00:00:00Imagine replacing Notion, Miro, and half your dev workflow with one open source tool.
00:00:05From docs, architecture diagrams, to tasks all in the same infinite canvas.
00:00:10This is Affine, a local first workspace that's completely blown up on GitHub.
00:00:15It's fully open source, local first, and self-hostable.
00:00:19I'll show you how to set it up and why more devs are leaning into this.
00:00:28Affine is basically a knowledge operating system for developers.
00:00:31Most tools force you to separate things.
00:00:34One tool for docs, another for diagrams, another for planning.
00:00:37Affine merges those together.
00:00:40We get rich documents, relational database, and an infinite whiteboard canvas all inside
00:00:44the same workspace.
00:00:46They call this edgeless mode.
00:00:48Now here's the part you actually care about.
00:00:51Like I said, Affine is local first.
00:00:53It uses CRDT syncing powered by Y-Octo and a Rust backend called OctoBase.
00:00:59That means you can work offline, come back later, and sync without merge conflicts or
00:01:03even losing your work.
00:01:04You can spin up the entire stack with a simple Docker Compose up command.
00:01:09And another interesting piece is the editor framework called Block Suite.
00:01:13It's an extensible block editor where developers can build custom blocks and plugins using web
00:01:17components.
00:01:18If you want blocks that render API responses or your diagrams or custom data views, you
00:01:23can actually build them right here in Affine.
00:01:26For everyday dev work, you also get markdown, code blocks, even GitHub embeds.
00:01:30We have Figma embeds as well as these architectural diagrams and sticky notes that can instantly
00:01:35turn into a Kanban board or even a database.
00:01:38With how much this has blown up, this project is moving really quickly with a new version
00:01:43that's just shipped.
00:01:44And I mean over 63,000 stars on GitHub, that kind of tells us something.
00:01:47If you enjoy these types of tips and tools to speed up your dev workflow, be sure to subscribe
00:01:51to the Better Stack channel.
00:01:53All right, enough talk.
00:01:54Let me show you how a quick setup is and how to jump right into the workflow.
00:01:58After we clone this, we run the Docker command, this launches, and I can create a new workspace.
00:02:04I drop in a quick API spec using a markdown block, then add a code snippet.
00:02:10Now I switch the page into edgeless mode, and the document becomes a part of this infinite
00:02:15canvas.
00:02:16And that's already pretty cool, at least in my book.
00:02:18Here's where it gets even more interesting.
00:02:21Instead of opening Miro or some other whiteboard, I can just start sketching the architecture
00:02:25right here around the code.
00:02:28So things like I can drop API gateway here, I can put auth service here, maybe the database
00:02:34over there.
00:02:35I can drag shapes, connect them with arrows, move things around, basically the same flow
00:02:40you would expect with any whiteboard tool.
00:02:42But now it's all in one place.
00:02:43It's all in a fine.
00:02:45But it's living right next to the actual documentation that we started with.
00:02:48So the spec and the architecture diagram are going to stay together.
00:02:52All right, now check this out.
00:02:54I can drop in a few sticky notes for tasks, I can select them and convert them into a database.
00:02:59And now it's on a Kanban board.
00:03:00It's in the same workspace, there's no exporting, there's no switching apps anymore.
00:03:05Next, I could embed a GitHub issue directly into the page, and then drop a Figma design
00:03:11right next to it.
00:03:12So now the doc, the architecture diagram, the tasks, and the design references all live
00:03:17in one place together.
00:03:19It works offline, and if you want, you can self host the entire thing.
00:03:23So where does a fine actually fit compared to other tools that we're already using?
00:03:26Let's just start with the big one.
00:03:27Let's start with Notion here, right?
00:03:29Notion is polished, we get that, but it's cloud only, the canvas is limited, and your data
00:03:33lives entirely on their servers.
00:03:37Next we have tools like Obsidian, which it's fantastic for local markdown knowledge bases.
00:03:42But if you want diagrams, databases, or collaboration, you usually end up installing a bunch of other
00:03:48plugins.
00:03:49A fine ships most of that that's already just built right into it.
00:03:53Then of course there's Miro.
