Joplin

March 18, 2023

Overview

I’ve been using Apple notes for quite a while. I’ve recently tried (again) to use Linux more frequently as my main OS on my desktop and laptop. One of the initial pain points was files which I solved with Nextcloud. Following that, notes and tasks were the next items. I’m currently using Joplin for all of my notes, and it’s actually working out quite well.

Using Joplin

I decided on Joplin because it has a few more features that just a simple Markdown notes app. I can write in Markdown, but it also supports file attachments, tags, and multiple notebooks. I believe there is even a web clipper, but I haven’t tried it out yet. I’m using the AppImage version for the desktop app on Linux, and it works very well. Even the iOS and iPadOS apps are great. It is currently setup to sync via WebDAV with my Nextcloud server. By default, it will keep note history for 90 days. I haven’t even explored the world of plugins yet.

There really isn’t much setup involved when installing the app on a new device. The first thing I do is go to the options and set the date format to my preference as well as update the theme to Nord. I also delete all of the initial starting data (notebooks, tags, etc.) that Joplin comes with. Enabling synchronization with Nextcloud is very easy. Simply provide it your WebDAV address and be sure to include the folder you’re using for Joplin (typically just “Joplin”). You may need to setup a specific app password in Nextcloud to use with Joplin depending on your security setup.

Conclusion

Moving to and using Joplin has turned out to be much easier than I initially suspected. It may not be quite as well integrated on iOS and iPadOS, but I’ve not had any usability issues. I can now easily access/edit my notes on my Linux devices and all of my data is synced with my local Nextcloud server. I see no reason I won’t continue to use this.