SilverBullet can run in two modes:

  1. Single-Space mode (legacy)
  2. Multi-Space mode (default)

If you installed SilverBullet fresh anywhere since 2.10 — you’re in multi-space mode. Don’t worry about any of this, we’re good.

Single-space mode

If you installed a version of SilverBullet that’s older than 2.10, you will have installed it in what is now called “single-space mode”. A mode in which SilverBullet only serves a single space. In addition, it has more restrictions:

  1. No support for multiple accounts (just a single one configured via the SB_USER environment variable)
  2. No support for per-space permissions (everything is write accessible the the configured single user)
  3. Limited support for Revisions, specifically Revisions#Syncing with a remote.
  4. No support for Single Sign-On (obviously)
  5. Limited support for At-Mention
  6. Likely many future updates will not be configurable in this environment.

Anyway, the short version of it is: migrate to multi-space when you can.

Multi-space mode

This is the promised land:

  1. You can create multiple spaces on a single server (hence the name).
  2. You can create multiple accounts and even authenticate them with Single Sign-On if you like.
  3. You have the ability to set (basic) permissions per user, per space
  4. You have Revisions with git sync, if you like
  5. At-Mention auto complete for user accounts

Of course, you can still decide to just configure a single space and a single user. That’s fine, but it gives you options down the line.

Use multi-space mode.

Migrating from single-space to multi-space

  1. Spin up a fresh SilverBullet instance next to your existing one, pointing your data folder at a fresh folder.
  2. Run through the setup flow via the web UI and set up a fresh new space, noting where the space will be stored physically (e.g. spaces/notes).
  3. Move (or to be safer: copy) all your space files from your old SB instance into this spaces/notes (or whatever) folder mounted into the new container.
  4. Open the space via the new instance to make sure everything is there.
  5. Profit.