hotnote.io

March 22, 2026 · View on GitHub

Minimalist online code editor with local filesystem access.

We ❤️ lean software and dream of the days of MS Edit and Windows 3.11.

A pure-JS, no-build notes app that runs directly in the browser. Uses the File System Access API to read and write files on your local machine.

Features

Browse and edit local files and folders
Markdown preview with syntax-highlighted code blocks
JSON tree viewer
Image viewer
Syntax highlighting for common languages (JS, TS, Go, Python, Rust, Shell, CSS, HTML, YAML, …)
Autosave with configurable delay
Resizable sidebar
Drag-and-drop to move files and folders
Light / dark theme

Requirements

Chrome or Edge (desktop). The File System Access API is not supported in Firefox or Safari.

Running locally

Open index.html directly in Chrome — no server or build step required.

Hosting on GitHub Pages

Fork or push the repository to GitHub.
Go to Settings → Pages in your repository.
Under Source, select Deploy from a branch.
Choose the main branch and the / (root) folder, then click Save.
GitHub will publish the site at https://<your-username>.github.io/<repo-name>/.
Open that URL in Chrome and click Open Folder to grant access to a local directory.

Note: GitHub Pages serves over HTTPS, which is required for the File System Access API to work. The site is purely static — your files never leave your machine.

Custom domain (optional)

Add a CNAME file to the repository root containing just your domain, e.g.:
```
notes.example.com
```
In your DNS provider, add a CNAME record pointing your subdomain to <your-username>.github.io. For an apex domain (example.com) add four A records pointing to GitHub's IPs instead:
```
185.199.108.153
185.199.109.153
185.199.110.153
185.199.111.153
```
Go to Settings → Pages → Custom domain, enter your domain, and click Save.
Wait for DNS to propagate, then tick Enforce HTTPS once it becomes available (required for the File System Access API).

Project structure

hotnote2/
├── index.html        # App shell
├── css/
│   └── style.css     # All styles
└── js/
    ├── hotnote.js    # Main app logic
    ├── lib-markdown.js
    └── lib-format.js