Obsidian is one of my favorite tools for writing and managing documentation. It gives me a flexible place to collect project notes, explain how my tools are configured, record decisions, and turn rough ideas into useful documentation.
Notes are stored locally as Markdown files, so they remain readable outside Obsidian and can be edited with other tools. The app makes it easy to link related notes and grow a collection of project knowledge over time.
Download Obsidian from the official download page. On Kubuntu, choose one of the Linux packages offered there and follow Obsidian’s Linux installation instructions.
When Obsidian starts, create a vault or open an existing folder. A vault is simply the folder where Obsidian keeps your notes.
I use Obsidian for project documentation, technical notes, reusable ideas, and references. It is especially useful when I want documentation to be something I actively write and improve, rather than a collection of files I rarely revisit.
My development setup repository has a docs/ folder for instructions about configuring tools. Obsidian is a more flexible workspace for organizing that documentation alongside my other notes and project knowledge.
Obsidian is easy to style with themes, and its community plugin ecosystem makes it possible to shape the app around the way I work. I use Tokyo Night styling to keep it consistent with the rest of my desktop and development tools.
Plugins can add features that are not part of the default app. For example, Excalidraw lets me create diagrams and visual explanations alongside my notes. The Obsidian community catalog is a good place to browse plugins and themes.
The core Obsidian app is free. I choose to pay for optional Obsidian services because I value the product and want to support its development. Obsidian Sync is a separate paid service for syncing notes between devices; it is not required to use the app. Check the official pricing page for current prices and options.