flatnotes Hosting Live In 5 Minutes

flatnotes hosting on xCloud gives you a self-hosted Markdown note-taking app, database-free and on your own domain, where every note is a plain Markdown file you can move anywhere. Deploy flatnotes 5.5.5 and xCloud runs the pinned vendor image behind HTTPS with an administrator login and generated password, and one persistent volume for the notes and their rebuildable search index, in minutes.

Deploy your flatnotes

No terminal
No technical skills needed
No lock-in, cancel anytime

What is flatnotes?

Self-hosted flatnotes is a database-less note-taking web app that uses a flat folder of Markdown files for storage. Upstream's README says its design principle is a distraction-free app that puts note content first: no folders or notebooks, just all of your notes, backed by search and tagging, so your notes are never taken hostage. It is a self-hosted alternative to Evernote and Notion for plain-text notes, and it is MIT licensed.

On xCloud the template runs dullage/flatnotes v5.5.5, pinned by digest, as one container with no database. A single flatnotes_data volume holds the Markdown notes and the search index, which is only a cache that is rebuilt incrementally. Generated login credentials protect the app, and FLATNOTES_SECRET_KEY must stay stable if you rotate the login.

From Sign-Up to Your First Searchable Note In Just 3 Easy Steps

Self-hosting a notes app normally means a container, a data volume, an auth layer, a domain and a certificate before you write a single line. This is the same result without assembling any of it.

Step 01
Sign Up
Create your xCloud account and pick flatnotes from the OneClick catalog. Enter a site title and domain — the administrator username defaults to admin and the password is generated, and there are no other fields to fill in.
Step 02
We Deploy It For You
One click. We bring up the vendor-maintained flatnotes 5.5.5 image pinned by immutable digest, generate a 24-character administrator password and a separate secret key, mount the flatnotes_data volume and publish it over HTTPS on your domain.
Step 03
Sign In And Create A Note
Open your HTTPS URL and sign in with the generated administrator credentials. Create a note, tag it, search for it, and restart the app to confirm it's still there.

Everything flatnotes Does, On Your Own Server

flatnotes runs in full here — a self-hosted, database-free notes app, on infrastructure you control.

Database-Free Architecture
Every note is a plain Markdown file on disk, not a row in a database — simple to read, edit, back up and move without any special tooling.
Full-Text Search
Search across every note's contents, not just titles, so nothing gets lost once your notes add up.
Tag-Based Organization
Group and filter notes with tags instead of a rigid folder tree, so the same note can live under more than one topic.
Lightweight Footprint
A single lightweight container with no database process to run alongside it, so it leaves room for other services on the same server.
Built-In Administrator Authentication
The app sits behind its own password login, with a generated administrator password waiting on first sign-in.
Persistent Note Storage
Notes and the search index both live on flatnotes_data, which survives a restart intact.

Everything You Need To Run Your Markdown Notes, Always On

Managed hosting for flatnotes, so the parts that keep it online are not your problem.

flatnotes 5.5.5 deployed instantly
Vendor-maintained pinned image digest
Administrator password generated for you
App origin bound to localhost
Free SSL certificate
Server backups and snapshots
Server security updates included
30+ server locations
Unused balance refunded

What You Can Do With flatnotes

Database-free note taking
Someone who wants notes as plain files writes Markdown in the browser and keeps every note as a file on a server they control, with no proprietary format to export from later.
Find notes with search and tags
A user relies on full-text search from anywhere in the app and tags instead of folders, jumping between related notes with wikilinks written as double brackets.
Edit in WYSIWYG or raw Markdown
A writer switches between a visual editor and raw Markdown, on a mobile-responsive interface with light and dark themes, so quick notes work from a phone.
Script against the REST API
A developer uses the REST API to create or fetch notes from scripts and tools, while the same Markdown files stay editable by any other program.

flatnotes vs Alternatives

Evernote: Choose flatnotes as an Evernote alternative when you want plain Markdown files you own. It has no folders or notebooks by design, which is a different model, and no source compared the two products.
Notion: flatnotes is a Notion alternative for simple notes only. It keeps a flat folder of Markdown files with a rebuildable search index, and upstream says you are free to move the files to another app at any point.
Memos: In a flatnotes vs Memos comparison, Memos is a self-hosted note and memo app with its own OneClick page. flatnotes stores notes as portable Markdown files rather than in a database.
Trilium Notes: Trilium Notes is a self-hosted hierarchical note app with its own OneClick page. flatnotes deliberately has no folders or notebooks, only notes with search and tags.

