nb
A command-line and local web tool for plain text notes, bookmarks and a Git-backed knowledge base.
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1 more ways to get nb
Package managers
- Homebrew
brew install nb
About nb
nb is a single portable script for taking notes, saving bookmarks and building a knowledge base from the terminal or a local web interface. Notes live as plain text in formats such as Markdown, Org, LaTeX and AsciiDoc, with tagging, search, pinning, wiki-style links, todos and folders.
Git handles versioning and syncing, Pandoc handles conversion to other document formats, and notes and bookmarks can be encrypted with a password. You can write in Vim, Emacs, VS Code or any other editor. It runs in standard Linux and Unix environments, including macOS, and on Windows through WSL, MSYS or Cygwin.
Strengths
- Plain text notes with Git-backed versioning and sync
- Bookmarking and archiving alongside notes
- Password-protected encrypted notes
- Works with any text editor
Limitations
- Terminal-first workflow; the web interface runs locally
- Windows needs WSL, MSYS or Cygwin
Details
- Pricing
- FreeFree and open source.
- License
- AGPL-3.0
- Developer
- xwmx
- Platforms
- Windows, macOS, Linux, Command line
- How it runs
- Downloadable app
- Account
- Not required
- Works offline
- Yes
- Best suited for
- Terminal users who want notes and bookmarks in plain text synced with Git
- Categories
- Note-taking, CLI tools
- Last verified
- Added
- Provenance
- Facts checked against the developer's own pages and store listings, 1 sources on file.
Alternatives to nb
Compare allSoftware that can replace nb for an important use case, and what changes if you switch.
zk
A command-line tool for maintaining a plain-text Markdown Zettelkasten or personal wiki.
zk is a command-line tool for a plain Markdown Zettelkasten that works with any editor, but it lacks bookmarking, encryption and Git sync, and it is not open source.
Org mode
A GNU Emacs major mode for notes, outlines, to-do lists and documents kept in plain text.
Org mode keeps notes, outlines, tasks and an agenda in plain text inside GNU Emacs, easy to version control, with a steep learning curve for newcomers.
Denote
An Emacs note-taking package that organises plain-text notes through a predictable, descriptive file naming scheme.
Denote is an Emacs package organising plain-text notes through a predictable file naming scheme with no database, requiring Emacs familiarity and offering no mobile app.
VimWiki
A Vim plugin that turns linked plain-text files into a personal wiki with its own syntax.
VimWiki turns linked plain-text files into a personal wiki inside Vim with website export, but has no bookmarking, encryption or built-in sync between devices.
Neorg
A Neovim plugin and file format for notes, tasks and organising your life inside the editor.
Neorg keeps notes and tasks as plain-text files inside Neovim with an extensible module system, but it uses its own format rather than Markdown.
Foam
A personal knowledge management system built on Visual Studio Code and plain Markdown files.
Foam keeps Markdown notes with wikilinks, backlinks and graph view inside Visual Studio Code and uses Git for sync, replacing a terminal workflow with an editor.
Zim
A desktop wiki that keeps linked notes as plain text files in a folder structure.
Zim is a desktop wiki for Windows and Linux storing linked notes as plain text files with a version control plugin, using a graphical interface and its own markup.
nb as an alternative
Listings that name nb as an alternative.
Karakeep
Save bookmarks, notes and documents in a self-hosted library.
nb keeps bookmarks, archives and notes as plain text with Git-backed sync from the command line and a local web interface, rather than a self-hosted web library.
Similar software
Related functionality, not necessarily a direct replacement.
jrnl
A command-line journal that stores entries in plain text files, with optional AES encryption.
Emanote
A tool that turns a folder of Markdown notes into a linked, browsable website.
Org-roam
An Emacs package for linked, plain-text personal knowledge management built on Org mode files.
Omnivore
An open-source, self-hosted read-it-later app for saving, highlighting and annotating articles, newsletters and PDFs.
Markor
An open-source Android text editor for Markdown notes, todo.txt lists and plain text files.