00:03:54Miro, it is a cool tool, right?
00:03:56But it's a great whiteboard tool that's only mostly visual.
00:04:00You can't really build structured documentation or databases inside of it.
00:04:04And then there are tools like AppFlowy or Anytype, which are really similar, but for a lot of
00:04:09developer workflows a fine's canvas fusion, that block suite extensibility, and the CRDT
00:04:15syncing are really ahead.
00:04:17The big technical differentiation here is through block suite.
00:04:21It's essentially an open source Notion style editor framework.
00:04:25Devs can fork it and build entirely new applications on top of it.
00:04:29And we're already starting to see third party blocks and plugins appearing within the community
00:04:33itself, which it's great.
00:04:34It shows us that this is really growing.
00:04:36It's being used by a lot of people.
00:04:38So speaking of using this, right, who is actually using a fine?
00:04:42Well, it's a mix of developers, architects, teams, right?
00:04:46Front end engineers, because it's so visual, they seem to like it, right?
00:04:50It is very visual.
00:04:51If you're visual, you're going to love this.
00:04:52Technical and system architects like it because they can write documentation and draw architecture
00:04:56diagrams all within the same page.
00:04:59Real time collaboration still works even on a self hosted instance.
00:05:03Huge bonus there.
00:05:04And a few things that really stand out here are privacy, especially if you're storing
00:05:08proprietary code or just personal stuff, right?
00:05:11It's privacy.
00:05:12We want to store our personal stuff off servers.
00:05:15Next is deployment.
00:05:16There's an official Docker Compost setup.
00:05:18So you spin up the back end and you're running your own workspace platform.
00:05:21Then finally is the development speed that we get with this.
00:05:25Features are shipping quickly.
00:05:26And if you want something new, you could even contribute if you want, right, and build your
00:05:30own custom block directly on top of block suite.
00:05:33Now I just keep rambling off good things, right, but with anything, there are downsides because
00:05:37dev tools with this much always have rough edges.
00:05:41Large workspaces can occasionally not buffer correctly.
00:05:45It's improving quickly, but it's not as smooth as something like Figma.
00:05:48So performance, right?
00:05:50It's not that great.
00:05:51It's good.
00:05:52It's good.
00:05:53It's not magnificent though.
00:05:54Second is the database system is solid, but it's still growing.
00:05:57Basic tables and Kanban boards work great, but for more advanced relations and sub tasks,
00:06:03they're not quite there yet.
00:06:04It's supposed to come out with a new update.
00:06:06Then mobile support.
00:06:07Right now it runs in the browser on tablets and iPads.
00:06:10It actually works pretty well, but there's no fully native mobile app yet.
00:06:15And finally, self-hosting can have a few weird things.
00:06:17Some issues with image proxy configuration or ARM setups, nothing major, but still.
00:06:22The good news is the docs are pretty good and the issues are being prioritized.
00:06:26Honestly, for a project with more than 63,000 stars and this level of scope, the stability
00:06:30is quite impressive.
00:06:32So the big question is whether a fine is worth using as a developer.
00:06:36For a lot of people, the answer is going to be yes.
00:06:39Why not?
00:06:40Especially if you care about your data ownership, you prefer self-hosting your own tools.
00:06:44You write architecture docs and specs, right?
00:06:47Or if you just want a workspace you can actually extend and just kind of build out some custom
00:06:51things with.
00:06:52That whole block suite, that block suite alone makes the project even more interesting.
00:06:56Where it might not be perfect yet is where you need some really good UX or if your workflow
00:07:01depends heavily on mobile devices, right?
00:07:03You can juggle those, see what fits for you, but a fine is definitely one of the more interesting
00:07:08productivity tools being built right now.
00:07:10My guess is that if you start using it for personal projects, there's a good chance you'll
00:07:14end up migrating your team Wiki too.
00:07:16If you want to try a fine, I've put all the links in the description.
00:07:18You can try it online, download desktop apps, or just self-host it using Docker, right?
00:07:23That's all there.
00:07:24If you enjoy open source and AI tools to speed up your workflow, be sure to subscribe.
00:07:29We'll see you in another video.