Memos — Open Source Self-Hosted Note-Taking Tool

What Memos Does

Memos focuses on frictionless note capture:

• Quick Capture: Twitter-like compose box for instant note creation with Markdown formatting
• Tag System: Organize notes with #tags that auto-generate a tag tree for browsing
• Timeline View: Chronological feed of all memos with search and filter capabilities
• Markdown Native: Full Markdown support with code blocks, tables, task lists, and LaTeX math
• Media Support: Attach images, files, and embed links with preview cards
• API & Webhooks: RESTful API for automation and integration with other tools
• Multi-user: Self-hosted with user management and visibility controls (public/protected/private)

Architecture

┌──────────────┐     ┌──────────────┐     ┌──────────────┐
│  Web UI      │────▶│  Memos       │────▶│  SQLite /    │
│  (React)     │     │  Server (Go) │     │  PostgreSQL  │
└──────────────┘     └──────────────┘     └──────────────┘

Memos uses SQLite by default for zero-configuration deployment, with PostgreSQL support for larger installations.

Self-Hosting Options

Docker (Simplest)

docker run -d 
  --name memos 
  -p 5230:5230 
  -v memos-data:/var/opt/memos 
  neosmemo/memos:stable

Docker Compose

services:
  memos:
    image: neosmemo/memos:stable
    container_name: memos
    ports:
      - "5230:5230"
    volumes:
      - ./memos-data:/var/opt/memos
    restart: unless-stopped

With PostgreSQL

services:
  memos:
    image: neosmemo/memos:stable
    environment:
      MEMOS_DRIVER: postgres
      MEMOS_DSN: postgresql://memos:memos@db:5432/memos?sslmode=disable
    ports:
      - "5230:5230"
    depends_on:
      - db

  db:
    image: postgres:16-alpine
    environment:
      POSTGRES_USER: memos
      POSTGRES_PASSWORD: memos
      POSTGRES_DB: memos
    volumes:
      - pg-data:/var/lib/postgresql/data

volumes:
  pg-data:

Key Features

Markdown Editor

Memos supports full GitHub-Flavored Markdown:

# Meeting Notes 2024-01-15

## Action Items

- [x] Review PR #123
- [ ] Update documentation
- [ ] Schedule follow-up

## Code Snippet

```python
def process_data(items):
    return [transform(i) for i in items]

Important: Deadline is Friday #work #urgent

### Tag-Based Organization

Tags are first-class citizens in Memos:
- Use `#tag` inline in any memo
- Nested tags with `#parent/child` syntax
- Tag tree sidebar for browsing
- Filter by multiple tags simultaneously

### API Integration

```bash
# Create a memo via API
curl -X POST http://localhost:5230/api/v1/memos 
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_TOKEN" 
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" 
  -d '{"content": "Quick thought from CLI #idea"}'

# List memos
curl http://localhost:5230/api/v1/memos 
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_TOKEN"

Telegram Bot Integration

Memos can connect to a Telegram bot to capture notes directly from Telegram messages — perfect for mobile quick capture.

Memos vs Alternatives

FAQ

Q: Is Memos good for knowledge management? A: Memos is better suited for quick captures and fragmented knowledge. If you need bi-directional links and graph views, pair it with Obsidian — Memos for quick capture, Obsidian for deep organization.

Q: How do I back up data? A: In SQLite mode, just back up the /var/opt/memos directory (which contains the database and uploaded files). You can also export all memos as JSON via the API.

Q: Is there a mobile app? A: Memos is a PWA — add it to your home screen from a mobile browser for a near-native experience. Community iOS and Android clients are also available (Moe Memos, MoeMemos).