Joplin
End-to-end encrypted notes with Markdown and file attachments
Joplin is a cross-platform note-taking and personal knowledge management application for creating and organizing notes in Markdown with attachments. It is designed for offline-first use and can sync across devices via multiple backends, with optional end-to-end encryption.
Key Features
- Markdown editor with preview (and rich-text editing mode) for notes
- Notebook and sub-notebook organization, tagging, and search
- Web Clipper to save web pages and screenshots into notebooks
- File attachments (images, PDFs, and other files) and inline rendering where supported
- End-to-end encryption for synced data (E2EE)
- Multiple sync targets: Joplin Server, WebDAV, Dropbox, OneDrive, and local filesystem
- Cross-platform clients: desktop (Windows/macOS/Linux), mobile (Android/iOS), and CLI
- Plugin system for extending desktop features (themes, editors, integrations)
- Note history/restore (note revisions) and conflict handling
- Import/export options (including ENEX and Markdown) for migration
Use Cases
- Personal knowledge base with searchable Markdown notes and tags
- Research collection using Web Clipper to archive articles and references
- Team or multi-device note syncing using Joplin Server or WebDAV with E2EE
Limitations and Considerations
- Real-time multi-user collaborative editing is not a core feature; sharing/collaboration depends on Joplin Server capabilities and workflow
- Some advanced features (plugins, certain editor capabilities) are primarily available on desktop
Joplin fits users who want a privacy-focused, offline-capable notes system with flexible sync options and extensibility. It is especially suitable when Markdown, attachments, and encryption are key requirements while keeping data portable via import/export.
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Tech Stack:
React Native
React
Node.js
TypeScript
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