Why self-host your knowledge workspace?
Cloud PKM tools like Notion or Roam centralise your ideas on their servers and analyse them to improve their product. With SiYuan, storage is local by default: data is encrypted on your VPS and never leaves your machine unless you explicitly request it. You choose when and how to sync — not them.
What SiYuan brings to a ServOrbit VPS
- Block-based editor — every paragraph, heading, image or code snippet is an independent, referenceable block.
- Bidirectional links and graph — type
[[to link two notes; the graph view visualises all links and surfaces connections you didn't know existed. - Built-in AI agents — connect ChatGPT, Ollama or Claude directly in SiYuan to summarise notes, generate content or answer questions over your corpus.
- Native apps — Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS and Android: official open-source apps sync with your VPS instance.
- Universal export — export to Markdown, HTML, Word (.docx) or PDF at any time, with no vendor lock-in.
- SQL queries over your blocks — query your workspace like a database to build dynamic dashboards.
Generated access code: no domain required
SiYuan works without a domain name. When your VPS is created, ServOrbit generates an ADMIN_PASSWORD that becomes the SiYuan access code (SIYUAN_ACCESS_AUTH_CODE). Open an SSH tunnel from your local machine: ssh -L 6806:127.0.0.1:<port> root@<vps-ip> and visit http://localhost:6806. For permanent access from the desktop or mobile apps, attach a domain from your dashboard — nginx proxies the container over HTTPS with automatic certificate renewal — or use the free {app}.{dns_slug}.servorbit-dns.com subdomain included with every VPS.
Getting started with SiYuan on ServOrbit
Create your VPS and retrieve credentials
In your ServOrbit dashboard, select SiYuan from the Collaboration category and deploy on Ubuntu 24.04. Once the VPS is running, copy the generated access code from the Credentials section.
Access the interface
Open an SSH tunnel or configure a domain in the dashboard. Navigate to
http://localhost:6806(tunnel) or your HTTPS domain. Enter the access code to reach the workspace.Create your first notebooks and notes
Create a notebook from the left panel, then documents inside it. Every line you type is a block. Type
/to insert a specific block type: heading, code, table, task list…Connect the mobile and desktop apps
In SiYuan settings (mobile or desktop), set the sync endpoint to your domain or IP with the access code. Sync is incremental and end-to-end encrypted.
Exporting and backing up your data
SiYuan cleanly separates data: the workspace lives in the Docker volume /siyuan/workspace. To back up, copy this folder via SFTP or rsync. To export specific documents, use the context menu on any document → Export → choose your format (Markdown, HTML, Word, PDF). All your notes stay in an open, SiYuan-readable format.