Transcript
00:00:00This might be the best alternative to Obsidian and Notion that I've found yet.
00:00:05Most of us devs think our notes are organized until we actually need something.
00:00:10Mine are a complete mess, but to me, they're organized.
00:00:14Markdown files, broken links, some random Notion pages that I've just thrown in there.
00:00:18Our code has structure, my notes, they don't.
00:00:21This is CUI.
00:00:23An open source personal knowledge tool that lets you refactor thoughts, like code, with
00:00:28permanent block IDs, databases, built-in SQL, and a full local self-hosted control that
00:00:33we get.
00:00:34Now our notes work more like our code.
00:00:36In the next few minutes, I'll show you why it might make the best dev note-taking tool
00:00:40yet.
00:00:42CUI is a local-first open source knowledge based.
00:00:50Most tools link files, CUI links blocks.
00:00:53So each paragraph, each list, each code block, gets its own permanent ID.
00:00:59Now when we move things around, it's not breaking.
00:01:02And that's a big deal if you're writing docs, tracking bugs, or just organizing architecture.
00:01:06Plus, on top of that, you get built-in databases, SQL queries, offline support, and Docker self-hosting.
00:01:13So instead of choosing between power and ownership, we get both with this.
00:01:18Let me show you what that actually looks like.
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00:01:24channel.
00:01:25We have videos coming out all the time.
00:01:27Now basically I just pulled the repo, added this Docker Compose file, and then launched
00:01:31with Docker Compose.
00:01:33It was all up and running in like a minute, so nothing hectic here.
00:01:37Now with a new notebook, I'm all ready to go.
00:01:40I can create a note, add a tile.
00:01:43This basically functions exactly like Notion.
00:01:46And I can now add a code block.
00:01:48Let me drop in some Python.
00:01:50I'm going to embed this block somewhere else too.
00:01:54And here's the key moment.
00:01:55I move the original block and the reference still works.
00:01:59No broken links ever.
00:02:01That changes how we think and how we work.
00:02:04We can stop worrying about where something lives and just focus on where it's useful.
00:02:09Now let's create a quick task database.
00:02:12I'm going to add some kind of bug.
00:02:14We can give it a status, I can give it a priority.
00:02:16And because SQL is built in, I can now query it directly inside my notes.
00:02:23Then on top of this, I can jump into graph view to see how everything's connected.
00:02:26This graph view is actually crazy and I love this functionality.
00:02:30That's the main idea here though, folks.
00:02:31It's stable blocks, real databases and structure that holds up with this graph that we can actually
00:02:37interact with to see how all these pins are connected with inside our database.
00:02:43So really useful.
00:02:45So now how is this different from what we're already using?
00:02:47Well with Obsidian, everything is file-based.
00:02:50With CUN, everything is block-based.
00:02:53That means we're not linking to a page.
00:02:55You're linking to the exact piece of knowledge inside of it.
00:02:58It could be a decision, a bug, a snippet.
00:03:00That's the difference.
00:03:01Obsidian feels like really strong folder of notes.
00:03:04CUN feels more like structured systems and you get databases and SQL without hunting for
00:03:09any plugins.
00:03:10Now compare this to Notion.
00:03:12Notion gives you the structure, but again, it's up there on the cloud.
00:03:16CUN gives you the same structure locally, offline, open source.
00:03:21I'm not paying for things.
00:03:22So devs are using this for project docs, code snippets, personal wikis, even knowledge bases.
00:03:29It's basically a second brain that is local and open source, but structured like a system
00:03:34design document.
00:03:35So Notion.
00:03:36Obsidian.
00:03:37Now, if we're being honest about it, which we should, it's great.
00:03:40It updates fast, self-hosting takes just like a minute or two with Docker.
00:03:45Block references make big notes feel stable inside of all this fragile ecosystems and databases
00:03:51give you serious structure without relying on the cloud.
00:03:54But on the flip side, well, I guess I should say on the downside, not the good side.
00:03:59The downside, CUN doesn't store everything as plain Markdown.
00:04:03It uses its own weird format, .Sci.
00:04:06So take that with a grain of salt.
00:04:08You can export Markdown, but it's just not native to the system.
00:04:11The plugins market is way smaller, especially in English because this is Chinese based.
00:04:17Some people think the UI feels a bit dated, but honestly, it just looks like Notion.
00:04:21And with the really huge workspaces, you might need to run optimization sometimes.
00:04:25Here's the simplest way to decide if you should use this or not.
00:04:29If your setup is mostly Markdown files and plugins, Obsidian still makes sense.
00:04:34But if your notes are turning into documentation, systems, and long-term knowledge, CUN starts
00:04:40to feel a lot better.
00:04:42Use it if you want structured data, strong linking, and full control.
00:04:46My take on all this?
00:04:47If you're looking for a new way to organize your notes and aren't already heavily invested
00:04:51in Notion, then use it.
00:04:53But let's be real.
00:04:54If you're already using Notion and you haven't for a while, this is going to be a pain in
00:04:58the ass to switch to.
00:05:00It's probably just worth it to keep Notion or Obsidian at that point.
00:05:03If your current system is starting to break down, this is worth trying.
00:05:06This is great.
00:05:08Really useful, especially having that knowledge-based graph chart.
00:05:11If you enjoy open source coding tools and tips like this, be sure to subscribe to the Better
00:05:15Stack channel.
00:05:16We'll see you in another video.