A modern digital garden and Zettelkasten implementation built with Rust and Leptos for cultivating interconnected ideas.
MiniRef combines the principles of digital gardening with the Zettelkasten note-taking method, providing a web-based platform for growing and connecting concepts over time. Built with Leptos's reactive framework and Rust's performance, it offers both server-side rendering and client-side interactivity.
Traditional note-taking and blogging platforms organize content chronologically, which doesn't reflect how knowledge actually develops. MiniRef takes inspiration from:
- Digital Gardens: A metaphor for thinking about writing and creating that focuses on the process of cultivation rather than the final product
- Zettelkasten: A method of personal knowledge management that emphasizes creating atomic notes and building connections between them
- Bidirectional Linking: Inspired by tools like Roam Research and Obsidian, allowing concepts to reference each other naturally
The project leverages Rust's type safety and Leptos's reactive programming model to create a fast, reliable platform for knowledge management.
- Rust nightly toolchain
- Node.js (for Tailwind CSS)
- cargo-leptos
# Install Rust nightly
rustup toolchain install nightly --allow-downgrade
# Add WebAssembly target
rustup target add wasm32-unknown-unknown
# Install cargo-leptos
cargo install cargo-leptos
# Install Node dependencies (for Tailwind)
npm install
# Install end-to-end test dependencies (optional)
cd end2end && npm install# Run development server with hot-reloading
cargo leptos watch
# The application will be available at http://localhost:3000# Build for production
cargo leptos build --release
# Run production server
./target/server/release/minirefPlace markdown files in the concepts/ directory with YAML frontmatter:
---
id: my-concept
title: My Concept Title
tags:
- tag1
- tag2
references:
- other-concept-id
---
Your concept content here with **markdown** support.- File-based Storage: Concepts stored as markdown files with YAML frontmatter
- Bidirectional Links: Automatic backlink tracking between concepts
- Full-text Search: Search across titles, content, and tags
- Syntax Highlighting: Code blocks with language-specific highlighting
- LaTeX Support: Inline and display math rendering with KaTeX
- Dark/Light Themes: Persistent theme preference with smooth transitions
- Server-Side Rendering: Fast initial page loads with Leptos SSR
- Reactive UI: Efficient updates using fine-grained reactivity
- Caching System: Smart caching of processed markdown content
- REST API: JSON API for programmatic access to concepts
- Responsive Design: Mobile-friendly interface with Tailwind CSS
GET /api/concepts
Returns an array of all concepts with their metadata and content.
GET /api/concepts/:id
Returns a single concept by ID, or 404 if not found.
#[derive(Debug, Clone, Serialize, Deserialize)]
pub struct Concept {
pub id: String,
pub title: String,
pub content: String, // Rendered HTML
pub tags: Vec<String>,
pub references: Vec<String>, // IDs of referenced concepts
pub assets: Vec<Asset>, // Associated files
}
#[derive(Debug, Clone, Serialize, Deserialize)]
pub struct Asset {
pub path: String,
pub name: String,
pub mime_type: String,
}We welcome contributions! Please follow these guidelines:
- Questions & Discussions: Open an issue on GitHub
- Bug Reports: Include reproduction steps and system information
- Pull Requests:
- Fork the repository
- Create a feature branch
- Add tests for new functionality
- Ensure all tests pass
- Submit a PR with a clear description
- Follow Rust's official style guide
- Use
cargo fmtbefore committing - Add documentation for public APIs
- Keep commits atomic and well-described
MIT © 2025 0xAlcibiades