Getting started

Prerequisites

You need exactly one of the following:

Docker (the fast path) — install Docker Engine or Docker Desktop. Nothing else; you don't even need to clone the repository.
Node.js 22+ and pnpm (only if you'd rather run from source) — plus git to clone.

1. Run NemoMemo

Option A — Docker (recommended)

The image is published to GitHub Container Registry, so this is genuinely one command:

docker run -d --name nemomemo \
  -p 5230:5230 \
  -v nemomemo-data:/app/data \
  ghcr.io/davidallmon/nemomemo:latest

Then open http://localhost:5230.

Option B — Docker Compose

services:
  nemomemo:
    image: ghcr.io/davidallmon/nemomemo:latest
    ports:
      - "5230:5230"
    volumes:
      - nemomemo-data:/app/data
    restart: unless-stopped
volumes:
  nemomemo-data:

docker compose up -d

Option C — from source

git clone https://github.com/DavidAllmon/nemomemo.git
cd nemomemo
pnpm install --filter '!@nemomemo/site'   # the app only; skips the website
pnpm build
NEMOMEMO_WEB_DIST=web/dist node server/dist/index.js

Want one-click cloud hosting instead? See Deploy.

The first account you create becomes the admin — NemoMemo calls this the reef keeper. Pick a username, your email, and a password on the "Set up your reef" screen — no third-party sign-ins to configure. (Your email is your account's anchor: with email set up, it powers password resets and member invites; without it, it's simply saved for later.)

3. Write your first memo

The editor sits at the top of your Home timeline — and it's what-you-see-is-what-you-get: type **bold** and it turns bold as you finish, # starts a heading, [ ] makes a clickable checkbox, or just use the toolbar. Add a #tag, pick a visibility, and press Save (or ⌘+Enter). That's the whole loop.

4. Learn the three visibilities

Private — only you.
Protected — anyone signed in on your instance.
Public — anyone at all, when the instance is in public mode.

5. Meet Dory

See that little fish button next to Save? That's a Dory memo — the memo will be forgotten automatically in 24 hours. Try it with something disposable.

Where your data lives

Everything is in the /app/data volume (or the data/ directory for source installs): one SQLite database plus your uploads. That's the entire footprint — see Deploy → Backups before you rely on it.