Developers are picky about tools — rightly so. We use tools all day, every day, and bad tools compound into lost hours. A notes app should feel like a well-designed API: predictable, fast, and out of the way.

Here's what developers actually need in a notes app, and how to find one that doesn't feel like it was built for a different species.

What developers actually need

After talking to hundreds of developers, the requirements are consistent:

Markdown that just works. Not a button to toggle markdown mode. Not a separate preview pane. Just live rendering of **bold**, ## headers, and `code` as you type.

Code blocks. First-class code formatting with monospace fonts. The ability to write a shell command, a SQL query, or a Python snippet inline without it looking like garbage.

No Electron. Every Electron app adds 200MB+ of memory use before you've opened a single note. A well-built web app is faster, lighter, and available everywhere.

Version history. You version your code. Why wouldn't you version your notes? Architecture decisions, runbooks, and API references evolve. Being able to see a previous version is basic hygiene.

Fast search. Ctrl+K or similar global search across all notes, instant results.

Why Krokanti Notes works for developers

Krokanti Notes is a web app built with Next.js (yes, we eat our own cooking). Here's how it maps to developer requirements:

Markdown rendering

Type Markdown, see the result — no mode switching. Headers, bold, italics, blockquotes, ordered and unordered lists, inline code, code blocks.

## API Design Notes

**Endpoint:** `POST /api/notes`

Request body:
```json
{
  "title": "My note",
  "content": "Content here"
}

Returns the created note with id, createdAt, and publicSlug.


### Code blocks

Use triple backticks for fenced code blocks. Monospace rendering, syntax is preserved, easy to copy.

```bash
# Deploy to production
git checkout main
git pull
vercel --prod

-- Find notes updated in last 24 hours
SELECT id, title, updated_at
FROM notes
WHERE updated_at > NOW() - INTERVAL '24 hours'
ORDER BY updated_at DESC;

HTML source view

Toggle the editor into source view to see the raw HTML behind any note. Useful for copying formatted output or debugging rendering.

A notes app that speaks Markdown

Code blocks, version history, instant search. Free forever.

Create your free account →

Practical uses for developer notes

Architecture Decision Records (ADRs) Keep ADRs as individual notes. Tag them with #adr. Version history shows how the decision evolved. Share a public link with stakeholders.

Runbooks and incident playbooks Write runbooks in Markdown with ## Steps, ordered lists, and code blocks. Share them publicly or with the team via link.

Command cheat sheets Forget which flag you need for docker run? Keep a note called "Docker cheat sheet" and search for it in seconds.

Bug investigation notes Create a note when you start debugging a tricky issue. Log your hypotheses, what you tried, what you found. Version history preserves your investigation trail.

Interview prep System design patterns, LeetCode approaches, common algorithms — organized by tag and searchable instantly.

Side project ideas Capture that 2am feature idea before it disappears. Krokanti Notes loads fast enough that you can write it down before you lose it.

What Krokanti Notes doesn't do (yet)

Being honest matters:

No LaTeX — math formula rendering isn't supported yet
No offline mode — requires internet connection (offline on roadmap)
No desktop app — browser only (native app on roadmap)
No plugin system — it's opinionated, not extensible

If you need a local-first, offline, heavily extensible system — Obsidian is probably your tool. If you want a fast web app that loads instantly on any machine and does Markdown well — Krokanti Notes is worth trying.

Try Krokanti Notes for your developer workflow

Free forever. No Electron. Markdown that renders as you type.

Create your free account →

FAQ

Does Krokanti Notes support syntax highlighting in code blocks? Code blocks use monospace rendering. Language-aware syntax highlighting is on our roadmap.

Can I use Krokanti Notes from the terminal? Not yet — a CLI tool for creating/editing notes from the terminal is something we'd love to build.

Is Krokanti Notes open source? Not currently, but we plan to open-source the core editor.

Does Krokanti Notes work on Linux? Yes — it's a web app. Any browser on any OS works.