Getting Started

Memos is designed to be usable within minutes. The shortest path is Docker with SQLite and a local data volume, then you can harden deployment and storage once the instance is up.

Prerequisite

• Docker installed on the machine running Memos

1. Start a local instance

docker run -d \
  --name memos \
  -p 5230:5230 \
  -v ~/.memos:/var/opt/memos \
  neosmemo/memos:stable

What this gives you:

• 5230 exposed on the host
• a persistent data directory at ~/.memos
• SQLite by default
• one container that is easy to inspect and replace

Because the command does not set MEMOS_INSTANCE_URL, Memos starts in private mode: anonymous visitors are sent to sign-in and public discovery surfaces such as Explore and RSS stay unavailable. This is a safe default for a local or personal instance.

If you want a checked-in deployment file, use Docker Compose. If you need a custom or pinned build, use Build From Source. Contributors should start with Development.

2. Verify the instance

Open the UI after the container starts:

• Docker default: http://localhost:5230
• Binary default: http://localhost:8081

If you want to verify the service from the terminal first:

docker logs memos

3. Create the first admin account

The first user becomes the host admin and can configure registration, authentication, storage, and other global settings.

Recommended first actions:

• use a strong password
• decide whether to keep private mode or set the canonical instance URL to enable anonymous public access
• decide whether user registration should remain disabled or be opened later
• decide whether public memos should be allowed at all

4. Create your first memo

Use the editor at the top of the home page and try a memo that exercises the main features:

# Welcome to Memos

This is my first memo.

## Tasks
- [x] Install Memos
- [ ] Write a real note

## Tags
Trying #memos and #getting-started

## Code
```ts
console.log("hello from memos");
```

Useful things to try immediately:

• set memo visibility to PRIVATE, PROTECTED, or PUBLIC
• add a checklist with - [ ]
• upload a screenshot or document
• create tags inline with #tagname
• pin an important memo so it stays visible

5. Understand visibility

Each memo uses one of three visibility levels:

• PRIVATE: only you can read it
• PROTECTED: authenticated users on the instance can read it
• PUBLIC: anonymous visitors can read it when the instance URL is configured and public mode is enabled

In private mode, PUBLIC memos still require sign-in. Explicit share links remain accessible without sign-in and should be treated as bearer credentials.

6. Explore the core workflows

After the first memo, the next high-value workflows are:

• Writing Markdown
• Tags
• Shortcuts
• Sharing
• Attachments

Common first-run issues

• If http://localhost:5230 does not load, check docker logs memos.
• If the data directory is not writable, verify permissions on ~/.memos.
• If you want anonymous public profiles, Explore, or RSS—or run behind a reverse proxy—set MEMOS_INSTANCE_URL to the canonical public URL.