What is N.O.M.A.D.?
Project N.O.M.A.D. (Node for Offline Media, Archives, and Data) is a self-contained, offline-first knowledge and education server. It gives you AI chat, offline Wikipedia, Khan Academy courses, downloadable maps, and more — all accessible from a browser, no internet connection required. N.O.M.A.D. was started in 2025 by Chris Sherwood of Crosstalk Solutions with one goal: to let anyone run their own “survival computer” — a capable, self-hosted knowledge system that works when everything else goes down.How it works
N.O.M.A.D. is a management UI called the Command Center and an API that orchestrates a collection of containerized tools via Docker. It handles installation, configuration, and updates for all tools, so you don’t have to touch the command line after the initial setup. Access everything through a browser athttp://localhost:8080 (or http://DEVICE_IP:8080 from other devices on your network).
N.O.M.A.D. requires an internet connection only during the initial installation to download dependencies. After that, everything runs completely offline.
Design principles
Offline-first. Content is downloaded to your device before you need it. Once installed, N.O.M.A.D. does not require internet access to function. Zero telemetry. Your searches, AI conversations, and usage data never leave your server. N.O.M.A.D. has no built-in analytics or data collection. No authentication required. By design, N.O.M.A.D. is open and accessible without login hurdles. Access is controlled at the network level — you decide which devices can reach it. Hardware-agnostic. N.O.M.A.D. itself is lightweight. The tools and content you choose to install determine the hardware you actually need.Built-in capabilities
AI Assistant
Local AI chat powered by Ollama — runs entirely on your hardware, with no data sent to any external service.
Knowledge Base
Upload your own documents and let the AI reference them using semantic search (RAG via Qdrant).
Information Library
Offline Wikipedia, medical references, survival guides, and ebooks via Kiwix.
Education Platform
Full Khan Academy course library with progress tracking for multiple learners via Kolibri.
Offline Maps
Downloadable regional maps with search and navigation via ProtoMaps.
Data Tools
Encryption, encoding, hashing, and data analysis via CyberChef.
Notes
Local markdown note-taking that stays on your device via FlatNotes.
System Benchmark
Hardware performance scoring with Builder Tags and a community leaderboard.
Next steps
Installation
Install N.O.M.A.D. on any Debian-based system with a single command.
Easy Setup Wizard
Use the guided wizard to pick your capabilities and download content collections.