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EnglishWhat is jrnl and what can it be used for?
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jrnl is a command-line journaling tool that lets you write notes and diary entries without leaving the terminal. It is aimed at people who already work in a shell and want a fast, low-friction way to capture thoughts, with journals stored as plain-text files and optional AES encryption. It is free and open source.
How jrnl works
jrnl's defining feature is a natural-language interface. Instead of memorizing flags or subcommands for every action, you type an entry the way you would write it, and jrnl parses the date, time, and tags from the text. That lowers the cost of starting an entry, which matters most when you are capturing something quickly.
Two design choices shape how you use it:
- Plain-text storage. Your journals are ordinary text files, so they remain readable without jrnl and can be opened, searched, or version-controlled by other tools.
- Encryption. Journals can be encrypted with AES. The trade-off is explicit: if you lose the password, the content is not recoverable.
What you can use it for
Because jrnl supports multiple journals, the same tool covers several distinct habits:
| Use case | How it fits |
|---|---|
| Work log | A separate journal for daily progress, decisions, and blockers |
| Personal diary | Dated entries written in natural language |
| Quick notes | Short captures that stay in the terminal instead of a browser tab |
| Multiple contexts | Different journals for different parts of your life |
The "for work and play" framing on the project site reflects this: you are not limited to one stream of entries.
Where it fits and where it doesn't
jrnl is a good match if you:
- Spend most of your day in a terminal and want to avoid switching apps
- Value portable, future-proof files over a proprietary format
- Want encryption available without a separate tool
It is a weaker match if you need rich formatting, embedded images, a graphical interface, or mobile-first capture. The project suggests syncing journal files with tools like Dropbox to reach your notes from other devices, which is a workaround rather than a built-in sync feature.
Getting started
The project points to its documentation and a "Get Started" entry point, with the source available on GitHub. Since jrnl is open source and community-maintained, checking the current documentation is the reliable way to confirm installation steps and the exact syntax your version accepts.