Alexandrie
đź“š The open-source, offline-first Notion, Obsidian & Confluence alternative. Advanced Markdown, multi-tenant teams, OIDC/SSO, and local S3 backups. Deploy in one command.
What is it?
What it is
A self-hosted, open-source knowledge base and wiki with an extended Markdown editor.
Why it exists
To provide a free, self-hosted alternative to proprietary note‑taking tools like Notion, Confluence, and Obsidian, enabling offline‑first, collaborative knowledge management with full data ownership.
Who should use it
Individuals and teams seeking a self-hosted, open-source knowledge base with advanced Markdown, offline support, and team collaboration features; ideal for developers, technical writers, and organizations wanting data sovereignty and Notion-like experience.
Who should avoid it
Users who prefer fully managed SaaS solutions, lack Docker or server administration experience, or need only simple note-taking without self-hosting overhead.
How it works
A quick walkthrough in plain English
How Alexandrie works
Step 1 of 3
You interact with it
Open Alexandrie, send a request, or connect it to your stack.
Features
Advantages
- Open‑source and MIT licensed, enabling community contributions and transparency
- Self‑hosted with full data sovereignty and no external analytics
- Offline‑first PWA allows use on any device without internet
- Rich Markdown features support technical and academic writing
- Granular permissions enable secure collaboration across teams
- Easy deployment with Docker and docker‑compose
- Built‑in SSO and backup/restore reduce operational overhead
- Extensible via snippet manager and diagram editor
- Supports modern storage backends (S3, MinIO, etc.)
- Cross‑platform accessibility via web and PWA
- Command‑center speeds navigation and workflow
- Enterprise‑grade features (invitation codes, custom scopes, audit tables)
Disadvantages
- Requires Docker and some technical setup for deployment
- Learning curve for advanced Markdown and custom containers
- Limited plugin ecosystem compared to larger platforms like Notion or Obsidian
- Performance may degrade with very large document collections
- Feature set may still lack some niche integrations or UI polish found in commercial tools
- Requires manual configuration for OIDC providers and S3 credentials
- Backup/restore pipelines need careful management to avoid data loss
Installation
compose
# 1. Download the .env.example and docker-compose.yml files curl https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Smaug6739/Alexandrie/main/.env.example -O .env.example curl https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Smaug6739/Alexandrie/main/docker-compose.yml -O docker-compose.yml # 2. Configure environments cp .env.example .env # 3. Launch the stack docker compose up -d
FAQ
How do I deploy Alexandrie using Docker?
Download the .env.example and docker-compose.yml files, copy .env.example to .env, adjust any needed settings, then run `docker compose up -d`. The service will be available at http://localhost:8200.
What environment variables need to be configured before starting Alexandrie?
Copy .env.example to .env and edit variables such as database credentials, storage backend (S3/MinIO), OIDC provider details, and the application URL. Refer to the commented .env.example for each option.
How does Alexandrie support offline use?
Alexandrie is built as an offline‑first PWA. After installing the app from the browser, it caches assets and data, allowing you to view, edit, and create notes without a connection; changes sync automatically when back online.
Can I integrate Alexandrie with an OpenID Connect SSO provider?
Yes. Alexandrie includes built‑in OIDC support. Configure the OIDC client ID, secret, issuer URL, and redirect URI in the .env file under the OIDC section, then restart the stack.
How do I backup or restore my Alexandrie instance?
Use the built‑in ZIP import/export tools in the admin panel to export selected nodes, metadata, or the full system state. For automated pipelines, Alexandrie provides backup/restore scripts that can be hooked into cron or CI.
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