AFFiNE

AFFiNE Community Edition is a self‑hosted, privacy‑first KnowledgeOS that fuses rich text editing, free‑form canvas drawing, and relational databases into a single data model. At its core the application exposes every piece of content—pages, blocks, assets—as an immutable entity stored in a local or cloud‑backed database. The UI is built with modern web technologies, while the backend runs as a lightweight Node.js service that can be deployed behind any reverse proxy or container orchestrator.

Key Features

• Hyper‑merged canvas – Any block type (text, table, diagram, embedded web page) can be placed on an edgeless canvas and linked to other blocks via bi‑directional links.
• Multi‑modal AI integration – Built‑in prompt engine that augments writing, diagramming, and data analysis without leaving the editor.
• Offline‑first persistence – Uses a local SQLite store for single‑user mode and a PostgreSQL/SQLite hybrid for multi‑tenant deployments, ensuring data is always available.
• Real‑time collaboration – WebSocket‑based CRDT engine that synchronizes changes across multiple clients with conflict resolution.

Technical Stack

Core Capabilities

• Extensible API – Exposes CRUD endpoints (/api/v1/blocks, /api/v1/assets) and a GraphQL gateway for advanced queries.
• Plugin SDK – JavaScript/TypeScript plugin system that allows developers to add custom block types, UI panels, or automation hooks.
• Webhooks – Trigger external services on events such as block creation, page deletion, or database updates.
• Export/Import – Supports JSON/YAML dumps and Markdown conversion for migration or backup.

Deployment & Infrastructure

• Self‑hosting – Run the Docker stack on any Linux, macOS, or Windows host; optional Docker‑Compose files are provided.
• Scalability – Horizontal scaling achieved by separating the web server from the database; stateless API instances behind a load balancer.
• High‑availability – PostgreSQL can be clustered (Patroni, Patroni‑Postgres) and Docker Swarm/Kubernetes provide rolling updates.
• Observability – Prometheus metrics exposed on /metrics; logs are JSON‑structured for ELK/Graylog ingestion.

Integration & Extensibility

• Plugin ecosystem – Third‑party plugins can register new block types, UI components, or data processors via a simple JSON manifest.
• OAuth & SSO – Supports OpenID Connect for enterprise authentication; can be plugged into LDAP or custom auth providers.
• Custom connectors – REST and GraphQL endpoints allow integration with external knowledge bases, CI/CD pipelines, or AI services.

Developer Experience

• Configuration – Environment variables control database URL, feature flags, and API prefixes; no hard‑coded secrets.
• Documentation – Comprehensive API reference on docs.affine.pro, with code samples and schema definitions.
• Community – Active Discord channel, GitHub discussions, and a growing set of contributors; all code is MIT‑licensed.

Use Cases

Advantages Over Alternatives

• Performance – CRDT engine with minimal bandwidth; local SQLite keeps latency low for single users.
• Flexibility – No vendor lock‑in; full control over data schema and storage backend.
• Licensing – MIT license allows commercial use without royalties, unlike proprietary SaaS offerings.
• Extensibility – Plug‑in SDK and open APIs make it trivial to add domain‑specific functionality.

AFFiNE Community Edition offers developers a powerful, self‑hosted platform that blends document editing, canvas creativity, and database power into a single coherent system. Its modern stack, robust API surface, and active community make it an attractive choice for any organization looking to build a custom knowledge base or collaborative workspace.