Siyuan Knowledge Management: Privacy-First Self-Hosted Open-Source Tool

SiYuan Review 2025: The Ultimate Privacy-First, Self-Hosted Knowledge Management Solution

In today's digital age, where data privacy concerns are paramount, finding a reliable knowledge management tool that puts users in control of their information has become increasingly challenging. Enter SiYuan knowledge management – an exceptional open-source solution that combines the best of privacy protection, self-hosted flexibility, and powerful note-taking capabilities. As of 2025, this remarkable project has garnered an impressive 37,729 stars on GitHub, solidifying its position as a leading privacy-first note tool and self-hosted knowledge software in the technical community.

What is SiYuan?

SiYuan (思源笔记) is a privacy-focused knowledge tool developed by the siyuan-note team, first released in August 2020. Unlike mainstream cloud-based note-taking services that store your valuable data on third-party servers, SiYuan takes a fundamentally different approach by offering full self-hosted knowledge software capabilities. This means you retain complete control over your information while enjoying advanced knowledge management features typically found in premium applications.

Built with a modern technical stack combining TypeScript and Golang, SiYuan represents the pinnacle of TypeScript knowledge tool and Golang note-taking app development. The project's commitment to open-source transparency has resulted in a vibrant ecosystem with 2,320 forks and continuous development activity, ensuring regular updates and improvements.

Core Advantages of SiYuan Knowledge Management

1. Privacy-First Design

In an era of increasing data surveillance and privacy breaches, SiYuan's privacy-first note tool architecture stands out as its most compelling feature. All your notes and knowledge bases remain stored locally or on your personal server, eliminating the risks associated with cloud-based solutions. This design philosophy ensures that sensitive information never leaves your control, making SiYuan ideal for professionals handling confidential data.

2. True Self-Hosted Architecture

SiYuan's self-hosted note software capabilities provide unparalleled flexibility. Whether you choose to run it on your personal computer, home server, or cloud infrastructure, you maintain complete autonomy over your data storage and access protocols. The project offers multiple deployment options, including Docker containers, making siyuan self-hosted setup surprisingly straightforward despite its powerful capabilities.

3. Block-Level Knowledge Management

Unlike traditional note-taking applications that treat documents as monolithic entities, SiYuan introduces revolutionary block-level management. Every paragraph, image, table, or code snippet exists as an independent block that can be freely rearranged, referenced, and linked. This granular approach transforms how you organize information, enabling more dynamic and interconnected open-source knowledge base creation.

4. Bidirectional Linking and Knowledge Graphs

SiYuan excels at helping you build a true network of knowledge through its sophisticated bidirectional linking system. By connecting related concepts across your notes, you can visualize relationships and uncover insights that might otherwise remain hidden. This feature transforms passive note storage into an active open-source knowledge base that grows and evolves with your thinking process.

5. Open-Source Transparency and Community

As a fully open-source knowledge base project, SiYuan benefits from the collective expertise and scrutiny of its global community. The transparency of its TypeScript and Golang codebase ensures no hidden vulnerabilities or privacy compromises, while community contributions continuously enhance functionality and security. This open development model has fostered a loyal user base and rapid innovation cycle.

Technical Architecture: The Power of TypeScript and Golang

SiYuan's technical foundation represents a thoughtful combination of modern programming languages and architectural principles. The frontend leverages TypeScript to deliver a responsive and intuitive user interface, while the backend utilizes Golang for robust performance and efficient resource management. This dual-language approach results in a siyuan Golang TypeScript application that offers both exceptional user experience and server-side reliability.

The project's modular architecture includes several complementary repositories:

• Lute: A powerful Markdown engine that forms the editing core
• Chrome Extension: For seamless web content clipping
• Mobile Applications: Native Android, iOS, and HarmonyOS clients
• Bazaar: A community-driven marketplace for plugins and extensions
• Riff: Spaced repetition system for effective knowledge retention

This ecosystem approach ensures that SiYuan can adapt to diverse use cases while maintaining a cohesive user experience across platforms.

Getting Started with SiYuan Self-Hosted Setup

Setting up your own SiYuan instance is surprisingly straightforward, thanks to the project's comprehensive documentation and deployment options:

Desktop Installation

For individual users, the simplest approach is to download the pre-built application for Windows, macOS, or Linux from the official website or GitHub releases page. This option provides a complete privacy-first note tool experience with minimal technical overhead.

