What is Jrnl used for?

Jrnl is a simple command-line journal application for creating, searching and viewing entries stored as human-readable plain text, with optional AES encryption. It is a good fit for daily journaling in the terminal, quick capture of notes with timestamps and private encrypted diary files.

Yes. Jrnl is open source under the GPL-3.0 licence. Its source code is on GitHub at jrnl-org/jrnl and is written mainly in Python.

Yes. Jrnl is open source, so the software itself is free to use.

Can I self-host Jrnl?

Yes. Jrnl can be self-hosted on your own server or infrastructure.

What is Jrnl an alternative to?

Jrnl is an open-source alternative to Day One, Journey and Penzu. Other open-source alternatives to Day One include GitJournal, Linked and Journiv.

Is Jrnl actively maintained?

Yes. The most recent commit to Jrnl was on 2 October 2026, and the latest release is v4.6, published on 7 August 2026. The project has 7.3k stars on GitHub.

Jrnl: open-source alternative to Day One, Journey, Penzu

About Jrnl

jrnl is a journal application for the command line. You use it to create, search and view entries without leaving the terminal, which suits people who live in a shell and want to capture thoughts or notes quickly.

Entries live in readable plain-text files, with AES encryption available as an option. Typing a sentence after the command creates a new entry, and natural-language prefixes such as yesterday are interpreted as the timestamp. The text up to the first sentence ending becomes the title and the rest the body, and in the journal file each entry is saved with a bracketed date and time. Calling jrnl without text opens a prompt, or you can configure an external editor.

The project is written in Python, licensed under GPL-3.0, maintained by a small group of volunteers and supported by financial backers. Full documentation is available on its website. It suits developers and writers who want a private, scriptable journal in plain files.

Key features

Create entries from the command line
Plain-text storage in readable files
Optional AES encryption
Natural-language timestamps like yesterday
Search and view past entries
External editor support

Good fit for

→Daily journaling in the terminal
→Quick capture of notes with timestamps
→Private encrypted diary files

Built with: Python
Tags: journal; cli; note-taking; python; encryption; plain-text; productivity; terminal

Jrnl: questions and answers

What is Jrnl used for?: Jrnl is a simple command-line journal application for creating, searching and viewing entries stored as human-readable plain text, with optional AES encryption. It is a good fit for daily journaling in the terminal, quick capture of notes with timestamps and private encrypted diary files.
Is Jrnl open source?: Yes. Jrnl is open source under the GPL-3.0 licence. Its source code is on GitHub at jrnl-org/jrnl and is written mainly in Python.
Is Jrnl free?: Yes. Jrnl is open source, so the software itself is free to use.
Can I self-host Jrnl?: Yes. Jrnl can be self-hosted on your own server or infrastructure.
What is Jrnl an alternative to?: Jrnl is an open-source alternative to Day One, Journey and Penzu. Other open-source alternatives to Day One include GitJournal, Linked and Journiv.
Is Jrnl actively maintained?: Yes. The most recent commit to Jrnl was on 2 October 2026, and the latest release is v4.6, published on 7 August 2026. The project has 7.3k stars on GitHub.