Introduction

Welcome to Plainpad — a simple, self-hosted note taking application designed with privacy and ease of use in mind.

What is Plainpad?

Plainpad is an open source, self-hosted note taking application that runs on your own server. It provides a clean, distraction-free interface for writing and organizing your notes. Because it's self-hosted, your data stays entirely under your control — no third-party services involved.

Key Concepts

Notes

Notes are the core of Plainpad. Each note has a title and content. You can write in plain text or use Markdown for formatting. Notes are saved automatically as you type and are accessible from any device connected to your server.

Users

Plainpad supports multiple user accounts. Each user has their own private collection of notes. Administrators can manage users and application settings, while regular users can create and manage their own notes.

Encryption

Plainpad offers optional database encryption. When enabled, your notes are encrypted before being stored in the database, ensuring that no one — not even the server administrator — can read your encrypted notes without your passphrase.

Offline Access

Plainpad works as a Progressive Web App (PWA), which means you can install it on your device and access your notes even without an internet connection. Changes you make offline are synced when you reconnect.

Getting Started

Once your administrator has set up Plainpad, you can:

1. Log in with the credentials provided by your admin
2. Start creating notes from the main interface
3. Use the search feature to find notes quickly
4. Adjust your personal settings (language, encryption, etc.)

Continue to Initial Configuration to learn how to set up your account preferences.