vault#

A vault is, simply put, a directory on your desktop containing a set of markdown files. These files contain your notes, and can be connected to each other through links.

A local index is kept to support searching, linking and navigating your vault, as the documentation of your knowledge outgrows file managers and directory viewers.

Important: Neither dendrite.nvim nor dendrite.daemon supports vault switching and multiple vaults at the moment. While this might change, bear this in mind if you decide to use Dendrite.

structure#

The most essential way to introduce structure to your notes is through links and tags, as these make your notes compose larger connected sections of your knowledge. Another way is through directories.

To give an example of how to structure your vault with directories, here is an excerpt of a vault structure:

atlas/
  ├── axioms/
  │   ├── algorithms/
  │   ├── basics/
  │   ├── computer_architecture/
  │   ├── databases/
  │   ├── distributed_systems/
  │   ├── fundamentals/
  │   └── languages/
  ├── issues/
  ├── literature/
  ├── logs/
  ├── projects/
  ├── scratches/
  └── temp/

While some zettelkasten evangelist argue against a complex folder structure for digital note taking, Dendrite aims to be agnostic in terms of how you should structure your vault and take notes.

The right way to structure and take notes is the way that best supports your workflow.

synchronization#

Dendrite is local only, so any synchronization is to be handled by the user. Cloud synchronization, or anything that breaks the local only guarantee, will never be supported natively by Dendrite.

This is a deliberate design decision. Data sovereignty is important to me, as it should be to you, and your notes should remain yours, stored where you choose. Existing solutions like syncthing or a simple git repository handle synchronization well without Dendrite needing to reinvent it. Flash drives are also really cheap.