---
title: 📄 HackMD
tags: hackmd
description: About HackMD and features
image: https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_banners/3540691454/1535710532/1500x500
---

<h1 style="text-align: center;">📄 HackMD</h1>

<p style="text-align: center;
font-style: italic;">
<a href="https://hackmd.io" target="_blank">hackmd.io</a>
</p>

# About

**Use** – Real-time collaboration powered by Markdown documentation.

**Guide** – [HackMD Tutorial Book](https://hackmd.io/c/tutorials/%2Fs%2Ftutorials)

#### Adoption

- Ethereum Foundation (EF)
- Monthly EIPs Insights: [hackmd.io/@poojaranjan/EthereumImprovementProposalsInsight](https://hackmd.io/@poojaranjan/EthereumImprovementProposalsInsight)
- AllCoreDevs bi-weekly updates: [hackmd.io/@timbeiko/acd](https://hackmd.io/@timbeiko/acd/)
- Private team: [notes.ethereum.org](https://notes.ethereum.org)
- ConsenSys
- What’s New in Eth2 series: [hackmd.io/@benjaminion](https://hackmd.io/@benjaminion)
- DAOHaus: [hackmd.io/@daohaus](https://hackmd.io/@daohaus)
- Vitalik Buterin
- [hackmd.io/@vbuterin](https://hackmd.io/@vbuterin)
- [notes.ethereum.org/@vbuterin](https://notes.ethereum.org/@vbuterin)
- [How I use HackMD in Open Source projects](https://hackmd.io/@hackmd/customer-stories/https%3A%2F%2Fhackmd.io%2F%40hackmd%2Fk8s-story)

#### Team

- Size
- Small, fast, and effective team of 8.
- Growing up to 15 in 2023 mostly in developers.
- Location
- Based mostly in Taiwan with a presence in San Francisco.

# Features

*See [Features](https://hackmd.io/c/tutorials/%2Fs%2Ffeatures)*

## Editor

### Web app
- Create a new page from the address bar: [hackmd.io/new](https://hackmd.io/new)
- Near instant updates to the published version
- [Keyboard shortcuts for HackMD](https://hackmd.io/@docs/keyboard-shortcuts)
- Auto-format links: Highlight the text in the editor and then paste the link from the clipboard.
- Spell check: [Understanding Your Editor > 19. Spell Check](https://hackmd.io/@codimd/understanding-your-editor#19-Spell-Check) *by CodiMD*
- Table builder UI in the toolbar
- Create a table
- Add and remove rows and columns
- Set the text alignment
- Word and character counts
- Bottom-right corner of the editor view
- Click for word count
- Test HackMD's version of Markdown vs. generic Markdown: View the markdown code in [Visual Studio Code (VS Code)](https://code.visualstudio.com/).
- Customize themes and styles with Markdown and save to a template.
- [How to Use Template](https://hackmd.io/s/how-to-use-template)
- [Boost Productivity with Templates](https://blog.hackmd.io/blog/2019/04/08/boost-productivity-with-templates)

### Visual Studio Code (VS Code)

#### About

- HackMD integration with VS Code
- Great for offline work and while working in other code bases.

#### Setup

1. Install [VS Code HackMD extension](https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=HackMD.vscode-hackmd).
2. Create a HackMD Access Token: [How to issue an API token](https://hackmd.io/@hackmd-api/developer-portal/https%3A%2F%2Fhackmd.io%2F%40hackmd-api%2Fhow-to-issue-an-api-token?utm_source=vscode-welcome&utm_medium=inline-cta)

#### Features

- Edits made sync automatically.
- Changes in HackMD app update in VS Code.
- Saved changes in VS Code update in HackMD.
- Quickly save files locally.

#### Workflows

A. Edit in HackMD web app.
1. Save file locally in VS Code.
2. Push updates to GitHub.

B. Edit file locally in VS Code.
1. Save file locally in VS Code.
2. Push updates to GitHub.
3. Pull updates from GitHub to HackMD web app.

#### Resources

- GitHub: [github.com/hackmdio/vscode-hackmd](https://github.com/hackmdio/vscode-hackmd#the-official-hackmd-markdown-vscode-extension)
- Guide: [Visual Studio Code (VS Code)](https://docs.google.com/document/d/12PCGyhVT_XmfAEKUqbc6AhVcE-yrbEvsQVB0ZpFc8Bk/edit#heading=h.hpbsi2jnx2ku)

## Collaborate

### Notes
- Make sure an email is set to receive share invites
- Set an account email if your sign-in is through a third-party, e.g. GitHub, Twitter, Google, and etc.
- Menu (Bottom-left button with username) > *Settings* > *Email*
- Share edit access with specific user(s): *Share* button (Top-right) > *Note Permission* > *More (Comment, Invitee)* > *Invitee* > Add user's email > Select *Write* or *Admin*.
- [Invite Others to a Private Note](https://hackmd.io/c/tutorials/%2Fs%2Finvite#Invite-Others-to-a-Private-Note)
- [Features > Permissions](https://hackmd.io/s/features#Permissions)
- For Books you must share each Note with contributors.
- View shared notes: *My Workspace* ([hackmd.io/?nav=overview](https://hackmd.io/?nav=overview)) > *Collaborative Notes* ([hackmd.io/?nav=collab](https://hackmd.io/?nav=collab))
- [Live Host a Collaborative Session](https://hackmd.io/c/tutorials/%2Fs%2Flive-hosting)

