Using the Editor

While Marked Share plays nicely with external Markdown editors via Marked and our API, it also features a built-in web editor designed for focused writing and fast edits.

The Web Editor

The editor is powered by CodeMirror, offering syntax highlighting and a distraction-free environment with standard keyboard shortcuts:

• ⌘B / Ctrl-B: Bold
• ⌘I / Ctrl-I: Italic
• ⌘E / Ctrl-E: Inline code
• ⌘K / Ctrl-K: Insert link
• Tab / Shift-Tab: Indent / Outdent list items and code blocks

As you type, changes are autosaved in real time with continuous feedback in the status bar.

Managing Images

You don’t need external image hosting to write rich documents. In the editor, click the Image icon to:

• Link to an external image URL with alt text.
• Upload local image files (PNG, JPEG, GIF, and WebP up to 5 MB each).

When you upload an image, Marked Share stores it securely with your document and inserts a scoped path (/d/:id/i/...) that automatically inherits the document’s visibility permissions.

Version History and Conflict Protection

Every time you save substantial changes, Marked Share records a snapshot in the document’s Version History. You can view past versions, see which device made each edit, and inspect visual diffs to track changes over time.

Marked Share also protects you against accidental overwrites. If you leave a tab open and edit the same document on your Mac in Marked or from another browser, the editor detects the newer revision and warns you: Updated elsewhere — refresh to continue. Your changes won’t silently clobber someone else’s work.

Remix and Duplicate

If enabled in your document settings, signed-in readers can click Duplicate to my account. This creates an independent clone in their own library—complete with all attached images—allowing them to remix, iterate, and build upon your shared drafts.

Publishing and Collections

Publishing a document in Marked Share is designed to give you precise control over who can read your work and how it is organized.

Visibility Levels

Every document in your library has one of three visibility settings:

1. Private (Default): Only you and authenticated API tokens on your account can access the document. Anyone else visiting the URL receives a strict 404 Not Found—not an authorization challenge—so the link never leaks that the document even exists.
2. Unlisted: Anyone with the link can view the document, but it will never appear on your public profile or in search engine listings.
3. Public: Anyone with the link can view the document, and you can optionally feature it on your public profile.

Link Formats and Protection

When you publish, Marked Share generates clean short links on markedb.in:

• Short Codes: markedb.in/x7k2m — quick 5-character slugs generated on publish.
• Custom Slugs: markedb.in/yourname/custom-slug — human-readable URLs tied to your profile handle.
• Raw Markdown: markedb.in/d/<id>.md — instant access to clean plain text.
• TextBundle Exports: markedb.in/d/<id>.textpack — zipped bundle containing the markdown and all embedded assets.

Need extra security? You can add password protection or an expiration date directly from the Share dialog. Password-protected documents require readers to enter a passphrase before unlocking, and expired documents gracefully return 404s after their deadline.

Collections: From Reading Lists to Full Blogs

A Collection is an ordered group of documents with its own landing page at markedb.in/u/yourname/c/collection-slug.

Collections can be displayed in two modes:

• List Mode: A clean, curated table of contents or documentation index where you can order articles up and down.
• Blog Mode: A reverse-chronological blog feed with full-text or summary post views, pagination, and an automatic Atom feed at /feed.xml.

You can even attach custom CNAME domains to collections, turning Marked Share into a lightning-fast Markdown blogging engine.

Introducing Marked Share

For years, Marked has been my playground for turning Markdown into beautifully rendered documents on macOS. But while previewing Markdown on your local machine is great, sharing those documents with clients, editors, or friends has always felt a little fragmented. You export to PDF, print to HTML, or paste text into a generic pastebin that ruins your formatting.

I built Marked Share to solve that problem.

Marked Share is a Markdown-native publishing and sharing platform designed from the ground up to pair with Marked (and with any plain-text workflow). It gives your Markdown documents stable, shareable links, gorgeous typography, and collaborative annotation tools without the weight or complexity of a traditional CMS.

The Idea Behind Marked Share

The core philosophy of Marked Share is simple:

• Markdown First: Your raw Markdown is preserved exactly as you wrote it. No hidden proprietary database locks, no mangled syntax.
• Apex Rendering Engine: Online documents are rendered with Apex, the same rendering pipeline powering Marked. If it looks great in Marked, it will look identical in your browser.
• Clean, Short Links: Your account, editor, and library live at share.markedapp.com, while published documents get clean, minimal share links on markedb.in.
• Fast, Private, and Free: No ads, no bloated trackers, no subscriptions. Documents are private by default until you decide to share them.

Whether you want to publish a quick public note, send a password-protected draft to a client, or publish a full blog with an Atom feed, Marked Share handles it with zero friction.

Over the next few posts, I’ll walk through everything Marked Share can do—from collections and typography styles to interactive annotations, TextPack bundles, and our API.