this post was submitted on 25 Jan 2026
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Selfhosted

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Hi everyone,

I want to share something that ended up turning into a tool I use every day, and now it’s open source.

I’ve been dealing with the same issue for months. I start a project, get pulled away for a while, and when I come back, I’m completely lost. I don’t remember why I made certain choices, where things are documented, or what my original plan was. The code is in one place, notes are scattered elsewhere, and I’ve usually left a ridiculous number of tabs bookmarked "just in case." Every time I returned, it felt like I was starting the project all over again.

So I started building something for myself. I called it Ideon.

Ideon is a self‑hosted web app (built with Next.js) that gives you an infinite canvas. On that canvas, you place and organize "blocks", pieces of your project context like code, links, notes, docs, references, anything that matters. It isn’t just a file list. It’s a visual space where your ideas coexist in relation to one another.

Here’s how I use it:

• a GitHub block for my repo and issue tracking

• a markdown block for my roadmap and quick thoughts

• link blocks for docs, specs, references

• a checklist block for my TO-DOs

Different from miro.com which only allows "post it" notes, with Ideon there are several types of blocks.

I built this because I kept losing the why behind my projects, not just the what. This solves that for me. And along the way, I realized other solo developers and builders might find it useful too.

Right now, it’s an early version 0.1.0. It works for me, but it’s not polished. There are probably bugs that I haven't noticed, and I’m hoping to grow it with feedback from people who try it. I'm also working on a demo site for you guys, to try it without cloning my whole repo ;)

If you check it out, I’d love to hear:

• what you would actually use it for

• what block types you wish existed

• what feels confusing or missing

I’m very open to feedback, and I’ll reply to every kind of comment.

If I can help, explain, or share what I’ve learned along the way, I’ll gladly do it.

Positive or critical, all feedback is welcome, don’t hesitate ^^

Thanks for reading. I really want to know what y'all think :)

And I almost forgot ! here's the repo : https://github.com/3xpyth0n/ideon

top 9 comments
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[–] otacon239@lemmy.world 14 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

This looks incredible! I’m your first Star!

[–] expyth0n@lemmy.world 7 points 2 weeks ago

Thank you so much! that really means a lot :))

[–] androidul@lemmy.world 4 points 2 weeks ago

starred as well, let’s go 💫

[–] oeuf@slrpnk.net 5 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

I've been wondering if something like this existed! It seems like a cross between Cherrytree and Minder, both of which are very cool.

[–] expyth0n@lemmy.world 3 points 2 weeks ago

Thanks! I hope it ends up being really useful for organizing your ideas and projects :D

Neat, can't wait to try this

[–] damnthefilibuster@lemmy.world 3 points 2 weeks ago
[–] eodur@piefed.social 2 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

This is a really cool idea. It would be great to see some kind of browser integration/add-on so you could easily add a link to a specific project/block.

[–] expyth0n@lemmy.world 1 points 2 weeks ago

And really cool suggestion :D I’ll look into how to integrate that in a simple/practical way. Thanks for taking the time to comment !