What is this?
AFFiNE is an open-source, all-in-one workspace that merges docs, whiteboards and tables into one knowledge base, positioned as a privacy-first alternative to Notion and Miro.
AFFiNE is an open-source, all-in-one workspace that merges docs, whiteboards and tables into one knowledge base, positioned as a privacy-first alternative to Notion and Miro.Is this a note-taking app or a developer library?It is a ready-to-use application, not a library: you run it as a web client or an Electron desktop app for macOS, Windows and Linux.
It is a ready-to-use application, not a library: you run it as a web client or an Electron desktop app for macOS, Windows and Linux.How do I get AFFiNE running?You can self-host it with Docker, use the hosted cloud version, or build it from source following BUILDING.md for local development.
You can self-host it with Docker, use the hosted cloud version, or build it from source following BUILDING.md for local development.Does self-hosting give me every feature?Only the Community Edition (CE) is available today under MIT; the Enterprise Edition with SSO, advanced admin and audit features is not published yet.
Only the Community Edition (CE) is available today under MIT; the Enterprise Edition with SSO, advanced admin and audit features is not published yet.Where can I actually use AFFiNE?It runs in the browser as a web app and as a native desktop app (via Electron) on macOS, Windows and Linux.
It runs in the browser as a web app and as a native desktop app (via Electron) on macOS, Windows and Linux.Does my data stay local or go to a server?AFFiNE is local-first, meaning you own your data on disk, with optional real-time sync and collaboration layered on top rather than being cloud-mandatory.
AFFiNE is local-first, meaning you own your data on disk, with optional real-time sync and collaboration layered on top rather than being cloud-mandatory.What makes AFFiNE's editor different from a regular note app?Docs and whiteboard are fully merged into one edgeless canvas, so you can place rich text, sticky notes, embedded web pages, multi-view databases, shapes and slides all on the same surface.
Docs and whiteboard are fully merged into one edgeless canvas, so you can place rich text, sticky notes, embedded web pages, multi-view databases, shapes and slides all on the same surface.What is AFFiNE AI?It is a built-in multimodal AI assistant that can turn outlines into slides, summarize articles into mindmaps, draft reports, and even help prototype apps from a single prompt.
It is a built-in multimodal AI assistant that can turn outlines into slides, summarize articles into mindmaps, draft reports, and even help prototype apps from a single prompt.What open-source pieces power AFFiNE under the hood?It is built on BlockSuite (the collaborative editor engine), y-octo (a Rust CRDT implementation of Yjs), OctoBase (a Rust local-first database), React and Electron.
It is built on BlockSuite (the collaborative editor engine), y-octo (a Rust CRDT implementation of Yjs), OctoBase (a Rust local-first database), React and Electron.Can I start from a pre-made layout instead of a blank page?Yes, the AFFiNE team ships pre-built templates such as vision boards, lesson plans, Cornell notes and digital planners that you can use or contribute to.
Yes, the AFFiNE team ships pre-built templates such as vision boards, lesson plans, Cornell notes and digital planners that you can use or contribute to.Which topics is it in?whiteboard, crdt, notion-alternative, workspace, notion, table, rust-lang, notes, wiki, canvas, knowledge-management, note-taking
whiteboard, crdt, notion-alternative, workspace, notion, table, rust-lang, notes, wiki, canvas, knowledge-management, note-taking