CodiMD is a realtime collaborative markdown note-taking platform that you can self-host.
CodiMD addresses the need for teams to collaborate on documents while maintaining full ownership and control of their data. It provides realtime editing capabilities built on markdown, allowing multiple users to work simultaneously on the same notes. The platform emphasizes content portability and user autonomy, enabling you to download all your content at once and present it in multiple formats including standard markdown, slide mode, or book mode.
CodiMD suits open communities and teams that want to self-host their collaboration infrastructure rather than rely on commercial services. It is particularly well-matched to projects where data sovereignty matters and where markdown-based workflows are already established. The tool is positioned as the free software alternative to HackMD, with reduced feature scope compared to the commercial version but full capability for community use. If you are currently using Etherpad, migration guidance is available.
The project maintains active documentation covering Docker deployment for quick setup and manual deployment for contributors. Configuration options span networking, security, performance, resources, privilege, privacy, image storage, and authentication, allowing substantial customization to fit different deployment contexts. The maintainers have committed to keeping the codebase open source and actively welcome community contributions.
