Choosing Where To Store Your Notes
The first decision is where a graph's notes are kept, because it is fixed when the graph is created and decides what the graph can do. There are two kinds, and a demo for trying things out.
The three options
| Local graph | Synced graph | Demo | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Where the notes are stored | Markdown files in a folder on this computer | Encrypted on a Sync Server, cached in each browser | In this browser's storage only |
| Device compatibility | Chrome and Edge on a desktop, and Chrome on Android | Any browser, phones and tablets included | Any current browser |
| Sync | Your own tool e.g. Git, Syncthing, a shared drive | Every device you sign in on, live | No |
| Sharing | No | Yes, editing together in real time | No |
| Account Requirements | None, use without sign in | An EtherPK Account with Sync+, or an account on a server you run | N/A |
| Backup | Your own tool e.g. Backblaze | The server, plus an optional mirror copy on disk and manual exports | N/A |
| Who can read the notes | Anyone with the folder, except protected documents | Only your devices and the graph's members (the server and EtherPK admins cannot see your notes or assets) | Anyone with device access |
Which browsers support each option
Each option keeps its notes in a different place, and not every browser can use every place. A local graph keeps its notes in a folder you choose, and a synced graph keeps them on a Sync Server. The demo keeps its notes in the browser's own private file storage, which is called the Origin Private File System (OPFS).
| Local folder | Browser storage (OPFS) | Sync Server | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Desktop | |||
| Chrome or Edge on Windows, macOS, Linux or ChromeOS | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Firefox on Windows, macOS or Linux | No | Yes | Yes |
| Safari on a Mac | No | Safari 26 or later | Yes |
| Phones and tablets | |||
| Chrome on Android | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Firefox on Android | No | Yes | Yes |
| Any browser on an iPhone or iPad | No | iOS and iPadOS 26 or later | Yes |
Browsers on an iPhone or iPad are built on Safari's engine, so Chrome and Firefox there behave like Safari. The Knowledge graphs page shows Open folder (Local Graph) only in a browser that can open a folder, so it answers the question for a browser not listed here. Brave, for example, turns that feature off.
Choose a local graph when
- you want the notes as files you can see, back up and edit with other tools
- you work on one desktop, or already sync folders between machines your own way
- you want an agent to work on the files directly
- you want no account and no server involved.
You need Chrome or Edge on a desktop, or Chrome on an Android phone or tablet, because those browsers can open a folder. Local Graphs has the details, and Running EtherPK On Your Own Computer covers running the app itself on your machine.
Choose a synced graph when
- you want the same notes on a phone, a tablet or a Safari or Firefox browser
- you want to edit with other people
- you want the server to hold the copy of record while you keep a readable mirror on disk.
Synced graphs are end-to-end encrypted, so the Sync Server stores what it cannot read. On EtherPK's managed service they need Sync+. Synced Graphs has the details, and Managed Sync how the Client connects.
Try the demo first
The demo is a full graph with sample content, in any browser, with nothing to set up. It is for trying the editor, not for keeping notes: it is stored only in this browser and is lost when the browser clears its storage. Try the demo on the Knowledge graphs page, or the landing page, opens it (Managing Your Graphs).
You can have both
A device can hold several graphs of each kind, listed together on the Knowledge graphs page. Many people keep a synced graph for the notes they want everywhere and a local graph for a project kept in a repository.
To move notes from one kind to the other, import them as a new graph: a local graph's folder directly, or a synced graph's Local Mirror. The original is untouched (Importing From Logseq Obsidian Or EtherPK).
Whatever you choose
Both kinds use the same editor, the same markdown and the same features, and Where Your Data Is Stored says what is stored where for each. Protected documents work in both (Protected Documents), and a published site can be made from either (Publishing Your Notes As A Website).