Presentations26.06.25 • Obsidian

Obsidian

Author: Vladimir Bolshakov (vlb@alteos.com)
Date: 26.06.2025

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A Powerful Offline Knowledge Base A Daily Tool in My Workflow

Obsidian is a free, offline-first note-taking app that stores your notes as local Markdown files. It lets you link notes, use tags, and extend functionality with plugins like Kanban boards, Canvas, and Excalidraw. Obsidian is a powerful, privacy-focused alternative to cloud tools like Notion, ideal for building a personal knowledge base.

What is Obsidian?

  • Obsidian is a free, powerful note-taking and personal knowledge management app.
  • It stores your notes as local Markdown files on disk.
  • Designed for flexibility, privacy, and extensibility.
  • A great free alternative to Notion and similar systems.

Why I Chose Obsidian

  • I use Obsidian daily as my main knowledge base.
  • It fits both structured and unstructured information.
  • Enables deep customization and ownership of my data.
  • I love that it’s completely free and works offline.

Core Benefits

  • 💸 Free to use, no subscriptions required
  • 📂 Local-first: all notes stored on your disk
  • 🌐 Offline: full functionality without internet
  • 🔗 Note linking using tags and internal backlinks
  • ✍️ Markdown-native: portable, readable, future-proof

Powerful Features

🔌 Plugin System

  • Obsidian’s plugin system unlocks powerful extensions.
  • Many core and community plugins available.

🧱 Kanban Boards

  • Visualize and manage tasks with ease.
  • Simple to set up with the Kanban plugin.

🗂️ Canvas for Notes

  • Spatial layout for brainstorming and mind-mapping.
  • Drag and drop notes and links onto an infinite board.

🧰 Templates

  • Save reusable structures for fast note creation.

Visual Thinking with Excalidraw

  • Obsidian integrates seamlessly with Excalidraw, a visual diagramming tool.

  • I use it to draw:

    • Flowcharts
    • System Design
    • Quick scketches of algorithms

  • Fully embedded inside Obsidian notes.

Syncing Your Notes

  • Notes can be synced using Git (manual workflow).

  • Obsidian offers official sync service (paid feature):

    • End-to-end encrypted
    • Works across devices

  • I personally prefer Git for version control.

Portability & Export

  • Notes are just plain Markdown files.

  • Easy to:

    • Back up
    • Move across devices
    • Export to PDF, DOCX, HTML using plugins like Pandoc

Offline-First Design

  • Entire app works without internet.
  • Your notes are always accessible.
  • No dependency on cloud services.

Visual Knowledge with Graph View

  • The Graph View shows your notes as a network.

  • Helps you:

    • Understand relationships
    • Discover knowledge gaps
    • Navigate large knowledge bases visually

My Favorite Plugins

1. Kanban

  • Adds Trello-style boards inside Obsidian.

  • Great for organizing:

    • Tasks
    • Projects
    • Content pipelines

📌 I use it for personal task management and project planning.

2. Git

  • Enables Git integration inside Obsidian.

  • Allows you to:

    • Commit and push changes manually
    • Keep version history
    • Sync with GitHub or other remote repos

📌 I use this for manual syncing and backup.

3. Pandoc Plugin

  • Exports Markdown notes into:

    • PDF
    • DOCX
    • HTML
    • LaTeX

  • Requires Pandoc to be installed on your system.

📌 I use this to generate professional documents from my notes.

4. Advanced Tables

  • Enhances Markdown table editing.

  • Adds features like:

    • Auto-formatting
    • Keyboard shortcuts
    • Table alignment

📌 Very helpful for data-heavy or comparison notes.

5. Excalidraw

  • Full integration of Excalidraw diagrams into Obsidian.
  • Save and edit visual diagrams directly within your vault.

📌 I use this daily for visual thinking and conceptual mapping.

6. Calendar

  • Adds a monthly calendar view to navigate your notes.
  • Supports Daily Notes and journaling workflows.

📌 Perfect for creating a timeline of activity or note history.

Summary: Why Obsidian?

  • ✅ 100% free
  • ✅ Works offline
  • ✅ Markdown-based
  • ✅ Plugin-powered
  • ✅ Fully customizable
  • ✅ Strong community
  • ✅ Yours forever — no vendor lock-in

Resources

🔗 Obsidian Resources

🎨 Visual Tools & Plugins

Graph Notes Graph in Obsidian

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