flatnotes is a self-hosted note-taking web application that is deliberately minimalist, distinguished by its ability to operate without a database. Each note is saved as a simple Markdown file in a flat folder, making your data fully portable and readable by any editor.

The interface puts content first: no folders or notebooks to organize, but powerful full-text search accessible from anywhere, an tags system, and support for links between notes (wikilinks). You can switch between a raw Markdown editor and a WYSIWYG mode, enjoy a light or dark theme, and benefit from a fully responsive interface.

On the security side, flatnotes offers several access modes — no authentication, read-only, username/password, or two-factor authentication (2FA) — to suit both personal use and small teams. Lightweight and deployed in a Docker container, it integrates perfectly into a managed infrastructure.