Obsidian Sync
Sync keeps your vault up to date across devices that have Obsidian installed, with version history and shared vaults. It does that really well.
Tephra lets you read your vault on devices that don't have Obsidian at all.
Self-hosted · Open source
Your Obsidian vault, in your cloud, from any browser.
Tephra is a web app for your Obsidian vault that you run on your own server. A plugin
keeps it synced with Obsidian on your devices, so you can open your notes at
notes.yourname.com from any computer, with links, backlinks and graph
view working the way you expect.
Self-hosted · Your domain · Your login · AGPL-3.0
Why Tephra
For when Obsidian isn't within reach.
- Your laptop is at home and you need one note.
- You're on a work machine where you can't install anything.
- You just want to look something up quickly in a browser tab.
Obsidian stores your vault as plain files on your own devices, which is great until you need a note and none of those devices are around. Tephra gives you another way in. It doesn't do everything the app does, but it runs on your server and works in any browser.
Host it yourself
Run a single container on your server, on any subdomain you like.
Install the plugin
Add the Tephra plugin to Obsidian on desktop or mobile. It keeps the server up to date.
Open a browser
Log in from any computer and your vault is right there.
How it compares
How is this different from Sync or Publish?
Obsidian already offers two paid services that sound similar. Here's where Tephra fits.
Obsidian Publish
Publish turns notes you choose into a public website, with a custom domain, SEO and analytics. You can password-protect the whole site if you need to.
Tephra is just for you: your entire vault, on your own server, behind your own login.
Features
What works today, and what's next.
Tephra covers the parts of Obsidian you need for reading your notes. More is on the way.
Available now
Your whole vault
Every folder and every note gets synced. No picking and choosing.
Proper rendering
Markdown, frontmatter, tags, callouts and code blocks.
Wikilinks & backlinks
[[Links]] work, including links to headings and blocks.
Graph view
See how your notes connect and click around.
Attachments
Images and PDFs open right inside the note.
Light & dark themes
It looks and feels like Obsidian.
Desktop & mobile sync
The plugin works in Obsidian on desktop, iOS and Android.
Self-hosted
A single container on your own server and domain.
Coming soon
Editing in the browser
Make quick fixes to a note from any computer.
Two-way sync
Edits made on the web sync back to your devices, merged properly so nothing gets overwritten.
Community plugins
Support for plugins that can run safely in a browser.
Optional publishing
Make specific folders public if you want to.
Right now Tephra supports CommonMark Markdown, YAML frontmatter, headings, tags, Markdown links, Obsidian wikilinks (including heading and block links), and image/PDF attachments. It doesn't run community plugins, Dataview, Templater, custom JavaScript or custom CSS yet.
Getting started
Four steps. About one cup of coffee.
Pick a cloud, follow along, and your vault is in a browser tab before your coffee gets cold.
- 1
Put Tephra in your cloud
Pick a home for it. Each one has its own short, copy-paste guide.
You'll come back with two things: your Tephra web address and a one-time setup token.
- 2
Create your login
Open your Tephra address. Choose an email and password, paste the setup token, done. This one login works on the web and in Obsidian.
- 3
Add the plugin to Obsidian
On the device with Obsidian, tap these two buttons in order.
a Get BRAT The helper that installs Tephra. Hit Install, then Enable. b Add Tephra Sync BRAT fetches the latest version and keeps it updated.If Tephra Sync isn't switched on yet, flip it on in Settings → Community plugins.
- 4
Sync your vault to the cloud
Open Settings → Tephra Sync and work down the page.
From here on it syncs by itself whenever you change a note.
That's it. Open your Tephra address in any browser and your whole vault is right there.
The name
Tephra /ˈtɛfrə/ τέφρα
Tephra is the ash and rock a volcano throws into the air when it erupts. The word comes from the Ancient Greek τέφρα, meaning ash.
Obsidian is named after volcanic glass. As its makers put it, if your raw thoughts are lava, Obsidian is your crystallised knowledge.
Tephra comes from the same eruption, but it's the part that travels. Your vault stays where it is, and Tephra carries it far enough that you can read it from anywhere.
Take your vault anywhere.
Set up the server, install the plugin, and your notes are a browser tab away from any computer.