VedWriter

A private, offline-first journal for people who want their thoughts to stay on their device.

VedWriter is an open-source journal and study-notes app built with React and Tauri. Entries are encrypted locally with the Web Crypto API and stored in browser-native IndexedDB. No account, cloud backend, or network connection is required to use the app.

VedWriter is currently early-stage software. Keep independent backups of important data and read SECURITY.md before relying on it for sensitive records.

Features

Private journal workspace

• Password-protected journals stored locally in IndexedDB.
• AES-GCM-256 encryption with a PBKDF2-SHA-256 password-derived key.
• Rich-text pages with headings, lists, formatting, tags, search, pinning, reordering, and templates.
• Drag-and-drop attachments for images, audio, video, PDFs, and documents.
• Multiple journals with covers, page management, and mobile-friendly navigation.

Canvas pages

• Create Sticky Notes, Mind Maps, Kanban Boards, Moodboards, and Whiteboards.
• Move, resize, edit, connect, group, collapse, and organize cards on a freeform canvas.
• Add images and media, use focus mode and keyboard shortcuts, and search canvas cards.
• Export a canvas as PNG, SVG, or print/PDF, or send selected canvas content to a regular page.

Side panel

• Open the named Side panel from the normal app and reveal it from the screen edge.
• Pin it to keep it open, or let it stay unobtrusive when it is not being used.
• Choose any journal and regular page, load its existing content, and edit the page freely.
• Create a new page directly from the panel; canvas pages are intentionally excluded from its page editor.

Backup and sharing

• Export and restore the complete encrypted database as a local backup.
• Export an individual page as Markdown, plain text, or print/PDF.
• Create a password-protected, self-decrypting HTML copy of an individual page.
• Contact the developer from the normal app through email or WhatsApp.

VedWriter does not include a cloud backend, account system, synchronization service, or built-in analytics.

Screenshot

Download

Installers will be published on the GitHub Releases page. Until the first release is available, run VedWriter from source below.

Development

Requirements: Node.js 18+ and Rust with platform build tools for Tauri.

git clone https://github.com/Ahmed-Achtatar/VedWriter.git
cd VedWriter
npm install
npm run dev

Run the native desktop shell with npm run tauri:dev. Build the web app with npm run build, or create a local desktop release with npm run tauri:build. Generated release files are intentionally not committed to the repository.

Security at a glance

The current implementation derives an AES-GCM-256 key from the master password with PBKDF2-SHA-256 and 600,000 iterations, then stores ciphertext-only records locally. See SECURITY.md for scope and limitations.

VedWriter cannot recover a forgotten password. Losing the password or an exported backup can mean losing access to the data.

Contributing

Bug reports, documentation, translations, accessibility fixes, and security review are welcome. Please read CONTRIBUTING.md before opening an issue or pull request.

Roadmap

• Signed cross-platform releases
• Automated encryption and restore tests
• Import tools for common journal formats
• More accessibility and localization coverage
• Optional, user-controlled multi-device synchronization

License

VedWriter is released under the MIT License.