Ikna is an learning web application based on flashcards and spaced repetition, akin to Anki. It provides a modern web interface with a self-hosting server to create and review cards for learning languages, preparing for exams, or anything else that requires memorizing and long-term retention.

Prerequisites

• Node.js (v22.13.0 or later)
• MySQL (v.8.0.41 or later)

Installation

Copy the source code in a folder and make it your working directory. Then, set up the necessary packages in the client folder with npm init and run the app.

cd .\client\
npm init
npm run dev

In a separate terminal, innitizlize server packages, then run it.

cd .\server\
npm init
node app.mjs

Now you should be able to access the web interface by http://localhost:5173/.

Configuration

Important

There are two config.EXAMPLE.json files in /client and /server folders accordingly. Make sure to rename both files to config.json.

Client config

• serverBaseUrl — URL of the server API. http://127.0.0.1:3000/api by default.

Server config

• db.host — domain name to access database. If the database is hosted on the same machine as the server, it should stay unchanged. localhost by default.
• db.port — port to access database. 3000 by default.
• db.user — MySQL username to be used to access the app's database. root by default.
• db.password — MySQL password for the chosen user. Empty by default.
• db.name — MySQL database name. ikna by default.
• db.schemaLocation — location of the file that contains the innitial database schema that will be applied on the first run. Changing this value is not recommended. ./schema.sql by default.
• db.tableCleanup (testing only) — when set true, the database tables will be truncated on every run. false by default.
• secretKeySize — the number of random bytes that will be used to sign authentification tokens. Those bytes are saved as secret.key on the first run. 128 by default.
• jwtExpirationTime - the time allowed for tokens to stay valid before expiring. 1d by default.