boostio/boostnote-legacy

Analysis updated 2026-06-24

★ 16,935JavaScriptAudience · developerComplexity · 3/5LicenseSetup · moderate

Mindmap

mindmap
  root((BoostNote-Legacy))
    Inputs
      Markdown notes
      Code snippets
      Local storage
    Outputs
      Desktop note app
      macOS Windows Linux builds
    Use Cases
      Local note taking for developers
      Historical reference
      Build legacy version from source
    Tech Stack
      Electron
      React
      Redux
      Webpack

mindmap root((BoostNote-Legacy)) Inputs Markdown notes Code snippets Local storage Outputs Desktop note app macOS Windows Linux builds Use Cases Local note taking for developers Historical reference Build legacy version from source Tech Stack Electron React Redux Webpack

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What do people build with it?

USE CASE 1

Run the legacy local-only Boost Note on macOS, Windows, or Linux

USE CASE 2

Read the source to learn an Electron plus React plus Redux app structure

USE CASE 3

Fork the archived code as a starting point for a custom Markdown note app

What is it built with?

ElectronReactReduxWebpackJavaScript

How does it compare?

	boostio/boostnote-legacy	cure53/dompurify	less/less.js
Stars	16,935	16,994	17,028
Language	JavaScript	JavaScript	JavaScript
Setup difficulty	moderate	easy	easy
Complexity	3/5	2/5	2/5
Audience	developer	developer	developer

Figures from each repo's GitHub metadata at analysis time.

How do you get it running?

Difficulty · moderate Time to first run · 1h+

Project is archived, so Node and Electron versions from 2020 era are needed to build cleanly.

Free to use, modify, and share, but any redistributed version including modifications must also be released under GPL v3.

In plain English

BoostNote-Legacy is the archived, original version of Boost Note, a note-taking application specifically aimed at programmers. This repository is no longer actively developed, the team has since released a newer Boost Note app with real-time collaborative writing support, which lives in a separate repository. The legacy app was a desktop application for macOS, Windows, and Linux, built using Electron (a framework that lets you build desktop apps using web technologies), combined with a JavaScript frontend. It provided a local-first note-taking experience geared toward developers, with support for Markdown and code snippets. You would look at this repository only for historical reference or if you specifically want the old, local-only version of Boost Note. For current use, the newer Boost Note app (linked in the README) is the actively maintained option and also open source.

Copy-paste prompts

Prompt 1

Walk me through building BoostNote-Legacy from source on macOS and getting the Electron dev shell to launch

Prompt 2

Show me how the React and Redux store is wired up in BoostNote-Legacy so I can copy the pattern

Prompt 3

Give me a migration plan to move my old BoostNote-Legacy notes folder into the new Boost Note app

Prompt 4

Explain how BoostNote-Legacy stores Markdown notes on disk so I can write a script to export them

Frequently asked questions

What is boostnote-legacy?

Archived original Boost Note, a desktop note-taking app for programmers with Markdown and code snippets. Replaced by the newer Boost Note app.

What language is boostnote-legacy written in?

Mainly JavaScript. The stack also includes Electron, React, Redux.

What license does boostnote-legacy use?

Free to use, modify, and share, but any redistributed version including modifications must also be released under GPL v3.

How hard is boostnote-legacy to set up?

Setup difficulty is rated moderate, with roughly 1h+ to a first successful run.

Who is boostnote-legacy for?

Mainly developer.

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