AppFlowy Notion Alternative

intermediate

AppFlowy open-source Notion alternative.

Overview

AppFlowy is an open-source alternative to Notion that provides a privacy-focused, self-hosted workspace for notes, documents, and project management. Originally developed as a desktop application, AppFlowy Cloud extends the platform with server-side synchronization capabilities, allowing teams to collaborate on documents while maintaining full control over their data. The platform combines the familiar block-based editing experience of Notion with the security and customization benefits of self-hosting. This deployment creates a complete AppFlowy Cloud infrastructure using four containerized services: the main AppFlowy Cloud application server, a PostgreSQL database for structured data storage, Redis for caching and real-time features, and MinIO for S3-compatible object storage. The AppFlowy Cloud service handles user authentication, document synchronization, and API endpoints, while PostgreSQL stores user data and document metadata with ACID compliance. Redis provides sub-millisecond response times for session management and real-time collaboration features, and MinIO offers high-performance object storage for file attachments and media assets. This stack is ideal for teams and organizations seeking a self-hosted Notion alternative with enterprise-grade data control. The combination provides the scalability needed for growing teams while ensuring data sovereignty and customization flexibility that cloud-hosted solutions cannot offer.

Key Features

Self-hosted Notion-like workspace with block-based document editing and real-time collaboration
PostgreSQL backend with ACID compliance ensuring data integrity for collaborative document editing
Redis-powered real-time synchronization enabling instant updates across multiple AppFlowy clients
S3-compatible object storage via MinIO for secure file attachments and media management
Multi-user authentication and workspace management with granular permission controls
Cross-platform synchronization supporting AppFlowy desktop, web, and mobile applications
Privacy-focused architecture keeping all data within your infrastructure boundaries
RESTful API endpoints for custom integrations and third-party application connectivity

Common Use Cases

1Teams migrating from Notion who need data sovereignty and privacy compliance
2Software development teams requiring technical documentation with code snippet support
3Educational institutions managing course materials and student collaboration spaces
4Consulting firms organizing client projects with secure document sharing capabilities
5Startups building knowledge bases while maintaining control over intellectual property
6Remote teams needing collaborative workspaces without relying on external cloud services
7Organizations in regulated industries requiring on-premises document management solutions

Prerequisites

Docker and Docker Compose installed with at least 3GB available RAM for optimal performance
Port 8080 available for AppFlowy Cloud web interface access
Environment variables configured: DB_USER, DB_PASSWORD, MINIO_USER, MINIO_PASSWORD
Understanding of AppFlowy desktop application setup for client-server synchronization
Basic knowledge of PostgreSQL and Redis for performance tuning and maintenance
Sufficient storage space for PostgreSQL data and MinIO object storage volumes

For development & testing. Review security settings, change default credentials, and test thoroughly before production use. See Terms

docker-compose.yml

1services: 
2  appflowy-cloud: 
3    image: appflowy/appflowy-cloud:latest
4    container_name: appflowy-cloud
5    restart: unless-stopped
6    ports: 
7      - "${AF_PORT:-8080}:8080"
8    environment: 
9      - APPFLOWY_DATABASE_URL=postgres://${DB_USER}:${DB_PASSWORD}@appflowy-db/appflowy
10      - APPFLOWY_REDIS_URL=redis://appflowy-redis:6379
11      - APPFLOWY_S3_URL=http://appflowy-minio:9000
12    depends_on: 
13      - appflowy-db
14      - appflowy-redis
15      - appflowy-minio
16
17  appflowy-db: 
18    image: postgres:15-alpine
19    container_name: appflowy-db
20    restart: unless-stopped
21    environment: 
22      - POSTGRES_USER=${DB_USER}
23      - POSTGRES_PASSWORD=${DB_PASSWORD}
24      - POSTGRES_DB=appflowy
25    volumes: 
26      - appflowy_db_data:/var/lib/postgresql/data
27
28  appflowy-redis: 
29    image: redis:7-alpine
30    container_name: appflowy-redis
31    restart: unless-stopped
32
33  appflowy-minio: 
34    image: minio/minio:latest
35    container_name: appflowy-minio
36    restart: unless-stopped
37    environment: 
38      - MINIO_ROOT_USER=${MINIO_USER}
39      - MINIO_ROOT_PASSWORD=${MINIO_PASSWORD}
40    volumes: 
41      - minio_data:/data
42    command: server /data
43
44volumes: 
45  appflowy_db_data: 
46  minio_data:

.env Template

.env

1# AppFlowy
2AF_PORT=8080
3DB_USER=appflowy
4DB_PASSWORD=appflowy_password
5MINIO_USER=minioadmin
6MINIO_PASSWORD=minioadmin

Usage Notes

1AppFlowy Cloud at http://localhost:8080
2Use with AppFlowy desktop app
3Self-hosted sync server
4Notion-like experience

