Zen

Zen is a simple, lightweight self-hosted notes application designed for fast writing and long-term portability. Notes are stored as standard Markdown files with a local SQLite database for indexing and search.

Key Features

• Single Go binary deployment (or Docker Compose) with very low resource usage
• Notes stored as Markdown with a local SQLite database
• Full-text search with BM25 ranking across titles and content
• Flexible tagging and custom views (“Focus Modes”) instead of rigid folder structures
• Rich Markdown support (tables, code blocks, task lists, highlights, and more)
• Templates and pinned notes for faster capture and organization
• Archive and soft delete with restore capability
• Import/export for portability (Markdown, JSON, and referenced images)
• Responsive, mobile-friendly UI with PWA support, dark mode, and offline reading
• Experimental features: canvas view (JSON Canvas) and MCP server for searching/reading notes

Use Cases

• Personal knowledge management with portable Markdown-based storage
• Fast searchable note-taking for developers, students, and researchers
• Lightweight notes service for homelabs or low-resource servers

Limitations and Considerations

• Some capabilities (canvas, MCP server, semantic/similar-image features) are experimental and may change
• Automated backups are handled via a separate companion tool rather than built in

Zen focuses on a clean interface, minimal dependencies, and future-proof storage so your notes remain accessible and easy to migrate. It’s a good fit for users who want a self-contained, low-ops notes app without proprietary formats.