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Productivitydocker-ready1-click-deployOpen-Core🟡 Standard · ~1GB

AppFlowy: Open-Core alternative to Notion in 2026

AppFlowy is an all-in-one workspace for notes, wikis and databases, built in Rust and Flutter to stay fast even with thousands of pages. It's an open source alternative to Notion for teams who want control over where their data lives.

Core is open source, but advanced features or enterprise support may be behind a paid tier — check the license.

Alternative to Notion
License AGPL-3.077.3k starsWebsite GitHub Repository

Audit Snapshot

View notes →

  • License — Matches GitHub

  • GitHub — Active

  • Latest release — 0.14.8 · 5 days ago

  • Docker Compose — Partial

  • Production — Not production-tested by AltFreeStack

AppFlowy vs. Notion

Pros

  • Noticeably better performance with large documents
  • No artificial limits on blocks or members
  • Self-hostable with full control of your data

Things to consider

  • Plugin ecosystem still smaller than Notion's
  • AGPL-3.0: a strong copyleft license, with source-sharing obligations for covered modified versions and certain network use, under its terms

Quick Docker installation guide

Copy this docker-compose.yml, adjust the example passwords and run docker compose up -d on your server. See the full step-by-step guide →

💡 Official SaaS or self-hosted with AltFreeStack?

  • On the official cloud: $10/mo per user on Notion.
  • On your own VPS: the core is free to self-host on your own server — no more monthly SaaS fee, though some advanced features stay behind a paid plan.
docker-compose.yml
version: "3.9"
services:
  appflowy-cloud:
    image: appflowyinc/appflowy_cloud:0.18.11
    restart: unless-stopped
    ports:
      - "8000:8000"
    environment:
      - APPFLOWY_DATABASE_URL=postgres://postgres:change-me-postgres-password@postgres:5432/postgres # password must match the canonical db password below
      - APPFLOWY_GOTRUE_JWT_SECRET=change-me-super-secret
    depends_on:
      - postgres
  postgres:
    image: postgres:15-alpine
    restart: unless-stopped
    environment:
      - POSTGRES_PASSWORD=change-me-postgres-password # REQUIRED: generate a random secret before first run
    volumes:
      - appflowy_pg_data:/var/lib/postgresql/data
volumes:
  appflowy_pg_data:

🚀 Deploy in 1 command

Recommended for beginners

Copy this single command and paste it into your freshly created VPS's console (Vultr, DigitalOcean...). It downloads the script, prints it to your screen so you can see exactly what it's about to do (never a blind direct pipe), and only then installs Docker if needed, writes the files with secrets already generated, and starts everything — no nano, no pasting code blocks.

curl -sSL ".../api/deploy?stack=appflowy" -o deploy.sh && cat deploy.sh && bash deploy.sh
See what this script does →

This docker-compose corresponds to an actively maintained project — last commit 5 days ago.

This docker-compose not working for you? Report it on GitHub →

Technical profile

License
AGPL-3.0
Category
Productivity
Replaces
Notion
Tech stack
RustFlutterPostgreSQL

Under the hood

Database

PostgreSQL

Language

Rust

Platforms

Web · Desktop (Mac/Win/Linux) · Mobile (iOS/Android)

Key features

  • Notion-style block editor with databases
  • Local-first mode, works offline
  • Native apps for Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS and Android
  • Plugins and open API

Preview

AppFlowy interface preview

Public image provided by AppFlowy on its own website.

💾 Backups in 3 steps (Day 2)

As long as the ./data folder (the "volume" mapped into the container) exists on your server, your data survives any restart or container update — that's the only thing you need to back up.

1. Create a compressed backup on the server

tar -czvf backup-$(date +%F).tar.gz ./data

2. Download it to your computer

From your computer's terminal (not your server's):

scp root@YOUR_IP:~/app/backup-*.tar.gz ./

3. Restore in case of emergency

tar -xzvf backup-file.tar.gz
🌐 Connect your domain with free SSL

Step 1 — Set up the DNS

In your domain registrar's dashboard (Cloudflare, Namecheap, GoDaddy...), create a record:

Type
A
Name/Host
@ (root domain) or a subdomain, e.g. app
Content/Value
Your server's public IP

Wait 5 to 15 minutes for the record to propagate across the internet.

Step 2 — Automatic reverse proxy with Caddy

One single file, no Nginx config or manual certificates — Caddy issues and renews Let's Encrypt HTTPS on its own.

Create a file called Caddyfile:

yourdomain.com {
    reverse_proxy localhost:8000
}

Start Caddy with this command (pulls the image and runs it in the background):

docker run -d -p 80:80 -p 443:443 --name caddy --restart always -v $PWD/Caddyfile:/etc/caddy/Caddyfile -v caddy_data:/data caddy