What Nether is

Nether is an open-source workspace that combines Obsidian’s local-first, linked notes with Notion’s databases and collaboration. Notes are plain Markdown files you own; the same notes can become databases, wikis and shared projects, without depending on anyone’s cloud.

Principles

When two of these conflict, the higher one wins.

1. You own your data. Every note exports as standard Markdown with YAML frontmatter, with its attachments, at any time and with no loss of text. Databases export to CSV and Markdown.
2. Local first, server optional. The desktop app works fully offline with no account. A server adds sync, collaboration, sharing and publishing, and is never needed for writing.
3. Self-hosting comes first. One docker compose up starts a working server, and any hosted service runs the same code.
4. Fast on large workspaces. Opening the app, switching notes and searching stay fast at 50,000 notes.
5. Structure is optional. A note starts as plain writing; properties, database views and templates come when you want them.
6. Extensible. Nether’s own features use the same plugin API as everyone else’s, wherever practical.
7. Private by default. No telemetry unless you opt in, and end-to-end encryption for sync.
8. Bring your own AI. Any OpenAI-compatible endpoint, Anthropic, or a local model, configured by you; Nether depends on no AI vendor.

Everything is free

Nether is licensed under the AGPL-3.0-or-later. The desktop app, the self-hosted server and every feature, enterprise features such as single sign-on and audit logs included, are free. There are no paid editions, no license keys and no seat limits, and nothing phones home.

Where it stands

Three of Nether’s six phases are done. The desktop app keeps a vault of Markdown notes with the block editor, links and backlinks, tags, search, templates and export, and turns notes into databases with six views, relations, rollups and formulas, with the graph, the canvas, themes, and importers from Obsidian, Notion, Logseq, HTML and CSV. Version 0.0.1, a developer preview of it, is ready to install.

The fourth, sync and collaboration, is under way and will be Nether’s first public release. Its server is built: accounts, sync with end-to-end encryption, attachments, history, spaces and permissions, co-editing, comments and mentions, search and backups, and the web app it serves. The docker compose setup comes next. The roadmap lists what each phase delivers.

The full requirements, the architecture and the decision records live in the repository.