Simple Pricing. Everything Included.

Dedicated Cloud VPS sizes, pre-configured for flatnotes hosting. Pick the one that fits, and resize any time.

Cloud VPS 6 GB

Cloud VPS 16 GB

A larger personal knowledge base with room to grow.

$59.99per month

16 GB RAM
6 vCPU cores
200 GB NVMe SSD
30 TB
Unlimited

Get started

Cloud VPS 24 GB

flatnotes alongside a whole self-hosted stack.

$84.99per month

24 GB RAM
8 vCPU cores
300 GB NVMe SSD
30 TB
Unlimited

Get started

Every size is a dedicated Cloud VPS we provision, patch, monitor and restore. Billed monthly with no lock-in — delete the server and the unused balance comes back to your account. flatnotes itself is free under the MIT License.

Docker hosting

Already Have a Server? Bring Your Own

Connect any VPS — DigitalOcean, Vultr, Linode, AWS, Hetzner or bare metal — and deploy flatnotes on it through the same panel, for a per-server management fee instead of a Cloud VPS rental.

Free

Start your journey without cost.

$0forever

1 server
10 sites

Start free

Starter

Professional

The same platform, discounted at 6–10 servers.

$4per server / month

6–10 servers
Unlimited sites
All features included
Bring any VPS provider

Get started

Agency

The same platform, discounted at 11+ servers.

$3per server / month

11+ servers
Unlimited sites
All features included
Bring any VPS provider

Get started

Priced per connected server, so your rate adjusts automatically as you add or remove servers. You pay your own provider for the server itself.

Self-managed hosting

Ready For Notes That Are Actually Just Files?

flatnotes on xCloud runs on a dedicated Cloud VPS that we provision, patch, monitor and restore. Deploy faster. Own the server. Own the files.

Fast Provisioning
Deploy faster using an xCloud Managed Server built with optimized stacks and high-speed SSDs.
Enterprise-grade security
Protect your infrastructure with a free SSL certificate and more advanced security features at no additional cost.
Intuitive Control Panel
From Server creation to application deployment, everything can be managed from our intuitive control panel.

Hear what people are saying about us

See why agencies, developers, startups, and growing businesses choose xCloud to power their projects.

xCloud works really well, I am surprised by its performance being this the release version, I have tried many paid platforms such as runcloud, cloudpages or serveravatar, as well as free platforms such as CyberPanel, CloudPanel or Hestia Control Panel and direct competitors such as SpinupWP and FlyWP. Of all those that I have tried, the platform that works best for WordPress is SpinupWP and I believe that xCloud can reach and surpass that development, its roadmap is promising. Congratulations to the xCloud team, I hope they become the leading platform in the segment, it has all the potential to achieve it!

Brian Geovanny

I've been with runcloud for the last 3 years. However, after trying xcloud for the last month, I'm switching over. They are on a roll with their setup.

Kevin Pineda

I'm moving my servers to xCloud, a cloud control panel by M Asif Rahman and the WPDeveloper team. Their roadmap looks interesting and no, there are no team mates nor API limits with xCloud! #xCloud #wordpress #hosting

Leo Koo

How Cloud Nine Web Elevated Client Experience While Streamlining Hosting Operations using xCloud

Ed Ellingham

xCloud is like having an expert server team on call — without the big agency costs. It's given me back my time and given my clients peace of mind. Highly recommended for freelancers and small teams who want reliable performance and security.

Dumitru Butucel

xCloud isn't just a solution. It's like one of that friend who got your back when you screw things up pretty bad.

Waqar Ahmed

Trust me when I say, once people explore the potential of xCloud they gonna switch from other panels, just keep delivering the best tech, lots of love for the team 😍😍

Rahul Singh

So far my experience has been smooth like silk. I didn't imagine that configuring and managing a VPS would be so easy. As of today, I have deployed 8 sites. The support is good, and they treat users with respect, even if they ask stupid questions (myself included). For the future, I hope for greater flexibility in scheduled backups and more comprehensive and consistent documentation. I'm sure that within a few months, xCloud will become the leader in its segment. This community is amazing, and the Staff here is super helpful.

Massimo Villa

Came from cloudways then to runcloud then to xcloud. Looks like I'm staying here.

Gerson El

I've recently taken all of my Vultr-hosted sites and gotten rid of cPanel for them to substitute it with xCloud. I have to say, I'm really impressed with xCloud so far! The interface is definitely the standout feature for me.

