A complete Docker Compose setup for self-hosting Notesnook with all required services including the React web client.

Note: This is an unofficial Docker setup for Notesnook. For official support, please refer to the Notesnook documentation.

This setup includes the following services:

• MongoDB - Database for user data and notes
• MinIO - S3-compatible storage for file attachments
• Identity Server - Authentication and user management
• Notesnook Sync Server - Main API server for note synchronization
• SSE Server - Real-time updates via Server-Sent Events
• Monograph Server - Public note sharing functionality
• React Web App - Self-hosted web client
• Autoheal - Automatic container health monitoring

• Docker and Docker Compose installed
• Domain name with DNS control
• SMTP server for email notifications
• Basic understanding of Docker and reverse proxy setup

git clone https://github.com/beardedtek/notesnook-docker
cd notesnook-docker

Copy the example environment file and configure it:

cp env-example .env

Edit .env with your specific configuration:

# Required: Your domain
BASE_DOMAIN=your-domain.com

# Required: Instance name
INSTANCE_NAME=my-notesnook-instance

# Required: Generate a secure API secret (32+ characters)
NOTESNOOK_API_SECRET=your-secure-api-secret-here

# Required: SMTP configuration
SMTP_USERNAME=your-email@domain.com
SMTP_PASSWORD=your-smtp-password
SMTP_HOST=smtp.your-domain.com
SMTP_PORT=587

# Optional: MinIO credentials
MINIO_ROOT_USER=admin
MINIO_ROOT_PASSWORD=your-secure-password

# Build the app container
docker compose build

# Start all services
docker-compose up -d

# Check service status
docker-compose ps

# View logs
docker-compose logs -f

• BASE_DOMAIN - Your domain name (e.g., example.com)
• INSTANCE_NAME - Unique identifier for your instance
• NOTESNOOK_API_SECRET - Secure random token for API authentication
• DISABLE_SIGNUPS - Set to true to disable new user registration

Required for email notifications (password reset, 2FA, etc.):

• SMTP_USERNAME - Your SMTP username (usually your email)
• SMTP_PASSWORD - Your SMTP password
• SMTP_HOST - SMTP server hostname
• SMTP_PORT - SMTP server port (usually 587 or 465)

Automatically generated based on your BASE_DOMAIN:

• NOTESNOOK_SYNC_PUBLIC_URL - Main sync server
• NOTESNOOK_APP_PUBLIC_URL - Web application
• AUTH_SERVER_PUBLIC_URL - Authentication server
• SSE_SERVER_PUBLIC_URL - Real-time sync server
• MONOGRAPH_PUBLIC_URL - Public sharing server
• ATTACHMENTS_SERVER_PUBLIC_URL - File storage server

The web app is automatically configured to connect to your self-hosted services using the public URLs defined above. The following environment variables can be used to override the default server URLs:

• NN_API_HOST - Override the default API server URL (defaults to NOTESNOOK_SYNC_PUBLIC_URL)
• NN_AUTH_HOST - Override the default authentication server URL (defaults to AUTH_SERVER_PUBLIC_URL)
• NN_SSE_HOST - Override the default SSE server URL (defaults to SSE_SERVER_PUBLIC_URL)
• NN_MONOGRAPH_HOST - Override the default monograph server URL (defaults to MONOGRAPH_PUBLIC_URL)

Note: These variables are optional and will automatically use your self-hosted service URLs if not specified.

To use Traefik move docker-compose.traefik.yml to docker-compose.override.yml:

mv docker-compose.traefik.yml docker-compose.override.yml

To use Nginx please use https://wiki.steph.click/books/containered-apps/page/notesnook-sync-server-local-storage as a reference.