SilverBullet

What is SilverBullet?

SilverBullet is an open source, self-hosted personal knowledge database — a browser-based Markdown notebook with wiki-style bidirectional links and built-in scripting. You write plain Markdown pages in a live-preview editor, link them together, and query across them, all from a private server you run yourself.

What is SilverBullet best for?

SilverBullet fits people who want an Obsidian-style, link-heavy notebook they can reach from any browser on any device, without handing their notes to a cloud vendor. It suits tinkerers who like turning notes into a small programmable database — running queries, templates, and scripts over their own writing.

What can SilverBullet do?

• Edit Markdown in a live-preview editor with wiki-style [[bidirectional links]]
• Store structured data as objects and query it with SLIQ (Space Lua Integrated Query)
• Extend and automate pages with Space Lua scripting, custom commands, and widgets
• Work offline as a Progressive Web App, syncing changes back when you reconnect
• Manage tasks, outlines, and templates alongside your notes
• Run as a single self-contained server via a Docker container or binary

Where does SilverBullet fall short?

• It’s single-user by design — no multi-user accounts, sharing, or per-page permissions, so it’s not a team wiki (it can run in read-only mode for public viewing).
• The plugin ecosystem is small — roughly a handful of official “plugs” versus Obsidian’s hundreds of community plugins — so you extend it by writing Space Lua rather than installing add-ons.
• Getting the most out of it means learning Space Lua and SLIQ; if you just want to type notes, that programmable layer is more than you need.

Is SilverBullet free?

Yes — SilverBullet is free and open source under the MIT license, with no paid tiers or per-user fees; you only pay for the server you run it on. There is a separate commercial companion, SilverBullet+, that packages a native desktop app experience, but the self-hosted web app is fully free.

What does SilverBullet replace?

SilverBullet is a self-hosted alternative to Notion, Obsidian, and Evernote. It covers the same personal note-taking and knowledge-management job — Markdown pages, links, tags, and search — but keeps everything as plain files on infrastructure you control, with no subscription and no vendor lock-in.

FAQ

Is SilverBullet open source? Yes. SilverBullet is released under the permissive MIT license, and the full source is on GitHub — you can self-host, modify, and redistribute it freely.

Can I self-host SilverBullet for free? Yes. The self-hosted web app is completely free; you only cover the cost of the server, which can be as small as a Raspberry Pi or a cheap VPS.

Is SilverBullet a good Notion or Obsidian alternative? For a single person who wants private, browser-based notes with links and scripting, yes. If you need real-time team collaboration or a large plugin marketplace, Notion or Obsidian will fit better.

What do I need to run SilverBullet? A server you can reach over the network — a Raspberry Pi, VPS, or home box — running the SilverBullet Docker container or binary, plus a folder for your Markdown “space.”