Joplin Server is the self-hosted sync backend for the open source Joplin note-taking apps — run it yourself so your notes sync across devices through your own infrastructure instead of a third-party cloud, a private Evernote alternative.

What is Joplin Server?

Joplin Server is the self-hosted synchronization backend for Joplin, the open source note-taking app. You run it on your own machine, and your Joplin desktop, mobile, and web-clipper apps sync notes, notebooks, tags, and attachments through it — so your data lives on your infrastructure instead of Dropbox, OneDrive, or Joplin’s own cloud.

What is Joplin Server best for?

People and households who already use Joplin and want full control over where their notes are stored. It suits privacy-focused individuals with a home server or VPS who prefer self-hosting sync over routing notes through a commercial cloud, and who are comfortable running Docker.

What can Joplin Server do?

Sync all your Joplin notes, notebooks, tags, and attachments across Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, and the web
Keep sync data end-to-end encrypted, so the server never sees your note contents in the clear
Share notebooks and collaborate with other users on the same server
Publish individual notes to a public URL straight from the app
Run as a lightweight Docker container backed by a PostgreSQL database
Sit behind your own reverse proxy for HTTPS and a custom domain

Is Joplin Server free?

Yes for personal use — Joplin Server is free to download and self-host under the Joplin Server Personal Use License, and you only pay for the server it runs on. Note the license is not open source: it bars commercial and business use without separate written permission from the maintainer.

Where does Joplin Server fall short?

It is source-available, not open source. The Personal Use License forbids any commercial or business use; organizations need Joplin Server Business (a paid, per-user product) or written authorization instead.
It is only a sync backend, not the whole app. Joplin Server does nothing on its own — you still install and use the separate Joplin apps, and it competes with much simpler sync options (Dropbox, OneDrive, WebDAV, Nextcloud, S3) that need no server of your own.
It expects PostgreSQL. Unlike the plain file-based sync targets, Joplin Server needs a Postgres database, which is extra to provision, back up, and maintain.

What does Joplin Server replace?

Together with the Joplin apps, it is a self-hosted stand-in for Evernote, Microsoft OneNote, and Notion — the same cross-device note-taking, but with the sync running on hardware you control. Joplin also imports Evernote .enex exports with formatting and metadata intact.

FAQ

Is Joplin Server open source? Not strictly. The Joplin apps are MIT-licensed, but Joplin Server ships under the Joplin Server Personal Use License, which is source-available and prohibits commercial use without permission.

Can I self-host Joplin Server for free? Yes, for personal, non-commercial use. It is free to run; you only pay for the VPS or home server and the PostgreSQL database it needs.

Do I need Joplin Server to use Joplin? No. Joplin syncs through several backends — Joplin Cloud, Dropbox, OneDrive, WebDAV, Nextcloud, or S3. Joplin Server is the option for keeping the sync entirely on your own infrastructure.

What do I need to run it? A server with Docker and a PostgreSQL database, and ideally a reverse proxy for HTTPS. Joplin Cloud (from €2.99/month) is the managed alternative if you would rather not host it.