Documentation
Flowplan, step by step.
Flowplan is a workspace for documents, databases, whiteboards and a daily journal – open source, hosted in Germany or on your own server. This documentation explains every feature and how to run your own instance.
I work with FlowplanFirst stepsSign in, first page, page tree and search.I run Flowplan myselfInstallation with DockerStart the container, sign-in, storage and updates.
Getting started
Account, first workspace, page tree.
Working with Flowplan
Every feature, step by step.
- Documents and the editorThe editor works with blocks: every paragraph, list, table or embed is a block you can insert, format, indent and move. Everything is saved continuously, even without a connection.
- DatabasesA database is a collection of records with properties. The same records can be shown as a table, board, calendar, timeline, gallery, list, feed, chart or form.
- ViewsA database can have as many views as you like. Every view shows the same records with its own layout, filters, sorting and groups.
- Properties, formulas and rollupsRelations connect databases, rollups calculate across linked records, formulas calculate values from the properties of the same record.
- FormsA form view collects answers directly as records in the database – from members or, if enabled, from anyone with the link.
- WhiteboardsAn infinite canvas for brainstorming, processes and workshops: sticky notes, shapes, connectors, pen, frames and tables – together and live.
- JournalA journal is a page with one sub-page per day. In the morning today's page is ready, with yesterday's open tasks already on it.
- Collaboration and commentsSeveral people write on the same page at the same time without overwriting each other. Comments, mentions and the inbox keep conversations next to the content.
- Sharing and publishingShare at the top right of every page handles three things: who in the workspace may access it, named links for outsiders and publishing on the web.
- TemplatesTemplates are saved pages – documents, databases or whole page trees – from which new pages are created. On top of that there are record templates within a database.
- Search, inbox and pushThe quick search finds content right down into file attachments. The inbox and push notifications tell you when someone needs you.
- Import, export and versionsContent comes in as Markdown, CSV or an archive and goes out again as Markdown, PDF or a complete archive. The version history brings back earlier states.
- Offline, web app and desktopFlowplan runs in the browser, can be installed as an app and keeps working without a connection.
- API and webhooksWith personal API tokens, scripts, n8n or Home Assistant access Flowplan; webhooks report new records, form answers and pages to other services.
- Keyboard shortcutsAll shortcuts at a glance. On Windows and Linux, Ctrl stands for ⌘ and Alt for ⌥.
Administration
Members, permissions and workspaces.
Self-hosting
Flowplan on your own server: Docker, sign-in, storage, backups and operations.
- Installation with DockerFlowplan runs as a single container with SQLite and a data directory. Postgres, Redis or a separate search service are not needed.
- Administering the instanceWhoever administers the instance sees Administration in the sidebar: the instance's first account and everyone it gives the admin right to – with single sign-on also the members of the group in OIDC_ADMIN_GROUP. There they manage accounts, workspaces, operations, the instance's settings and the activity log.
- Sign-in: password, passkeys and OIDCFlowplan signs people in with e-mail and password, optionally with passkeys. In addition – or instead – sign-in can go through an OpenID Connect provider (single sign-on), whose groups decide who administers the instance.
- ConfigurationAll environment variables at a glance. Many values can also be set in the interface under Administration → Instance; values set there take precedence.
- Storage, S3 and backupsAll data lives in one directory. With S3 storage, files are mirrored and the database is backed up continuously – the container then holds nothing irreplaceable anymore.
- Coolify and reverse proxiesFlowplan only needs an HTTPS proxy in front of it. WebSockets are not needed: collaboration runs over normal HTTP requests and server-sent events.
- Operations and troubleshootingHealth check, metrics, the storage overview and the most common causes when something does not run.