explaingit

blossom-editor/blossom

3,792JavaAudience · generalComplexity · 2/5Setup · moderate

TLDR

A self-hosted Markdown note-taking app you deploy with one Docker Compose command, your notes, images, and plans stay on your own server, accessible from Windows, Mac, and mobile browsers with everything in sync.

Mindmap

mindmap
  root((Blossom))
    What it does
      Self-hosted notes
      Markdown editor
      Your own server
    Built-in tools
      Calendar and schedule
      To-do list
      Pomodoro timer
      Writing statistics
    Clients
      Windows desktop
      Mac desktop
      Web browser
      Mobile browser
    Setup
      Docker Compose
      One command deploy
      One-click export
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Code map

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Things people build with this

USE CASE 1

Replace Notion or a cloud note app with a fully self-hosted system where your notes never leave your own server.

USE CASE 2

Organize work with a built-in calendar, to-do list, and Pomodoro focus timer alongside your Markdown writing.

USE CASE 3

Export all your notes with one click as plain Markdown folders that open in VS Code, Obsidian, or any other Markdown editor.

USE CASE 4

Store images you embed in notes directly on your own server rather than relying on third-party image hosting.

Tech stack

JavaDockerMarkdown

Getting it running

Difficulty · moderate Time to first run · 30min

Requires Docker and Docker Compose installed on your server, once deployed, desktop and browser clients connect to your server address.

License terms not mentioned in the explanation.

In plain English

Blossom is a Markdown-based note-taking application designed to be hosted on your own server. Most note-taking apps store your files on someone else's cloud service. Blossom is different in that you deploy it yourself, either on a personal server or a home machine, and your notes, images, and plans stay entirely under your control. Once deployed, you can access everything from Windows, Mac, the web browser, and a mobile browser, with all devices staying in sync. The README is primarily in Chinese, and the project appears aimed at users who want an alternative to commercial cloud note tools. The core editor follows standard Markdown without non-standard syntax extensions, meaning anything you write in Blossom can also be opened in other Markdown editors like VS Code or Obsidian without any conversion needed. Beyond writing notes, the application includes several built-in tools: a calendar and scheduling view, a to-do list, quick sticky notes, a Pomodoro timer for focused work sessions, and a writing statistics dashboard showing word counts and editing activity over time. Images you embed are stored directly on your server rather than relying on a third-party image hosting service, and there are tools to prevent accidental image deletion when linked images are still referenced by notes. Deploying the server takes a single Docker Compose command, after which you connect with the desktop or browser client and point it at your server address. All data backs up with a one-click export, and the exported files are plain Markdown folders you can keep locally. The project is free to use with no paid tier. A migration tool for importing notes from the WizNote app is available as a third-party companion project.

Copy-paste prompts

Prompt 1
Show me the Docker Compose command to deploy Blossom on a home Linux server and how to connect the desktop client to it.
Prompt 2
How do I use Blossom's one-click export to back up all my notes as plain Markdown files I can open in Obsidian?
Prompt 3
I want to embed an image in a Blossom note so it is stored on my server, walk me through the image upload and linking process.
Prompt 4
How do I access my Blossom notes from my phone using the mobile browser client after deploying the server?
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