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DumbPad
With a deliberately minimalist design philosophy and zero database dependencies, DumbPad delivers a self-hosted notepad that stores notes as plain text files with real-time auto-saving every 10 seconds and keyboard-shortcut manual saves. The Node.js Express backend serves a vanilla JavaScript frontend that supports multiple named notepads with direct URL linking and shareable links for instant access to specific notes. The split-view editor displays markdown source on the left and rendered preview on the right with a draggable resize handle, while the full preview mode renders complete markdown with GitHub-style alert blocks for Note, Tip, Important, Warning, and Caution callouts, extended table formatting, fenced code blocks with syntax highlighting via highlight.js covering approximately 180 programming languages, collapsible details sections, and checklist support. Fuzzy search matches across both filenames and file contents for fast navigation across large collections. Optional PIN protection secures access with configurable 4 to 10 digit codes, constant-time comparison to prevent timing attacks, brute force lockout after 5 failed attempts with 15-minute cooldown, and IP-based tracking. The Docker container runs as non-root UID 1000 by default with multi-architecture support, CORS origin restrictions for reverse proxy deployments, and persistent data volumes. Notes can be downloaded as text or markdown files, printed with auto-expanded collapsible sections, and imported by placing text files directly into the data directory. On RepoCloud, deploy DumbPad on a dedicated VPS with Docker, root SSH access, and complete control over your note-taking infrastructure, all under the GPL-3.0 license.
Benefits
- Zero-Database File Storage
- Notes persist as plain text files on disk with no database dependency, enabling direct filesystem access, simple backups, and import by dropping text files into the data directory.
- Rich Markdown Preview
- Split-view editor renders GitHub-style alert blocks, extended tables, fenced code blocks with syntax highlighting for 180+ languages, collapsible sections, and checklist formatting.
- Secure PIN Protection
- Optional 4 to 10 digit PIN with constant-time comparison, brute force lockout after 5 failed attempts, 15-minute cooldown, IP-based tracking, and secure cookie handling.
- Collaborative Real-Time Editing
- Multiple users can edit the same notepad simultaneously with real-time synchronization, shareable URL links, and independent undo and redo history per client session.
Features
- Split Preview Editor
- Side-by-side editor and markdown preview with draggable resize handle and three view modes for editor-only, split, and full preview with per-client default settings.
- Fuzzy Search
- Instant search matches across both notepad filenames and file contents for fast navigation through large note collections without manual organization.
- PWA Support
- Progressive Web App functionality enables installation on mobile and desktop devices with automatic cache updates and offline-capable access to saved notes.
- Real-Time Auto-Save
- Real-time auto-saving every 10 seconds with keyboard shortcut manual save ensures no data loss, complemented by download as text or markdown file export.