Trilium: Build and Organize a Personal Knowledge Base

Overview

Trilium is a note-taking application for people who want to build a structured personal knowledge base rather than keep notes as isolated documents. Notes can be nested deeply, placed in multiple locations, linked, searched, and organized with attributes.

It is available as a desktop app or as a self-hosted server with a browser interface and mobile-friendly frontend. This makes it useful across devices, though choosing a server setup means taking responsibility for hosting and maintenance.

Key Features

• Organize notes in a hierarchical tree, with a single note able to appear in multiple places.
• Create rich text, code, canvas, mind map, map, and other supported note types.
• Find and navigate notes with full-text search, note hoisting, and note and relation maps.
• Keep note revisions and encrypt individual protected notes.
• Synchronize through a self-hosted sync server and publish selected notes to the web.
• Use attributes, scripting, and a REST API to query or automate knowledge management workflows.
• Import and export Markdown, import Evernote content, and save web pages with the Web Clipper.

Use Cases

• Researchers and students can collect source notes and connect them into a browsable reference system.
• Writers and knowledge workers can maintain long-running notes, drafts, and project materials in one structured library.
• Self-hosting enthusiasts can access and synchronize their notes across devices using a server installation.
• Technical users can organize code notes and automate note workflows with scripts, attributes, and the REST API.

Getting Started

Download a stable release from the latest releases and run the executable for your platform. For a server installation, follow the server setup documentation. See the README for platform, Docker, and development instructions.

Alternatives

• siyuan: SiYuan organizes linked content blocks and adds databases and flashcards, while Trilium centers on a hierarchical note tree with scripting and versioning.
• ZenNotes: ZenNotes stores notes as plain Markdown files and emphasizes keyboard-first editing, while Trilium uses a hierarchical knowledge base with built-in scripting and versioning.
• cabinet: Cabinet keeps its knowledge base in Markdown files and focuses on AI agents and automation, while Trilium centers on a structured personal note tree.

Considerations

• The AGPL-3.0 license may not suit every redistribution or deployment requirement; review its terms before adopting the project.
• Server use requires installing and maintaining a Trilium instance. Synchronization depends on a sync server.
• The README lists current Chrome and Firefox versions as the supported and tested browsers for the web interface.
• The project offers many organization and automation features, so it may be more involved than a lightweight, unstructured note-taking app.
• The repository reports 670 open issues. Check current issues and release notes when evaluating specific needs.