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Last Updated: 08-21-2026 10:09 AM (UTC)

SiYuan

Backed by over 45,000 GitHub stars and described as the tool that replaces Notion, Evernote, and Anki in a single Docker container, SiYuan is the privacy-first knowledge management system where every paragraph, heading, and list item is a uniquely addressable content block. The block-level architecture enables bidirectional links, transclusion embeds, and SQL query blocks that dynamically aggregate content across your entire workspace, while the knowledge graph visualization maps relationship networks between documents and blocks. Built-in databases support table views with relation and rollup columns, filter composition, sorting, and template-based calculations for structured data management alongside freeform notes. The FSRS spaced repetition engine turns any content block into a flashcard with scientifically calibrated review scheduling, eliminating the need for separate memorization tools. AI integration connects to OpenAI-compatible APIs for writing assistance, translation, summarization, and Q&A chat, with semantic search using embeddings and reranking for intelligent content retrieval. The Bazaar community marketplace delivers plugins, themes, templates, and widgets through a managed extension system with TypeScript plugin APIs. End-to-end encrypted synchronization works across S3-compatible storage, WebDAV servers, or SiYuan's own cloud service, while Tesseract OCR extracts searchable text from images and the web clipper captures pages from Chrome, Edge, and Firefox. Export targets include Markdown with assets, PDF, Word, and HTML. Running on a dedicated VPS on RepoCloud with guaranteed CPU, RAM, and SSD, full root SSH access, and a browser serial console. AGPL-3.0 licensed.

SiYuan
SiYuan
SiYuan
SiYuan
SiYuan

Benefits

  • Block-Level Knowledge Architecture
  • Every paragraph, heading, and list item gets a unique ID enabling bidirectional links, transclusion embeds, and SQL query blocks that aggregate content across notebooks dynamically.
  • Built-In Spaced Repetition
  • Turn any content block into a flashcard using the FSRS algorithm with scientifically calibrated review scheduling, replacing dedicated tools like Anki without leaving your notes.
  • End-to-End Encrypted Sync
  • Synchronize across devices through S3-compatible storage, WebDAV servers, or SiYuan Cloud with full end-to-end encryption ensuring only you can read your synced data.
  • Extensible Bazaar Marketplace
  • Install community-developed plugins, themes, templates, and widgets through the Bazaar marketplace with a TypeScript plugin API for deep integration into the editor and kernel.

Features

  • Bidirectional Block Links
  • Reference and embed any content block across documents with automatic backlink panels, graph visualization, and mention discovery for knowledge network building.
  • Native Database Engine
  • Table views with relation columns, rollups, filter composition, sorting, and template-based calculations for structured data alongside freeform notes.
  • AI Writing Assistant
  • OpenAI-compatible API integration for writing continuation, translation, summarization, brainstorming, grammar correction, and semantic search with embeddings and reranking.
  • Web Clipper and OCR
  • Browser extensions for Chrome, Edge, and Firefox capture pages as editable blocks, while Tesseract OCR extracts searchable text from images and PDF annotations.
  • Docker Self-Hosted Deployment
  • Deploy via Docker image with access code authentication, serving multiple users through the built-in web interface with multi-tab split-screen editing.