AppFlowy Notion Alternative

intermediate

AppFlowy open-source Notion alternative.

[i]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

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

[!]

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

[$]docker-compose.yml

[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

[i]Usage Notes

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

## Tags

#appflowy#notion#notes#wiki

## Category

Productivity & Collaboration

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