Setting Up Your Own Apple Notes Server

In this guide, we will walk you through the process of setting up your own Apple Notes server using Docker and the tvial/docker-mailserver image. Please note that this setup will only provide an IMAP server, which can be used with Apple Notes for syncing your notes across devices. Let’s get started!

Prerequisites

Before you begin, make sure you have the following prerequisites:

1. A server or a cloud-based virtual machine running a Linux distribution (e.g., Ubuntu, Debian).
2. Docker and Docker Compose installed on your server. You can install Docker by following the official documentation.

Step 1: Prepare Your Server

Log in to your server as a user with sudo privileges.

Step 2: Create a Docker Compose File

Create a directory for your Docker Compose files and navigate to it:

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mkdir docker-notes-server
cd docker-notes-server

Now, create a docker-compose.yml file using your favorite text editor (e.g., nano or vim):

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```yaml
version: '3'
services:
  imap-server:
    image: tvial/docker-mailserver:latest
    container_name: imap-server
    environment:
      - SSL_TYPE=none
      - DISABLE_CLAMAV=y
      - DISABLE_SPAMASSASSIN=y
    volumes:
      - /data/mail:/var/mail
      - /data/state:/var/mail-state
      - /data/overrides:/etc/mail/overrides
    ports:
      - "143:143"
      - "993:993"
    restart: always

This Compose file sets up an IMAP server using the `tvial/docker-mailserver` image. It disables SSL, ClamAV, and SpamAssassin for simplicity, but you can enable these features if desired. Make sure to customize the volume paths according to your server's configuration.

## Step 3: Create Data Directories

Create the directories on your server to store the mail data and state:

```bash
mkdir -p /data/mail
mkdir -p /data/state
mkdir -p /data/overrides

Step 4: Start the IMAP Server

Now, you can start the Apple Notes IMAP server using Docker Compose:

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docker-compose up -d

The -d flag runs the containers in the background.

Step 5: Configure Apple Notes

With the IMAP server up and running, you can configure your Apple Notes app to use it for syncing your notes:

1. Open the “Settings” app on your iOS or macOS device.
2. Scroll down and select “Notes.”
3. Under the “Accounts” section, tap “Add Account.”
4. Choose “Other Account” and then select “Add Mail Account.”
5. Enter your Name, Email (use the username you created on the server), Password, and Description.
6. Tap “Next” and wait for your device to verify the account settings.
7. Once verified, you can choose to sync Notes. Ensure that the Notes option is enabled.
8. Tap “Save” to finish the setup.

Your Apple Notes should now sync with your own IMAP server.

That’s it! You have successfully set up your own Apple Notes server using Docker and tvial/docker-mailserver. You can now enjoy syncing your notes securely across your Apple devices.