Docker Deployment

For self-hosted server deployment, Docker offers an efficient solution:

docker run -d \
  -v /siyuan/workspace:/siyuan/workspace \
  -p 6806:6806 \
  -e PUID=1001 -e PGID=1002 \
  b3log/siyuan \
  --workspace=/siyuan/workspace/ \
  --accessAuthCode=your_secure_code

This command creates a containerized instance with persistent storage, ensuring your data remains safe even if the container is updated or restarted. The access authorization code adds an additional layer of security for remote access.

Docker Compose for Advanced Setups

For more complex deployments, Docker Compose provides greater configuration flexibility:

version: "3.9"
services:
  siyuan:
    image: b3log/siyuan
    command: ['--workspace=/siyuan/workspace/', '--accessAuthCode=${AuthCode}']
    ports:
      - 6806:6806
    volumes:
      - /siyuan/workspace:/siyuan/workspace
    restart: unless-stopped
    environment:
      - TZ=Asia/Shanghai
      - PUID=1001
      - PGID=1002

This method simplifies maintenance and allows integration with other self-hosted services like reverse proxies for enhanced security.

User Experience: Beyond Ordinary Note-Taking

SiYuan's interface balances power with usability, offering an experience that grows with your expertise. New users will appreciate the familiar Markdown editing experience and intuitive organization tools, while power users can leverage advanced features like:

• Block Ref and Embed: Seamlessly reference or embed content across notes
• SQL Query Integration: Advanced data manipulation within your knowledge base
• Multi-tab Editing and Split Views: Compare and cross-reference information
• Template System: Standardize recurring document structures
• Flashcard Spaced Repetition: Transform notes into effective learning tools
• PDF Annotation: Integrate and annotate PDF documents directly into your knowledge base

Despite its extensive capabilities, SiYuan maintains responsive performance even with large documents containing thousands of words and embedded media. The software's efficient resource management ensures smooth operation across various hardware configurations.

Practical Applications and Use Cases

1. Academic Research Management

For researchers and academics, SiYuan's block-level organization and bidirectional linking create the perfect environment for literature reviews, experiment notes, and thesis development. The ability to connect concepts across papers and projects fosters interdisciplinary thinking and accelerates discovery.

2. Software Development Knowledge Base

Developers will appreciate SiYuan's code block support, syntax highlighting, and technical documentation capabilities. The TypeScript knowledge tool foundation resonates particularly well with developers, who can build personal or team knowledge bases that grow with their technical expertise.

3. Business Documentation System

Teams can leverage SiYuan's self-hosted knowledge software to create internal wikis, project documentation, and process guides that remain secure and accessible. The granular permission system ensures appropriate access control while maintaining collaborative capabilities.

4. Personal Knowledge Management

For individual users, SiYuan transforms note-taking into a powerful personal knowledge system. Whether you're organizing ideas, planning projects, or building a second brain, the software adapts to your unique workflow rather than forcing you into predefined structures.

Considerations and Limitations

While SiYuan represents a significant advancement in knowledge management, potential users should consider:

1. Learning Curve: The block-based paradigm and extensive features require investment in learning, though the payoff is substantial.

2. Mobile Experience: While native apps exist for major platforms, the mobile interface is less fully featured than the desktop version.

3. Synchronization: Unlike cloud-native solutions, synchronization between devices requires additional setup, though this is inherent to the self-hosted philosophy.

4. Ecosystem Maturity: While growing rapidly, SiYuan's plugin ecosystem is not yet as extensive as some commercial alternatives.

Conclusion: SiYuan – Redefining Personal Knowledge Management

In an era where data privacy and digital sovereignty are increasingly valued, SiYuan stands out as a beacon of user-centric design and technical excellence. This privacy-first note tool and self-hosted knowledge software solution delivers capabilities that rival or exceed commercial alternatives while respecting your fundamental right to data ownership.

The project's commitment to open-source principles, combined with its innovative block-level architecture and powerful technical foundation in TypeScript and Golang, positions SiYuan as more than just a note-taking application—it's a comprehensive open-source knowledge base platform that evolves with your needs.

Whether you're an academic, developer, business professional, or simply someone who values organized thinking and data privacy, SiYuan offers a transformative approach to knowledge management. Its active development community and impressive feature set ensure that it will remain at the forefront of personal knowledge tools for years to come.

For those ready to take control of their digital knowledge while enjoying powerful organization capabilities, SiYuan represents the future of knowledge management—one block at a time.

Ready to transform your thinking? Explore the official SiYuan GitHub repository and begin your journey with this exceptional open-source knowledge management solution.