TakeNote is a free, open-source note-taking web application designed specifically for developers who prefer a clean, plain-text writing experience over bloated WYSIWYG editors. Built primarily with TypeScript, the project uses React and Redux for the front end, CodeMirror as the core text editor (the same editor engine used by Chrome DevTools and GitHub), with webpack for bundling, and Jest and Cypress for unit and end-to-end testing.

The app provides an IDE-like environment with a three-panel layout: a sidebar for navigation and categories, a searchable notes list, and a Markdown editor with live preview. Notes can be organized into custom categories, pinned to favorites, dragged and dropped between folders, and managed with multi-note actions. All notes are stored in the browser’s local storage — there is no database, no cloud sync, and no tracking or analytics of any kind — and users can download their entire collection as Markdown files in a zip archive.

Key Features:

Plain text notes — an IDE-like editor that makes no assumptions about formatting
Markdown preview — instantly view rendered HTML output
Syntax highlighting — with light and dark themes (based on the New Moon theme)
Keyboard shortcuts — create notes and categories, toggle settings, and navigate without a mouse
Drag and drop — move single or multiple notes to categories, favorites, or trash
Favorites and categories — flexible organization with a scratchpad for quick drafts
Multi-cursor editing — full CodeMirror editing power
Search — find notes across everything or within a specific category
Prettify notes — format Markdown on the fly with Prettier
Light/dark theme — easy on the eyes in any environment
No WYSIWYG, no database, no tracking — privacy-first by design

Tech Stack: TypeScript, React, Redux, CodeMirror, SCSS, webpack, Jest, Cypress, ESLint, Prettier, Mousetrap, Feather Icons. The repository also includes an optional self-hosted version with a Node.js/Express server that authenticates via GitHub OAuth and syncs notes to a private GitHub repository.