SDocs / connect

Local Connect

Markdown files live on your computer, but SmallDocs is in the browser. If given permission, browsers can connect with your local machine. SmallDocs has two features which build upon this functionality and require your permission to start.

Markdown library

Browse every .md file under your computer's home, by tag, project, or date. See a sample library →

Tag autocomplete

When you add a tag to a document in the SmallDocs UI, see the tags already used elsewhere in the same project.

How it works

SmallDocs ships a small CLI you install on your computer. Running sdoc library starts a small program in the background that reads the markdown files on your machine. Your browser asks that program for results over loopback (127.0.0.1), an address that only resolves to your own computer. The library page is rendered in your browser from that data, the same way every other SmallDocs page is. None of it reaches a SmallDocs server.

Your files stay 100% on your machine unless you explicitly run sdoc share file.md (which uploads an encrypted copy that only the recipient's browser can read) or save to the SmallDocs cloud from the editor.

Editing a file you opened with sdoc file.md already works without anything on this page - those edits flow through a different channel (a WebSocket bridge) that the browser allows by default. The setup below is only for the library and tag autocomplete.

  1. Install the SDocs CLI

    Skip this step if you already have sdoc on your machine. Requires Node.js.

    npm i -g sdocs-dev

  2. Start the library

    This launches a small loopback agent that the browser will talk to. Leave it running in the background.

    sdoc library

  3. Grant browser access

    When you press the button below, your browser may ask permission to talk to local apps. That's the loopback connection - click Allow. You'll only see this prompt once.

Already connected on another browser? Each browser stores its own permission, so you'll see this page once per browser.