Individual Services(4 services)

Copy individual services to mix and match with your existing compose files.

appflowy-cloud

appflowy-cloud:
  image: appflowy/appflowy-cloud:latest
  container_name: appflowy-cloud
  restart: unless-stopped
  ports:
    - ${AF_PORT:-8080}:8080
  environment:
    - APPFLOWY_DATABASE_URL=postgres://${DB_USER}:${DB_PASSWORD}@appflowy-db/appflowy
    - APPFLOWY_REDIS_URL=redis://appflowy-redis:6379
    - APPFLOWY_S3_URL=http://appflowy-minio:9000
  depends_on:
    - appflowy-db
    - appflowy-redis
    - appflowy-minio

appflowy-db

appflowy-db:
  image: postgres:15-alpine
  container_name: appflowy-db
  restart: unless-stopped
  environment:
    - POSTGRES_USER=${DB_USER}
    - POSTGRES_PASSWORD=${DB_PASSWORD}
    - POSTGRES_DB=appflowy
  volumes:
    - appflowy_db_data:/var/lib/postgresql/data

appflowy-redis

appflowy-redis:
  image: redis:7-alpine
  container_name: appflowy-redis
  restart: unless-stopped

appflowy-minio

appflowy-minio:
  image: minio/minio:latest
  container_name: appflowy-minio
  restart: unless-stopped
  environment:
    - MINIO_ROOT_USER=${MINIO_USER}
    - MINIO_ROOT_PASSWORD=${MINIO_PASSWORD}
  volumes:
    - minio_data:/data
  command: server /data

Quick Start

terminal

1# 1. Create the compose file
2cat > docker-compose.yml << 'EOF'
3services:
4  appflowy-cloud:
5    image: appflowy/appflowy-cloud:latest
6    container_name: appflowy-cloud
7    restart: unless-stopped
8    ports:
9      - "${AF_PORT:-8080}:8080"
10    environment:
11      - APPFLOWY_DATABASE_URL=postgres://${DB_USER}:${DB_PASSWORD}@appflowy-db/appflowy
12      - APPFLOWY_REDIS_URL=redis://appflowy-redis:6379
13      - APPFLOWY_S3_URL=http://appflowy-minio:9000
14    depends_on:
15      - appflowy-db
16      - appflowy-redis
17      - appflowy-minio
18
19  appflowy-db:
20    image: postgres:15-alpine
21    container_name: appflowy-db
22    restart: unless-stopped
23    environment:
24      - POSTGRES_USER=${DB_USER}
25      - POSTGRES_PASSWORD=${DB_PASSWORD}
26      - POSTGRES_DB=appflowy
27    volumes:
28      - appflowy_db_data:/var/lib/postgresql/data
29
30  appflowy-redis:
31    image: redis:7-alpine
32    container_name: appflowy-redis
33    restart: unless-stopped
34
35  appflowy-minio:
36    image: minio/minio:latest
37    container_name: appflowy-minio
38    restart: unless-stopped
39    environment:
40      - MINIO_ROOT_USER=${MINIO_USER}
41      - MINIO_ROOT_PASSWORD=${MINIO_PASSWORD}
42    volumes:
43      - minio_data:/data
44    command: server /data
45
46volumes:
47  appflowy_db_data:
48  minio_data:
49EOF
50
51# 2. Create the .env file
52cat > .env << 'EOF'
53# AppFlowy
54AF_PORT=8080
55DB_USER=appflowy
56DB_PASSWORD=appflowy_password
57MINIO_USER=minioadmin
58MINIO_PASSWORD=minioadmin
59EOF
60
61# 3. Start the services
62docker compose up -d
63
64# 4. View logs
65docker compose logs -f

One-Liner

Run this command to download and set up the recipe in one step:

terminal

1curl -fsSL https://docker.recipes/api/recipes/appflowy-stack/run | bash

Troubleshooting

AppFlowy client connection failed: Verify AF_PORT environment variable matches client configuration and port 8080 is accessible
PostgreSQL connection errors in appflowy-cloud logs: Check DB_USER and DB_PASSWORD environment variables match between appflowy-cloud and appflowy-db services
Redis connection timeout errors: Ensure appflowy-redis container is running and accessible on default port 6379 within Docker network
File upload failures: Verify MINIO_USER and MINIO_PASSWORD are set correctly and appflowy-minio service is responding on port 9000
Slow document synchronization: Monitor Redis memory usage and consider increasing Redis memory limits for better caching performance
AppFlowy Cloud startup failures: Check Docker logs for database migration errors and ensure PostgreSQL is fully initialized before AppFlowy Cloud starts

Community Notes

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Download Recipe Kit

Get all files in a ready-to-deploy package

Includes docker-compose.yml, .env template, README, and license

Components

appflowy-cloudpostgresqlredisminio

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