Mark Rechsteiner | NoteStack
Authentication
Built a secure login flow using bcrypt password hashing and express-session for authenticated access to notebooks and notes.
NoteStack – Full-Stack Notes App
A self-hosted note-taking application with notebooks, tags, search, and autosave.
NoteStack is a full-stack notes application built with Node.js, Express, EJS, and MariaDB. It allows users to create accounts, organize notes into notebooks, tag notes for filtering, search across title/content/tags, and edit notes with autosave functionality.
The application is hosted on a Synology NAS, managed with PM2, and securely exposed to the internet through Cloudflare Tunnel without opening inbound router ports.
Project Overview
Core application features:
- User Authentication — signup, login, logout, password hashing, and session-based access control.
- Notebook Organization — users can create and manage separate notebooks for different topics.
- Note Management — create, edit, autosave, and delete notes inside notebooks.
- Tagging System — assign tags to notes, edit tags later, and click tags to filter results.
- Search — search notes by title, content, and tags.
Tech Stack
Node.js, Express, EJS, MariaDB, PM2, Cloudflare Tunnel, Synology NAS
Key Features
Notebook & Note CRUD
Users can create, view, edit, and delete notebooks and notes, giving the app a complete and practical CRUD workflow.
Tagging & Search
Notes support many-to-many tag relationships, and search includes note title, note content, and assigned tags.
Autosave
Notes automatically save while typing, creating a more modern and user-friendly editing experience.
Application Screenshots
Click an image to view it larger.
Database Schema
Schema diagram for the NoteStack database structure.
note_stack
The NoteStack schema includes users, notebooks, notes, tags, and a many-to-many join table connecting notes to tags.
Open full schema image
Deployment & Security
- Hosted on a self-managed Synology NAS.
- MariaDB runs internally and is not exposed to the public internet.
- PM2 keeps the application running persistently after terminal sessions close.
- Cloudflare Tunnel provides secure HTTPS access without opening inbound ports.
- Authentication uses bcrypt for password hashing and express-session for session management.
What I Learned
- Designing a notes application around one-to-many and many-to-many database relationships.
- Building authentication and session-based access control into a full-stack app.
- Implementing tag-aware search and autosave behavior for a more realistic user experience.
- Deploying and managing a self-hosted application on Synology with PM2 and Cloudflare Tunnel.