### Teams

- *See [Create and manage Team](https://hackmd.io/@docs/create-and-manage-team)*
- Team domain URL
- The Public URL is the same format as personal usernames, e.g. `hackmd.io/@teamname`.
- Must be different than personal account domain URL.
- Invite users from outside the team: Use the [note share settings](#Notes).
- Back up notes: Same download all option as a personal account under [settings](#Back-up-data)

## Publish

### Custom links

- HackMD readable custom URLs
- Format: `hackmd.io/[@username]/[pagename]`
- [How to Publish a Note with Permalink](https://hackmd.io/s/how-to-publish-note)
- Custom domains with enterprise: [hackmd.io/pricing](https://hackmd.io/pricing)
- Open a link in a new tab
- [Universal method](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ieB9vKFXWfLmRSZ3kJspgw9Y7wRWWeiCLEFnAlUEec8/edit#heading=h.1gcz6hoi61b3)
- HackMD method: [External link](https://hackmd.io/s/how-to-create-book#External-Link)

### Set metadata

- About
- Sets the information that shows in the browser window/tab and link preview.
- [Supported YAML metadata](https://hackmd.io/yaml-metadata)
- Attributes
- Title
- Description
- Tags
- Helps organize the page
- [Tagging notes](https://hackmd.io/s/how-to-tag-notes)
- Image
- etc.

### Title

- Automatically sets the title in the published version based on the metadata
- Disable: In any form of edit mode select *Note settings* ("i" button at the top menu bar, next to the note title)
- *Show title in view mode*
- *Show tags in view mode*

### Formats

#### Books

- Multi-page collections with a collapisible navigation menu
- URL format: `hackmd.io/[@username]/[bookname]-[pagename]`
- [How to Create a Book](https://hackmd.io/s/how-to-create-book)

#### Presentations

- [Make Presentation Slides with HackMD](https://hackmd.io/s/how-to-create-slide-deck)

#### Arweave

- [How to import from/export to Arweave](https://hackmd.io/@docs/export-import-arweave-en#How-to-import-fromexport-to-Arweave)

## Version control systems (VCS)

### HackMD named versions

- *See [How to Save Versions](https://hackmd.io/s/how-to-save)*
- Auto-saves every 10 minutes
- Can name auto-saved versions
- View to compare version's changes

### GitHub

- *See [HackMD GitHub guide](https://hackmd.io/@openguide/hackmd-github)*
- Two-way sync push and pull for all account types

### GitLab

- Available with Enterprise plan: [hackmd.io/pricing](https://hackmd.io/pricing#)
- Two-way sync push and pull: [Is GitLab two-way sync push and pull available? #321](https://github.com/hackmdio/hackmd-io-issues/issues/321)

## Security

#### Data encryption and storage

- [Transport Layer Security (TLS)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transport_Layer_Security) encrypts the connection between the client and server.
- [AES-256](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advanced_Encryption_Standard) encryption is used for data stored.
- Data is mostly stored on Amazon Web Services (AWS).
- *See [Is hackmd data encrypted in-transit and storage? #320](https://github.com/hackmdio/hackmd-io-issues/issues/320)*

#### Back up notes

- Download books and projects
- Downloading the [GitHub](#GitHub) repository of notes maintains the book/project's file's organization.
- GitHub repository: *< > Code* button > Select *Download ZIP*
- Download all .md files: [Batch Download All Your Notes 📦](https://blog.hackmd.io/blog/2019/02/27/batch-download-all-your-notes)
- [How to export to PDF](https://hackmd.io/@docs/export-to-pdf#)

## Self-hosting

#### Version control systems (VCS)
- Use continuous integration (CI)/continuous deployment (CD) with version control.
- *See [Features > version control systems (vcs)](#Version-control-systems-VCS)*

#### CodiMD
- [CodiMD - Realtime collaborative markdown notes on all platforms.](https://github.com/hackmdio/codimd#codimd)
- [CodiMD Documentation](https://hackmd.io/c/codimd-documentation/%2Fs%2Fcodimd-documentation)
- GitHub: [github.com/hackmdio/codimd](https://github.com/hackmdio/codimd#codimd)
- Questions
- Can you migrate from HackMD to CodiMD? This would be useful for progressive decentralization.

## Developer API

- [HackMD API Book](https://hackmd.io/@docs/HackMD_API_Book/https%3A%2F%2Fhackmd.io%2F%40docs%2FHackMD_API_Book)
- [HackMD Developer Portal](https://hackmd.io/@hackmd-api/developer-portal/)

<p style="text-align: center; font-style: italic">This is not technical advice. Always read the official documentation and do your own research.</p>