What is Tessera?
Tessera is an open-source knowledge app for notes, docs, wikis and project tracking. It combines Notion-style blocks and databases with Obsidian-style [[wikilinks]], backlinks and a graph, and it adds real-time collaboration and sandboxed plugins.
It is local-first: the app keeps your workspace on your device and works fully offline. A server is optional. When you want to sync devices or work with other people, you run the Tessera server yourself, in one container.
What you can do with it
- Write in a block editor with a slash menu, markdown shortcuts, tables, callouts, toggles, code blocks, images and embeds. See The editor.
- Organize anything in databases with table, board, calendar, gallery and list views.
- Connect ideas with links, backlinks and the graph.
- Find any page, block, tag or command with the command palette.
- Collaborate in real time on your own server, with presence and version history. See Sync and collaboration.
- Move in and out: import Notion exports, Obsidian vaults and markdown folders, and export to markdown, HTML, PDF or a full backup.
- Extend it with plugins that run in a sandbox and ask for permission first.
Principles
Your data is yours. The real copy of your workspace lives on your device. If you connect a server, it is your server. There is no Tessera cloud.
Never lose data. Every edit is saved locally before anything else happens. Sync uses CRDTs (Yjs), so edits made offline or by several people at once merge without conflicts. Deleting is undoable or confirmed.
No lock-in. Everything exports to plain markdown that Obsidian and other tools read.
Fast and calm. Instant startup, no layout shift, and a quiet interface that stays out of your way.
Safe to extend. Plugins run in sandboxed iframes and can only use the permissions you grant.
Where it runs
| Where | What you get | Guide |
|---|---|---|
| Desktop app | macOS, Windows and Linux. Each workspace is a folder you choose. | Installation |
| Your own server | The web app plus sync for your team, from one Docker container. | Self-hosting |
| Any modern browser | The web app served by your server, with offline storage. | Installation |
What Tessera doesn't do (yet)
Tessera 0.1 has no native mobile apps (the web app works at phone width), no end-to-end encryption, no public page sharing or per-page permissions, no comments, and no AI features. The roadmap lists what comes next.
Ready? Install Tessera, then take the first steps.