Linkding

08 Jan, 2023

UPDATE: I’ve since ceased using Linkding and have moved all of my writing, note taking, link capturing to an amazing application called Logseq. I still think Linkding is an awesome self-hosted bookmarking solution to consider, however I was needing more context around my link capturing than just tags. Perhaps I’ll do a write-up at some point.

To tame my link collecting I’ve tried everything from Safari’s built-in “Reading List,” Pocket, Instapaper, Raindrop.io, Wallabag.. etc. All require some level of subscription, contain some level of advertising or, like Safari’s Reading List, aren’t built for “hoarding” as it lacks any form of tagging or organization. I also don’t want everything tied to one browser.

If you haven’t heard of or listened to Jupter Broadcasting’s “Linux Unplugged” podcast, I highly recommend it! But even better is their Matrix community, I learn so much by observing and lightly participating in some discussion. I posed the question of a simple self-hosted bookmarking service and got a few suggesstions with one solving my problem called Linkding.

It was an easy setup via Docker on my Synology and they offer a bookmarklet and both a Chrome and FireFox extension. On my iPhone I wanted to be able to send a link via any in-app browser and wrote a simple Shortcut that can be called from the Share Sheet. You’ll notice the use of a free app called Data Jar to store API keys and other info, you can also just paste your token directly in the headers.