Installation ¶

Works with Any Text Editor - XLog doesn’t include a built-in editor. Instead, it works with your favorite text editor (Vim, Emacs, VS Code, Sublime, etc.). You edit markdown files locally, and XLog provides live preview in your browser.

Quick Start (Recommended) ¶

Using Go ¶

The fastest way to get started:

1go install github.com/emad-elsaid/xlog/cmd/xlog@latest

Then create your first note:

1mkdir my-notes
2cd my-notes
3echo "# Hello World" > index.md
4xlog
5# => Browse to http://localhost:3000

Download Pre-Built Binary ¶

GitHub releases include binaries for Windows, Linux, and macOS across multiple architectures.

Download the latest version: https://github.com/emad-elsaid…

Alternative Installation Methods ¶

From Source ¶

1git clone git@github.com:emad-elsaid/xlog.git
2cd xlog
3go run ./cmd/xlog # to run it
4go install ./cmd/xlog # to install it to Go bin.

Arch Linux (AUR) ¶

Xlog is published to AUR: https://aur.archlinux.org/pack…

Using yay:

1yay -S xlog-git

Docker ¶

Releases are packaged as docker images and pushed to GitHub Container Registry:

1docker pull ghcr.io/emad-elsaid/xlog:latest
2docker run -p 3000:3000 -v ~/.xlog:/files ghcr.io/emad-elsaid/xlog:latest

The Docker container mounts ~/.xlog as a volume and will write pages to it.

Docker Compose (From Source) ¶

1git clone git@github.com:emad-elsaid/xlog.git
2cd xlog
3docker-compose build
4docker-compose run

Editor Setup ¶

After installation, configure your preferred text editor. XLog will use the editor specified in the -editor flag or fall back to your $EDITOR environment variable.

VS Code ¶

Set VS Code as your default editor:

1export EDITOR="code"
2xlog -editor "code"

Or in your shell config (~/.bashrc, ~/.zshrc):

1export EDITOR="code --wait"

Vim ¶

1export EDITOR="vim"

Emacs ¶

1export EDITOR="emacs"

Sublime Text ¶

1export EDITOR="subl -w"

Nano ¶

1export EDITOR="nano"

Verification ¶

After installation, verify XLog is working:

1# Check version
2xlog -version
3
4# Start server (creates index.md if missing)
5xlog
6
7# Open browser to http://localhost:3000

You should see XLog’s web interface. Click “Edit” on any page to open it in your configured text editor.

Troubleshooting ¶

“Editor not found” Error ¶

If XLog can’t find your editor:

1. Set the EDITOR environment variable:

   1export EDITOR="vim"  # or your preferred editor
   

2. Or specify it when running XLog:

   1xlog -editor vim
   

3. Make sure the editor is in your PATH:

   1which vim  # should show the editor path
   

Port 3000 Already in Use ¶

Change the bind address:

1xlog -bind :3001  # Use port 3001 instead

Permission Denied (Linux/macOS) ¶

If installing with Go:

1# Ensure Go bin is in your PATH
2export PATH=$PATH:$(go env GOPATH)/bin

Next Steps ¶

• Workflow Guide - Learn the editor + preview workflow
• Usage - Command-line flags and options
• Why XLog - Understand when to use XLog

Upgrading ¶

To upgrade to the latest version:

1go install github.com/emad-elsaid/xlog/cmd/xlog@latest

Or download the latest binary from the releases page.

See Upgrading for version-specific migration notes.

Backlinks