Why I Self-Host My Notes on a NAS (And How I Set It Up)
I've tried a lot of note apps. Google Docs. Evernote. Apple Notes. Notion. Each one worked for a while, then I'd hit a wall.
The wall was always the same: my data lived on someone else's server, structured the way they decided, behind a paywall that could change at any time.
The Cloud Lock-In Problem
Evernote was the first one I left. The free tier kept shrinking. The features I used got moved behind higher price tiers. And the notes I'd built up over years were trapped in a format I couldn't easily export.
Google Docs was better for collaboration. The search is great. But it's not really a note-taking system. It's a document editor. Try organizing 500+ interconnected notes in Google Drive and you'll see what I mean.
Notion was the closest to what I wanted. Databases, linked pages, templates. But the more I put into it, the more I realized I was building on rented land. Notion can change their pricing, their features, or shut down a product line whenever they want. My notes, my structure, my workflow, all dependent on a company's business decisions.
What I Wanted
I needed three things from a note system:
- Local-first storage. My data on my hardware, not someone else's.
- Linking and structure. Notes that connect to each other, not just live in folders.
- No vendor lock-in. If I want to leave, I take my data in a standard format.
I also wanted it accessible from anywhere. Local-first doesn't mean local-only.
SiYuan Note on a Synology NAS
I ended up with SiYuan. It's an open-source, local-first knowledge base that runs as a self-hosted app. Think Notion's page linking and block editing, but with all data stored as plain files on your own machine.
I run it on my Synology DS1520+ NAS. The NAS sits on my network with five 10TB drives in RAID, so my notes are protected against drive failure. SiYuan runs in a Docker container managed by Portainer.
The API lets other tools interact with it. I use it as the source of truth for curriculum content, operational docs, and project notes across all my businesses.
I also set up a Cloudflare Tunnel so I can reach it from anywhere without exposing ports on my home network. No VPN needed. The tunnel handles HTTPS automatically.
What Made the Difference
The biggest shift wasn't technical. It was mental.
When you own your infrastructure, you think about your data differently. I started writing more detailed project notes because I knew they'd always be there. I started linking notes across business projects because the system supported it. I stopped worrying about hitting storage limits or feature paywalls.
There's something about knowing your notes are a folder of files on your own hardware. You can back them up however you want. You can script against them. You can grep them from the terminal. You can move them to a different app tomorrow if you want.
That last point is the real one. The freedom to leave is what makes staying worth it.
The Tradeoffs
Self-hosting isn't for everyone. Here's what I gave up:
No mobile app. SiYuan has a web interface that works on mobile browsers, but it's not a native iOS or Android app. If you live in your phone, this will frustrate you.
You're your own IT department. Updates, backups, SSL certificates, Docker management. If something breaks at 2am, you're the one fixing it. I've been running servers long enough that this doesn't bother me, but it's real overhead.
Initial setup takes effort. Installing Docker on a Synology, configuring the container, setting up the Cloudflare Tunnel, making backups work. This is a weekend project, not a five-minute setup.
Collaboration is harder. SiYuan supports sharing, but it's not Google Docs. If you need real-time co-editing with a team, look elsewhere.
Is It Worth It?
For me, yes. I run multiple businesses and I need a single place where everything connects. Curriculum content, client notes, project planning, technical documentation. Having that live on hardware I control, with an API I can script against, matters.
For someone who just needs to jot down grocery lists and meeting notes? Probably overkill. Apple Notes or Google Keep would work fine.
The middle ground is where it gets interesting. If you're a freelancer, consultant, or solopreneur who accumulates knowledge across projects and needs to find it later, a note system that you own is worth the setup effort. Every note you write today makes the notes you wrote yesterday more useful. That only works if the system is still there in six months, still structured the way you built it, still accessible without paying more for the privilege.
Self-hosting gave me that.