We all do it—save links to read later, jot down quick notes, screenshot images we want to remember. But these digital breadcrumbs end up scattered across browser bookmarks, note-taking apps, and photo galleries, making them nearly impossible to find when needed. Karakeep (formerly Hoarder) elegantly solves this problem with a unified, intelligent system designed specifically for digital collectors. This open-source, self-hostable platform brings order to information chaos, letting you capture everything worth keeping—links, notes, images, PDFs—in one searchable, AI-enhanced vault that's completely under your control.
Website: https://karakeep.app
karakeep-app
Why Karakeep?
In a world of closed ecosystems and data mining, Karakeep stands apart with a refreshingly different approach to content collection:
- Truly Self-Hosted
Your data lives exclusively on your infrastructure—not in someone else's cloud. Install on your home server, NAS, or preferred hosting provider. - Intelligently Organized
AI-powered automatic tagging turns chaotic collections into organized knowledge bases without manual effort. - Forever Accessible
Full-page archival protects against link rot, ensuring what you save today remains readable years from now—even if the original source disappears. - Universal Collection
One app to rule them all—bookmark links, save images, capture text, store PDFs, and archive videos in a unified interface. - Deeply Searchable
Full-text search across everything—even text inside images (via OCR) and archived web pages. - Privacy by Design
Keep your digital collection truly private with no third-party analytics or tracking. Use local AI models via Ollama integration when you prefer to avoid cloud AI services.
Spotlight on Key Features
1. Universal Content Capture
• Link Bookmarking: Save websites with automatic title, description, and image extraction
• Text Notes: Jot down quick thoughts or extensive documentation
• Media Storage: Save images and PDFs directly to your collection
• Video Archiving: Automatically download and store videos using youtube-dl integration
2. Intelligent Organization
• AI-Powered Tagging: Automatic content categorization using OpenAI or local Ollama models
• Custom Lists: Sort content into personal collections
• OCR Integration: Extract and search text within images
• Full-Text Search: Find anything instantly with powerful Meilisearch backend
3. Archive Against Digital Decay
• Full Page Archival: Store complete web pages using Monolith to prevent link rot
• Highlight Preservation: Mark and save important sections of content
• RSS Auto-Hoarding: Automatically capture content from your favorite feeds
• Screenshot Capture: Grab visual content with built-in tools
4. Multi-Platform Access
• Browser Extensions: One-click saving from Chrome and Firefox
• Mobile Apps: Native iOS and Android apps for on-the-go collection
• REST API: Integrate with your own tools and workflows
• Responsive Web Interface: Access your collection from any device
5. Privacy & Control
• AGPL-3.0 Licensed: Fully open-source codebase
• SSO Support: Integrate with your existing authentication systems
• Dark Mode: Reduce eye strain with thoughtful design
• Multi-Language Support: Use in your preferred language
Getting Started in Minutes
Karakeep offers flexible deployment options to match your technical comfort level:
🐳 Quick Start with Docker
# Pull and run Karakeep
docker run -d \
-p 3000:3000 \
-v karakeep-data:/data \
karakeepapp/karakeep:latest
🛠️ Advanced Self-Hosting
For complete control with custom configurations:
# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/karakeep-app/karakeep.git
cd karakeep
# Copy and modify environment variables
cp .env.sample .env
# Install dependencies
pnpm install
# Start the application
pnpm dev
📱 Mobile Setup
- Install the iOS or Android app from their respective stores
- Connect to your self-hosted instance
- Start hoarding content on the go
Real-World Applications
Professional Research
Collect academic papers, reference materials, and research notes in one searchable repository that won't disappear when a service shuts down.
Content Creation
Build a personal inspiration library of articles, images, and references that's deeply searchable and accessible across all your devices.
Technical Documentation
Save code snippets, technical articles, and documentation with automatic tagging and full-text search for instant retrieval when needed.
Link Preservation
Archive important web content that might disappear, ensuring your digital references remain intact despite the ephemeral nature of the internet.
The Name Behind the App
The name "Karakeep" draws inspiration from the Arabic word "كراكيب" (karakeeb)—a colloquial term for miscellaneous clutter or odds and ends that hold personal value or hidden usefulness. It perfectly captures the essence of digital hoarding: saving bits and pieces that might seem disorganized but matter deeply to you.
Join the Karakeep Community
With over 15.6k GitHub stars and a vibrant contributor base, Karakeep is rapidly evolving:
- Contribute Code: Help enhance features or fix bugs via GitHub
- Improve Translations: Join the localization effort on Weblate
- Share Use Cases: Show your Karakeep setup with the community
- Request Features: Shape the future direction of the project
Get involved by checking out the contribution guidelines.
Final Thoughts
In an age of information overload, the ability to efficiently save, organize, and retrieve digital content is increasingly valuable. Karakeep transforms the chaotic habit of digital hoarding into a streamlined knowledge management system—all while respecting your privacy and giving you complete ownership of your data.
Whether you're saving articles for research, collecting design inspiration, or simply trying to bring order to your digital life, Karakeep provides the intelligent infrastructure to make your content truly yours, forever.
Ready to transform your digital collection? Explore karakeep.app or dive into the code on GitHub.
