; Blinko prioritizes speed of capture over structural editing
• Notesnook — End-to-end encrypted; Blinko trades E2EE for AI-powered features on your own server

FAQ

Q: Can Blinko work without an AI provider? A: Yes. AI tagging and semantic search are optional. Without them, Blinko functions as a standard note-taking tool with manual hashtags and full-text search.

Q: Is there a mobile app? A: Blinko is a PWA. Add it to your home screen from Safari or Chrome for an app-like experience with offline caching.

Q: How do I back up my notes? A: Export all notes as Markdown or JSON from the settings panel. For full backups, snapshot the PostgreSQL database and the /app/data volume.

Q: Can I share notes with others? A: Individual notes can be published as public links. Multi-user collaboration is on the roadmap but not yet implemented.

Sources

• https://github.com/blinkospace/blinko
• https://blinko.app