Tony Lewis

I came from Cloudways and won't go back. Highly impressed with xCloud. Glad I gave them a chance.

Jared McDowell

I like xCloud better than RunCloud, but one thing I'll point out is that some years ago RunCloud was hungry for business, the support was outstanding, and the community was active and helped each other. Maybe it was sold, there was a change in management, or they stopped being hungry, but the quality of the RunCloud offering declined and it hasn't been moving forward quickly. My point is that currently the xCloud team has the edge and it is theirs to keep or lose

David McCan

How Kevin Heinrichs Cut Hosting Costs by 84% While Running WooCommerce & Node.js Sites Efficiently

Kevin Heinrichs

I had 150 sites on cloudways and am in the process of moving them to xcloud. Much faster and better priced.

Dan Spinoza

Dear xCloud Team, I have been using xCloud for some time now and am genuinely impressed with its capabilities and the flexibility it offers by allowing users to bring their own VPS for management. It's a fantastic service, and my experience so far has been very positive. Successful migrated 5 sites on a single server. Xcloud migration tool worked great. There were few hiccups with security plugin like MalCare but disabling the plugin prior to migration worked just fine.

Rahil Maknojia

Came from runcloud. Tried xcloud and never came back.

Karl Fanega

How Advanced Web Strategies Saved Over $2,000 & Recovered 56 Hours per Month Managing 70+ Client Websites

Gary Moody

xCloud gave me what no other hosting platform could: the flexibility of a VPS with the convenience of managed WordPress. As a solo founder running an entire business on one server, that combination is an important unfair advantage.

Jorge de los Reyes Martínez

I use Server Avatar and xCloud and I'll sooner use xCloud than Server Avatar personally.

Jay Pagano

How Newman Web Solutions Ensured Perfect Uptime and Seamless Scaling For 120+ WordPress Sites with xCloud

Lori Newman

I too have moved over to xCloud. It's pretty sweet. One click n8n and uptime Kuma apps

John Aperture

I went from Cloudways to xCloud. No intention on switching in the foreseeable future.

Blaine Moore

Frequently Asked Questions

Feel free to contact us with any questions or concerns you may have.

Is flatnotes free and open source?

Yes. flatnotes is MIT licensed, so the app carries no licence charge. xCloud bills for the dedicated Cloud VPS, and your notes stay as plain Markdown files on your own volume. This template adds no paid tier.

Can I run flatnotes with Docker?

Yes, and upstream recommends Docker for self-hosting. This template does it for you: the dullage/flatnotes v5.5.5 image, pinned by digest, with a data volume behind HTTPS. It is flatnotes Docker hosting without writing the compose file or the login settings.

How much RAM does a flatnotes cloud server need?

flatnotes runs on 256 MB of RAM, so a flatnotes cloud server is tiny. The 6 GB Cloud VPS sold here leaves room for other apps, and disk use is just your Markdown notes plus the search index.

Where does flatnotes store my notes?

In the flatnotes_data volume, as plain Markdown files, with the search index beside them. Upstream says the only thing it caches is the search index, synced incrementally on every search and at start, so you can add, edit and delete the files yourself.

Can I edit flatnotes files outside the app?

Yes. Upstream says your notes are just Markdown files, with no database or proprietary formatting, and that you are free to add, edit and delete them outside the app. The search index updates itself when flatnotes next starts or searches.

Does flatnotes support two-factor authentication?

Upstream lists multiple authentication options, none, read-only, username and password, and two-factor. This template turns on username and password with generated credentials; two-factor is an upstream setting you would configure yourself and test, not something the template enables.

Does flatnotes have an API?

Yes, upstream lists a REST API alongside the web interface, so scripts and other tools can create and fetch notes. The API is behind the same login as the app, and nothing in this template sets up an integration for you.

How do I back up flatnotes?

Take a backup of the flatnotes_data volume, which holds the Markdown notes and the search index. Restore it together with the same FLATNOTES_SECRET_KEY, then restart the application. Because notes are plain files, you can also copy the folder directly.

Backups in xCloud

How do I update flatnotes?

Release changes are manual. Version v5.5.5 is pinned by digest, and catalogue changes skip live sites. Back up the flatnotes_data volume, read upstream's release notes, then adopt a newer template version and sign in, open a note and run a search.

Can I cancel anytime?

Yes. There is no lock-in — cancel any time. Hosting is billed monthly and charged for what you actually use, so when you delete the server the unused balance is refunded to your account, less up to 10% in payment-processing fees.