Kept

Self-hosted notes with a Google Keep-style feel

Kept is a self-hosted notes app built for quick capture: text notes, checklists, images, drawings, links, attachments, labels, colors, and reminders. It aims to keep the lightweight feel of Google Keep while storing your data on your own server.

Screenshot

Why Kept Exists

I wanted something that felt like Google Keep: fast, colorful, easy to glance at, and never too heavy for a quick thought. Most self-hosted notes apps I tried were either powerful but fiddly, or simple but missing the feel I wanted. Kept is my attempt at replicating the simplicity of Google Keep, while keeping the data on a server you control.

Features

• Text notes, checklists, image notes, drawings, links, and file attachments.
• Drag-and-drop note ordering and checklist item ordering.
• Labels, binders, colors, background images, pinned notes, archive, and trash.
• Search and filters, including note type, labels, and date-style queries.
• Link previews and inline images.
• Time reminders with browser push notifications.
• Location-based reminders through the native iOS and Android apps.
• Quick share to Kept from the native iOS and Android share sheets.
• Android home screen widget for recent or pinned notes.
• Real-time collaborative sharing of notes between users on the same instance.
• Offline note viewing/editing with automatic sync when the client reconnects.
• Google Keep Takeout data import.
• Built-in database backups and restore flow.
• Local user accounts, optional 2FA, and user management.

Install With Docker

Requirements:

• Docker with Compose
• Git

Kept's recommended install path is to use the published Docker image: ghcr.io/ericerkz/kept:latest.

git clone https://github.com/ericerkz/kept.git
cd kept
docker compose up -d

Open http://localhost:6767 and create the first admin account.

Kept stores its database, uploads, attachments, and generated server data in ./data. Back that folder up if you are not using the built-in backup tools.

Easy Hosted Setup

If you do not want to set up Docker or manage a server yourself, Railway can create a ready-to-use Kept instance for you in a few clicks.

Railway handles the technical setup:

• Runs Kept for you
• Keeps storage attached for your notes and attachments
• Sets the required configuration
• Gives you a public HTTPS link to open in your browser

Once deployment finishes, open the link Railway gives you and create your first Kept account.

This is provided as a less technical way to try Kept, not as an endorsement of Railway. Use whatever host you trust.

Native iOS App

Kept Notes is available on the App Store. It connects to your self-hosted Kept server and adds native iPhone/iPad integration:

• Apple Reminders support.
• Location reminders with arrival/departure settings, and the ability to save locations
• Quick share into Kept from the iOS share sheet.
• On-device Smart Capture using Apple Intelligence.
• A native app shell around your Kept instance.

Native Android App

Kept Notes is available on Google Play. It connects to your self-hosted Kept server and adds native Android integration:

• Location reminders with arrival/departure settings, background geofencing, and saved places.
• Quick share into Kept from the Android share sheet.
• Home screen widget for recent or pinned notes.
• On-device Smart Capture using Android's native Gemini Nano when available, or Kept's local Gemma fallback model on Android devices that need it.
• A native app shell around your Kept instance.

PWA / Mobile Browser

The Kept web app can also be installed as a PWA on iOS and Android. For push notifications and reliable mobile installs, Kept needs to be served from a secure https:// URL. Location-based reminders require the native iOS or Android app.

The short setup guide is on the Kept website.

Reverse Proxy / HTTPS

Use HTTPS if you want public access, PWA installs, OAuth redirects, or push notifications. Point your proxy at 127.0.0.1:6767.

Realtime presence and collaborative editing use WebSockets at /api/realtime, so proxy that path with WebSocket upgrade support.

Apache example:

# Required once:
# sudo a2enmod proxy proxy_http proxy_wstunnel rewrite ssl
# sudo systemctl reload apache2

<VirtualHost *:80>
    ServerName kept.example.com
    Redirect permanent / https://kept.example.com/
</VirtualHost>

<IfModule mod_ssl.c>
<VirtualHost *:443>
    ServerName kept.example.com
    ProxyRequests Off
    ProxyPreserveHost On

    ProxyPass /api/realtime ws://127.0.0.1:6767/api/realtime
    ProxyPassReverse /api/realtime ws://127.0.0.1:6767/api/realtime

    ProxyPass / http://127.0.0.1:6767/
    ProxyPassReverse / http://127.0.0.1:6767/

    SSLEngine on
    SSLCertificateFile /etc/letsencrypt/live/kept.example.com/fullchain.pem
    SSLCertificateKeyFile /etc/letsencrypt/live/kept.example.com/privkey.pem
</VirtualHost>
</IfModule>

Nginx example:

server {
    listen 80;
    server_name kept.example.com;
    return 301 https://$host$request_uri;
}

server {
    listen 443 ssl http2;
    server_name kept.example.com;

    ssl_certificate /etc/letsencrypt/live/kept.example.com/fullchain.pem;
    ssl_certificate_key /etc/letsencrypt/live/kept.example.com/privkey.pem;

    location /api/realtime {
        proxy_pass http://127.0.0.1:6767/api/realtime;
        proxy_http_version 1.1;
        proxy_set_header Upgrade $http_upgrade;
        proxy_set_header Connection "upgrade";
        proxy_set_header Host $host;
        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-For $proxy_add_x_forwarded_for;
        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-Proto $scheme;
    }

    location / {
        proxy_pass http://127.0.0.1:6767;
        proxy_set_header Host $host;
        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-For $proxy_add_x_forwarded_for;
        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-Proto $scheme;
    }
}

Backups And Restore

Kept can create consistent SQLite backups while the app is running. Admin users can schedule daily, weekly, or monthly backups from User Management, or create one manually.

To restore from a backup during setup:

1. Set KEPT_ALLOW_RESTORE=1.
2. Restart Kept.
3. Upload the backup file from the setup screen.
4. Remove KEPT_ALLOW_RESTORE and restart again.

The restore flag is intentionally opt-in so the restore endpoint is not left open on a public instance.

Updating

cd kept
docker compose pull
docker compose up -d

Your ./data folder is not replaced by updates.

Configuration

Useful environment variables are documented in docker-compose.yml. The common ones are:

• BASE_URL: public URL for OAuth/callback generation when proxy headers are not enough.
• KEPT_SESSION_TTL_DAYS: login session lifetime. Defaults to 30 days.
• KEPT_CORS_ALLOW_ALL / KEPT_CORS_ORIGINS: CORS behavior for remote clients and native shells. Native app WebView origins are allowed automatically when using KEPT_CORS_ORIGINS.
• KEPT_TAKEOUT_UPLOAD_MAX: Google Takeout ZIP upload cap. Defaults to 5GB; only affects Takeout imports.
• PUID / PGID: run the container as a specific Linux user/group.
• KEPT_ALLOW_RESTORE: temporarily enables restore from backup during setup.
• VAPID_SUBJECT: optional public URL/contact identity for web push. Kept auto-generates VAPID keys if you do not set them; only set this if push notifications need a more explicit public origin.

Development

Kept is an Angular app with a Node/Express backend and SQLite storage.

npm install
npm run start

Useful scripts:

• npm run build
• npm run test:sync
• npm run api
• npm run client

Build It Yourself

If you want to build from the local source instead of pulling the published image, use the dev compose override:

git clone https://github.com/ericerkz/kept.git
cd kept
docker compose -f docker-compose.yml -f docker-compose.dev.yml up -d --build

Acknowledgement

Kept's original UI scaffolding was forked from aBrihoum/google-keep-clone. The project has since been substantially rewritten and extended into a full self-hosted notes platform — but the visual foundation came from that earlier work, and the credit is gratefully due.