StackEdit: a browser-based Markdown editor
/stackedit
StackEdit is a browser-based Markdown editor built on PageDown, the same parser Stack Overflow uses, so text renders the way Stack Exchange sites would show it. The real case for it is the sync layer: point one document at GitHub, Dropbox, Google Drive, or WordPress instead of exporting and pasting between separate tools. Self-hosting is real but means running a Kubernetes Helm chart and wiring your own OAuth credentials, not a one-click deploy.
What is StackEdit?
StackEdit is an in-browser Markdown editor that pairs a text pane with a live rendered preview, built on the PageDown library that also powers Stack Overflow's editor. It can push the same document out to GitHub, GitLab, Dropbox, Google Drive, WordPress, and other destinations listed among its own repository topics. It runs as a hosted app at stackedit.io, a Chrome app, or a self-hosted Kubernetes deployment via its Helm chart.
Key features and cloud integrations
- ✓Built on PageDown, the same Markdown parsing library powering Stack Overflow alongside the other Stack Exchange sites, per the README.
- ✓Real-time rendered preview alongside the text editor.
- ✓Sync targets listed in the repository's own topics: GitHub, GitLab, Dropbox, Google Drive, and CouchDB.
- ✓Publish targets also listed in topics: WordPress, Blogger, Gist, and Zendesk.
- ✓stackedit.js, a separate project for embedding the editor inside your own website, linked from the README's Ecosystem section.
- ✓Chrome app and a Chrome extension built on stackedit.js, both linked from the README.
- ✓Official Helm chart for deploying StackEdit to a Kubernetes cluster, with ingress and cert-manager support.
Running StackEdit locally
Clone the repository, run `npm install`, then `npm start` for a dev server with hot reload at localhost:8080. `npm run build` produces a minified production build, and `npm run build --report` adds a bundle analyzer report. To run it as a standing service instead of a static build, the project ships an official Helm chart: `helm repo add stackedit https://benweet.github.io/stackedit-charts/`, then `helm install --name stackedit stackedit/stackedit` with values for `dropboxAppKey`, `googleClientId`, `githubClientId`, `wordpressClientId`, and their matching secrets. The chart also accepts your own ingress controller and cert-manager issuer, and `helm upgrade` / `helm delete --purge` handle updates and teardown.
Strengths
- ✓Uses PageDown, the same Markdown parser that runs Stack Overflow's editor, so formatting behaves the way Stack Exchange writers already expect.
- ✓Syncs the same document out to multiple destinations, GitHub, GitLab, Dropbox, Google Drive, or CouchDB, instead of locking you into one storage backend.
- ✓Ships an official Helm chart, so a team that already runs Kubernetes can stand up a private instance instead of trusting the hosted one.
- ✓Apache-2.0 licensing means you can fork, modify, and redistribute it, including inside a commercial product.
- ✓stackedit.js extends the editor into your own website when the standalone app isn't the fit.
Known limitations
- △Self-hosting has one documented path: the Helm chart for Kubernetes. There's no simple single-container or Docker Compose setup in the README, so you need a cluster, an ingress controller, and cert-manager already running.
- △Every sync integration needs its own OAuth app registered first. Nothing connects out of the box; you paste client IDs and secrets for Dropbox, Google, GitHub, and WordPress into Helm values yourself.
- △The README lists 'offline' as a repository topic but doesn't document how offline editing or later re-sync actually behaves.
- △No native mobile app is documented, only a Chrome app and a Chrome extension, both desktop-browser bound.
Alternatives to StackEdit
Frequently asked questions
Yes, StackEdit is released under the Apache-2.0 license and its source code is public on GitHub, so you can read it, modify it, and self-host it without paying for a license.
StackEdit can be self-hosted. The project ships an official Helm chart for deploying it to a Kubernetes cluster, including support for your own ingress controller and cert-manager TLS setup.
StackEdit is tagged as offline-capable on its GitHub repository, but the project's documentation does not spell out how offline storage or later re-sync actually behaves.
StackEdit lists GitHub and GitLab among its sync targets in its repository topics. For a self-hosted deployment, you register an OAuth app with the provider and pass its client ID and secret into the Helm chart's configuration values.
StackEdit's Helm chart accepts credentials for Dropbox, Google Drive, GitHub, and WordPress. Its GitHub topics additionally list GitLab, Blogger, Gist, Zendesk, and CouchDB as supported destinations.
The available repository facts don't include recent commit activity, so active maintenance can't be confirmed from this data alone. Check the repository's commit history and issue tracker directly for the current status.
The problem it solves
Markdown files end up scattered across a GitHub README, a GitLab wiki, a Dropbox notes folder, and a WordPress draft, and keeping them in sync usually means exporting and pasting by hand. StackEdit's fix is a single editor session that can push the same document out to any of those destinations, using the PageDown parser Stack Overflow renders with, so the preview you see matches how GitHub or a Stack Exchange site will actually display it.
Best use cases
- •Editing and previewing a GitHub README or wiki page before committing it, since the parser mirrors Stack Overflow-style Markdown.
- •Drafting posts that need to land on WordPress or Blogger without a separate publishing step.
- •A team that wants a shared, self-hosted Markdown editor behind its own Kubernetes ingress instead of a third-party SaaS.
- •Embedding a Markdown editor inside an internal tool via stackedit.js instead of building one from scratch.
Who should try it — and who should skip
Try StackEdit if you regularly write Markdown that has to land in more than one place, a GitHub README, a WordPress post, a Dropbox-synced notes folder, and want one editor with a live preview instead of switching tools per destination. Skip it if you just need a quick local Markdown file editor with no sync at all. Skip self-hosting too, unless you're comfortable running a Kubernetes Helm chart and registering an OAuth app for each integration you want.
Related repositories
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