Installation

There are three ways to run Tessera. Pick one; you can connect them later.

You want	Use
A private notes app on your computer	The desktop app
Sync between devices, or a shared workspace	A server (plus any client)
To hack on Tessera	From source

Desktop app

1. Open the latest release.

2. Download the file for your system:

   System	File
   macOS (Apple silicon)	Tessera_<version>_aarch64.dmg
   macOS (Intel)	Tessera_<version>_x64.dmg
   Windows	Tessera_<version>_x64-setup.exe or Tessera_<version>_x64_en-US.msi
   Linux	Tessera_<version>_amd64.AppImage, .deb or .rpm

3. Install it and open Tessera. On first launch, choose a folder for your first workspace.

The first launch asks for your permission

The apps aren't signed with a developer certificate yet, so your system checks with you once. On macOS, open Tessera, then choose Open Anyway in System Settings → Privacy & Security. On Windows, choose More info → Run anyway.

The desktop app works fully offline. Each workspace is a folder on your disk holding a SQLite database and your attachments. See The desktop app for workspaces, quick capture and updates.

Checksums

Every release lists SHA-256 checksums next to the downloads. On macOS and Linux, shasum -a 256 <file> prints the checksum of the file you downloaded.

Docker

The Tessera server is one container: it syncs your workspaces and serves the web app.

docker run -d --name tessera -p 8787:8787 -v tessera-data:/data ghcr.io/femboypuppy/tessera:latest

The server prints a one-time setup code in its log (docker logs tessera). Open http://localhost:8787, choose Join a workspace on a server, and create the owner account with that code. Your data lives in the tessera-data volume.

For anything beyond a quick try, use Docker Compose. It sets a restart policy, keeps the configuration in a .env file and can add automatic HTTPS:

mkdir tessera && cd tessera
curl -fsSLO https://raw.githubusercontent.com/femboypuppy/Tessera-Notes/main/docker-compose.yml
docker compose up -d

Self-hosting covers configuration, HTTPS, backups and upgrades.

Web app

When a Tessera server is running, open its address in any modern browser (current Chrome, Edge, Firefox or Safari). The web app stores your workspace in the browser (IndexedDB), so it keeps working when the connection drops and syncs when it comes back.

Browser storage

Browsers can clear site data under storage pressure or when you clear your history. A workspace that syncs to a server is safe; a local-only browser workspace is only as durable as the browser profile. Use the desktop app or a server for anything you'd hate to lose, and export a backup now and then.

From source

You need Node.js 24 and pnpm 11 (Corepack installs the right version).

git clone https://github.com/femboypuppy/Tessera-Notes.git && cd Tessera-Notes
corepack enable
pnpm install
pnpm dev

pnpm dev starts the web app (with hot reload) and the sync server together, the app proxying /api and /sync to the server. CONTRIBUTING.md explains how to run them separately, the desktop app and the tests. On Windows, clone into a short folder such as C:\src, or run git config --global core.longpaths true first: some test fixtures have long file names.

Next

Take the first steps: create a page, try the slash menu and link two pages.