Self-hosting Memos the easy way
Yulei ChenMemos is an open-source, self-hosted note-taking tool built for quick capture. It's Markdown-native, lightweight, and designed to keep your thoughts organized without the bloat of heavier tools like Notion or Obsidian Sync. The best part: your data stays entirely under your control.
Sliplane is a managed container platform that makes self-hosting painless. With one-click deployment, you can get Memos up and running in minutes - no server setup, no reverse proxy config, no infrastructure to maintain.
Prerequisites
Before deploying, ensure you have a Sliplane account (free trial available).
Quick start
Sliplane provides one-click deployment with presets.
Deploy Memos >- Click the deploy button above
- Select a project
- Select a server (If you just signed up you get a 48-hour free trial server)
- Click Deploy!
About the preset
The one-click deploy above uses Sliplane's Memos preset. Here's what it includes:
- Official
neosmemo/memosDocker image - Version
0.29.1pinned for stability - Persistent storage mounted to
/var/opt/memosso your notes survive redeployments - HTTP health check on
/for automatic restarts if something goes wrong
Memos uses an embedded SQLite database by default, which is stored inside the persistent volume. No external database needed.
Next steps
Once Memos is running on Sliplane, open the domain Sliplane provided (e.g. memos-xxxx.sliplane.app).
First-time setup
Memos has no default credentials. When you visit your instance for the first time, you'll be prompted to create an admin account. Pick a strong password - this will be the main account for your instance.
Data storage
All data is stored in /var/opt/memos, which is backed by a persistent volume. This includes:
- The SQLite database with all your notes
- Uploaded assets (images, files)
- Any custom configuration
Environment variables
Memos works out of the box with sensible defaults. If you want to customize behavior, here are some useful environment variables you can set in your Sliplane service settings:
| Variable | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
MEMOS_DRIVER | Database driver (sqlite or postgres) | sqlite |
MEMOS_DSN | Database connection string (only needed for PostgreSQL) | postgresql://user:pass@host/db |
For most users, the default SQLite setup is perfect. If you need PostgreSQL, you can deploy a Postgres instance on Sliplane and connect it via the internal network.
Logging
Memos logs to STDOUT by default, which integrates well with Sliplane's built-in log viewer. For general Docker logging tips, check out our post on how to use Docker logs.
Cost comparison
You can also self-host Memos with other cloud providers. Here is a pricing comparison for the most common ones:
FAQ
What can I use Memos for?
Memos is great for quick notes, daily journaling, bookmarking links, and microblogging. It supports Markdown, tags, and a timeline view that makes it easy to capture and find thoughts. Think of it as a private Twitter combined with a note-taking app.
Can I use PostgreSQL instead of SQLite?
Yes. Set the MEMOS_DRIVER environment variable to postgres and provide a MEMOS_DSN with your PostgreSQL connection string. SQLite is the default and works well for single-user or small team setups.
How do I update Memos?
Change the image tag in your Sliplane service settings to the new version and redeploy. Check Docker Hub for the latest stable version. Your data in the persistent volume will carry over.
Are there alternatives to Memos?
Yes. SilverBullet is a Markdown-based note-taking tool with a wiki-style approach. Other options include Obsidian (local-first with optional sync), Logseq (outliner-style), and Hedgedoc (collaborative Markdown editing).
Does Memos support multiple users?
Yes. After creating the admin account, you can invite additional users from the settings. Each user gets their own notes and can be assigned different roles.
