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TakeNote
Developer‑focused web notes app with IDE‑style editing.
TakeNote offers a browser‑based, plain‑text note editor with markdown preview, syntax highlighting, keyboard shortcuts, and local‑storage persistence, plus optional self‑hosted GitHub sync.
Overview
Overview
TakeNote is a lightweight, web‑based note‑taking tool built for developers who prefer plain‑text, code‑like environments. It runs entirely in the browser, storing notes in local storage and allowing easy export as markdown files, ensuring privacy without any cloud dependencies.
Core Capabilities
The editor provides IDE‑style features such as multi‑cursor support, syntax highlighting, keyboard shortcuts, and drag‑and‑drop organization. Notes can be linked using {{uuid}} syntax, previewed in real‑time markdown, and automatically formatted with Prettier. A dark and light theme based on the New Moon design offers a comfortable visual experience.
Deployment Options
While the demo runs as a static site, an optional self‑hosted version includes a Node/Express server and GitHub OAuth integration, enabling automatic backup of notes to a private repository. The project can be run locally, built for production, or containerized with Docker, giving developers flexibility to host their own instance.
Highlights
Plain‑text IDE‑style editor with multi‑cursor support
Live markdown preview and Prettier formatting
Local‑storage persistence with easy export
Optional self‑hosted GitHub sync via OAuth
Pros
- No database or cloud dependencies ensures privacy
- Keyboard‑first workflow boosts productivity
- Lightweight static client can run anywhere
- Extensible self‑hosted version allows GitHub backup
Considerations
- Notes stored only in browser unless self‑hosted
- No real‑time collaboration features
- GitHub sync requires own server and OAuth setup
- Limited to markdown; no rich‑text editing
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Fit guide
Great for
- Developers who prefer plain‑text, code‑like note taking
- Users needing offline‑first notes without cloud
- Teams comfortable managing their own self‑hosted instance
- People who value keyboard shortcuts and IDE feel
Not ideal when
- Users requiring cross‑device cloud sync out of the box
- Non‑technical users who need WYSIWYG editing
- Environments needing real‑time collaborative editing
- Those unwilling to manage a server for GitHub integration
How teams use it
Documenting code snippets during development
Quickly capture, tag, and retrieve code examples with syntax highlighting and searchable notes.
Maintaining personal knowledge base
Store markdown notes locally, export as zip, and keep them private without third‑party services.
Syncing notes to a private GitHub repo
Self‑hosted instance automatically backs up each note as a markdown file in a dedicated repository.
Creating project documentation drafts
Use multi‑cursor editing and Prettier to format markdown, then export for inclusion in project repos.
Tech snapshot
TypeScript84%
SCSS12%
JavaScript3%
Shell1%
Dockerfile1%
HTML1%
Frequently asked questions
Where are my notes saved?
Notes are stored in the browser's local storage and can be downloaded as a zip of markdown files.
Can I sync notes across devices?
The demo does not provide cloud sync; syncing requires self‑hosting the optional GitHub integration.
Do I need a database to run TakeNote?
No. The client runs as a static site; the optional server component only handles GitHub OAuth and file commits.
Is there any tracking or analytics?
TakeNote does not include any tracking or analytics scripts.
How do I enable the GitHub backup feature?
Create a GitHub OAuth app, set CLIENT_ID and CLIENT_SECRET in a .env file, and run the full application (not the demo).
Project at a glance
Dormant- Stars
- 7,110
- Watchers
- 7,110
- Forks
- 1,320
LicenseMIT
Repo age6 years old
Last commit2 years ago
Primary languageTypeScript
Last synced yesterday