Anchor

An offline first, self hostable note taking application

Anchor focuses on speed, privacy, simplicity, and reliability across mobile and web. Notes are stored locally, editable offline, and synced across devices when online.

• Rich Text Editor - Create and edit notes with powerful formatting (bold, italic, underline, headings, lists, checkboxes)
• Note Sharing - Share notes with other users (viewer or editor)
• Tags System - Organize notes with custom tags and colors
• Note Backgrounds - Customize notes with solid colors and patterns
• Pin Notes - Pin important notes for quick access
• Archive Notes - Archive notes for later reference
• Search - Search notes locally by title or content
• Trash - Soft delete notes with recovery period
• Offline-First - All edits work offline with local storage
• Automatic Sync - Sync changes across devices when online
• Admin Panel - User management, registration control, and system statistics

1. Create a docker-compose.yml file:

   services:
     anchor:
       image: ghcr.io/zhfahim/anchor:latest
       container_name: anchor
       restart: unless-stopped
       ports:
         - "3000:3000"
       volumes:
         - anchor_data:/data
   
   volumes:
     anchor_data:

2. (Optional) Configure environment: Add environment variables to the environment section. Most users can skip this step - defaults work out of the box.

   Available options:

   Variable	Default	Description
   JWT_SECRET	(auto-generated)	Auth token secret (persisted in /data)
   PG_HOST	(empty)	External Postgres host (leave empty for embedded)
   PG_PORT	5432	Postgres port
   PG_USER	anchor	Postgres username
   PG_PASSWORD	password	Postgres password
   PG_DATABASE	anchor	Database name
   USER_SIGNUP	(not set)	Sign up mode: disabled, enabled, or review. If not set, admins can control it via the admin panel

3. Start the container:

   docker compose up -d

4. Access the app: Open http://localhost:3000

If you want to build from source or customize the image:

1. Clone the project:

   git clone https://github.com/zhfahim/anchor.git
   cd anchor

2. Start the container:

   docker compose up -d

   The docker-compose.yml file will build the image from source automatically.

Download the Android mobile app.

1. Visit the releases page: Go to GitHub Releases.

2. Download the latest release: Multiple APK files are available:

   • Universal APK (anchor-{version}.apk) - Recommended for most users, works on all devices
   • Architecture-specific APKs - Smaller file sizes for specific CPU architectures

Future planned features:

• OIDC authentication
• Media attachments (images, PDFs, recordings)
• Real-time collaboration
• Reminders and notifications

• Backend: Nest.js, PostgreSQL, Prisma
• Mobile: Flutter
• Web: Next.js, TypeScript

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch:

   git checkout -b feature/your-feature

3. Make your changes
4. Ensure builds pass:
   • Web: cd web && pnpm build
   • Server: cd server && pnpm build
5. Commit changes:

   git commit -m "Describe your change"

6. Push and create a Pull Request

This project is licensed under the GNU Affero General Public License v3.0 (AGPL v3) - see the LICENSE file for details.