This self-hosted collaborative markdown editor is our family’s new wiki

I was tired of the mess that came with planning anything with my family. We had too many group chats, emails, and notes all over the place. Whenever we tried to plan a simple trip or a weekend get-together, the important details would just disappear. We needed a single, central location where everyone could contribute and view the entire plan at once. That's when I discovered HedgeDoc, a free, self-hosted tool for collaborative note-taking. It has completely changed how we work, and it's now our family's own private wiki.

What is HedgeDoc?

The self-hosted advantage

HedgeDoc is an open-source, real-time collaborative markdown editor. It is like a shared notebook that multiple people can edit at the same time, with a live preview that shows exactly what the final document will look like. It’s perfect for everything from brainstorming sessions to creating a shared family knowledge base. When we were planning our family trip, it became our central hub for everything regarding the trip. The central document was shared with each family member, and anyone can edit it.

The most significant benefit of HedgeDoc for me is the self-hosted advantage. Instead of trusting a third-party company with our personal information, I run HedgeDoc on my own server using Docker. This means our family's data is stored privately and securely. I have complete control over who has access and how the data is handled.

Smooth note-taking with real-time collaboration

Collaborative note-taking that just works

Once I set up a document on HedgeDoc, the real-time collaboration was awesome. I just shared a link, and my family members could start helping out right away. What’s cool is that it all happens live. I can be typing in one part of the document and instantly see what someone else is adding in another. It feels like we're all working on the same digital whiteboard at the same time.

The way it works is super simple. One side of the screen is a basic text editor. I can use simple symbols, like a # to make a big title or a * for a list. The other side of the screen instantly shows what the finished page looks like. This made organizing things really easy. I could set up clear sections, and everyone could add their thoughts without messing up the whole document.

HedgeDoc also features some useful enhancements that make note-taking more powerful. I can create checklists to track who’s responsible for what. I can even add a table to organize information like flight details or restaurant options. For more visual notes, I can embed images directly, or even create simple diagrams and flowcharts right in the document using special syntax. This flexibility turns a simple text file into a dynamic, all-in-one planning tool.

Set different permissions

With HedgeDoc, what's great is the control I have. As the creator of the document, I can assign different permissions to each person. I can give some people full access to edit, while others might only be able to view it. This is extremely helpful because it allows me to determine who can modify the plan and who can only review the final version. This control, along with live sharing, makes working together easy and worry-free.

The little features that matter the most

A few small features, a lot of power

Besides the main real-time editing, a few small things really made HedgeDoc a winner for our family. One of my favorites is the version history feature. I can click a button and see who changed what and when. This was a lifesaver. When my niece accidentally deleted a whole section, I was able to bring it back in seconds.

Another cool feature is how I can save our notes in different formats. While we primarily use HedgeDoc to view our wiki online, it's a huge bonus that I can export the document in different formats. Even the more advanced features are simple to use. For example, I can create a table of contents that updates automatically as we add new sections to our document.

HedgeDoc also features a built-in slide view that allows notes to be converted into a presentation. For more serious note-takers, the editor supports keyboard shortcuts from tools like Vim, Emacs, and Sublime Text, which makes editing even faster. And to keep our documents organized, I can add tags to notes, making them easy to find later. It’s these thoughtful little extras that turned a simple editor into our family’s go-to wiki.

It’s worth giving it a try

HedgeDoc has been a game-changer for our planning. While it lacks a dedicated mobile app, I found the experience to be simple enough for my needs. I love that it's on my own server, keeping all our family info safe and private. The way we can all work on the same page simultaneously has made things much easier. With all its neat features, such as a simple writing style and the ability to go back in time to fix mistakes, it has been perfect for us. If you need a simple and private way to collaborate, it’s worth checking this out. It’s been a perfect fit for my family.