How Obsidian or Notion-style workflows handle the markdown database pattern
News from the world of markdown
In The Markdown Database Pattern, Rufus Pollock lets us in on an open secret: how Obsidian’s (or Notion’s) bases work.
Once described you can start seeing [the pattern] everywhere.
A personal notes folder with frontmatter is a markdown database. A team wiki where every page has a
statusandownerfield is a markdown database. A blog where posts carrydate,tags, andauthormetadata is a markdown database – it just might not know it yet.
Haven’t found what you’re looking for? Try this site’s list of recommended markdown editors.
Small print
Fonts: Many screenshots on this site use a font in the editor called iA Writer Mono, made freely available by the company behind iA Writer, another markdown editor.
Development: I am not a developer. So, I am not the developer of any of the apps mentioned above or elsewhere on this site. Nor am I earning a commission from any of the apps mentioned above or on this site. I wish I was a developer, because I would make the best markdown editor the world had ever seen. Probably.
Testing: I use Macs to test out the apps, usually a 2022 Macbook Air (M2, Silicon); occasionally, a 2017 Macbook Air (Intel). Apps available for other operating systems are merely mentioned as a courtesy, and for the purposes of completeness.