expyth0n

Hey selfhosters 👋

A few weeks ago I shared Ideon here and got great feedback that shaped a lot of what I've been working on since.

Since my last post here, Ideon crossed 200 stars on GitHub and I wanted to say thank you ❤. It means a lot to see people interested in what started as a side project. It motivated me to work on it literally every day since then.

For those who missed it: Ideon is a self-hosted visual workspace where you lay out everything about a project on an infinite canvas: notes, Git repos, code snippets, checklists, sketches, links and connect them together. Two containers, no external dependencies.

Since then, a lot has changed and I wanted to share an update.

Self-hosting got smoother. Docker permission issues with bind mounts are gone, build times are faster, and there's a new GIT_ALLOWED_HOSTS env variable so you can whitelist your internal Git servers (Gitea, Forgejo, GitLab behind a VPN, etc.) without the SSRF filter blocking them.

Collaboration got real structure. There are now 4 project roles (Creator, Owner, Editor, Viewer), a Request Access workflow for private projects, and the canvas supports real-time multiplayer with conflict-free editing.

The canvas got a lot more usable. Keyboard navigation (arrow keys + vim keys), a command palette, freehand sketch blocks, drag-and-drop checklists with progress bars, markdown tables and task lists, emoji reactions on blocks, edge labels, and a bunch of stability fixes for large projects.

Where this is going next:

Right now Ideon lets you see your project. Git stats, issues, PRs show up on the canvas, but you can only look at them. For the v1 I want to move from visibility to control. Merge a PR from the canvas. Trigger a deployment. Restart a service. Turn the workspace into an actual cockpit where you operate your project, not just view it.

That's the direction. Curious what this community thinks about it.

If you tried it and hit something rough, or if you've been waiting to try it, now's a good time. Feedback always welcome.

GitHub: https://github.com/3xpyth0n/ideon

Docs: https://www.theideon.com/docs

Hi selfhosters 👋

After the feedback I received from self-hosters here and elsewhere, I focused this update on things that matter specifically when you run everything on your own infrastructure.

This update adds:

• 🔗 Generate public shareable links for your projects
• 🗂 Organize everything using folders
• 🖼 Export a full project as a single image

But more importantly for this community:

• 🔌 Connect to GitHub, GitLab, Gitea, and Forgejo
• 🏠 Use it with self-hosted Git servers
• 🔐 Provide a personal access token to work with private repositories

Several people mentioned the need to work with private repos and internal Git instances without relying on external services. You can now point Ideon to your own server and use your own token. No third-party dependency required.

Installation is still designed to stay simple. One curl command:

• Downloads the docker-compose.yml
• Downloads the env.example
• Generates all required secrets securely
• Prompts you for SMTP, app URL, port, etc.
• Starts the containers

No repo cloning. No manual secret generation. No external SaaS. Everything runs in two containers: app and database.

GitHub: https://github.com/3xpyth0n/ideon

Docs: https://www.theideon.com/docs

As always, I’m open to feedback. If you self-host it and hit friction anywhere, I want to know.

Hi everyone,

I want to share something that ended up turning into a tool I use every day, and now it’s open source.

I’ve been dealing with the same issue for months. I start a project, get pulled away for a while, and when I come back, I’m completely lost. I don’t remember why I made certain choices, where things are documented, or what my original plan was. The code is in one place, notes are scattered elsewhere, and I’ve usually left a ridiculous number of tabs bookmarked "just in case." Every time I returned, it felt like I was starting the project all over again.

So I started building something for myself. I called it Ideon.

Ideon is a self‑hosted web app (built with Next.js) that gives you an infinite canvas. On that canvas, you place and organize "blocks", pieces of your project context like code, links, notes, docs, references, anything that matters. It isn’t just a file list. It’s a visual space where your ideas coexist in relation to one another.

Here’s how I use it:

• a GitHub block for my repo and issue tracking

• a markdown block for my roadmap and quick thoughts

• link blocks for docs, specs, references

• a checklist block for my TO-DOs

Different from miro.com which only allows "post it" notes, with Ideon there are several types of blocks.

I built this because I kept losing the why behind my projects, not just the what. This solves that for me. And along the way, I realized other solo developers and builders might find it useful too.

Right now, it’s an early version 0.1.0. It works for me, but it’s not polished. There are probably bugs that I haven't noticed, and I’m hoping to grow it with feedback from people who try it. I'm also working on a demo site for you guys, to try it without cloning my whole repo ;)

If you check it out, I’d love to hear:

• what you would actually use it for

• what block types you wish existed

• what feels confusing or missing

I’m very open to feedback, and I’ll reply to every kind of comment.

If I can help, explain, or share what I’ve learned along the way, I’ll gladly do it.

Positive or critical, all feedback is welcome, don’t hesitate ^^

Thanks for reading. I really want to know what y'all think :)

And I almost forgot ! here's the repo : https://github.com/3xpyth0n/ideon

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