Simplenote for Electron is a desktop note-taking application built with React and Electron for Windows and Linux.
The project provides a native desktop client for Simplenote, a note-taking service. It uses Electron to package a React-based user interface, enabling cross-platform support while leveraging web technologies. The application syncs notes through the Simperium protocol and connects to the Simplenote backend service.
Developers considering this project should be aware that local development has significant constraints. The README explicitly states that local development is not currently supported without either an existing account on the test server or access to production credentials, due to changes in the signup flow that prevent account creation in the test database. This means contributors cannot easily set up an isolated development environment. Additionally, some Simplenote API features such as sharing and publishing do not function in development builds. The project is the official desktop client for Windows and Linux; separate native applications exist for macOS, iOS, and Android.
The project maintains a structured development workflow with unit tests run through npm, platform-specific build targets for macOS, Windows, and Linux, and documented coding guidelines aligned with related Automattic projects. Development requires specific tooling including npm with legacy peer dependency support due to pinned dependencies in the Monaco editor integration, and rpm installation for Linux package builds.
