Buku

Command-line bookmark manager with optional Flask web UI

7.2k stars 321 forks last commit first released GPL-3.0

Actively maintained

Last commit 16 Aug 2026.

Buku is a command-line bookmark manager and lightweight personal textual mini‑web. It stores bookmarks in a portable SQLite database, can auto-fetch title/tags/description for URLs, and exposes an optional browsable web UI (Bukuserver) for users who prefer a GUI.

Key Features

  • CLI-first bookmark management with editor integration and shell completion
  • Portable, mergeable SQLite database for easy syncing between machines
  • Auto-fetch of page title, description and tags; manual encryption support for DB files
  • Powerful search options: regex, substring, markers and deep-scan modes
  • Import/export support for multiple formats (HTML, XBEL, Markdown, RSS/Atom, Org)
  • Smart tag management and utilities for tag manipulation and reorganization
  • Bukuserver: optional Flask-based web UI with JSON HTTP API and admin-style views
  • Tools for checking broken links (Wayback Machine integration) and bulk DB refresh

Use Cases

  • Maintain a portable, searchable personal bookmark collection across systems
  • Quickly capture and tag articles from the terminal, then refine entries with a text editor
  • Provide a local browsable UI for bookmarks on a single machine via the optional web server

Limitations and Considerations

  • The web UI (Bukuserver) is intended for local/personal use and is not designed to be exposed publicly without a reverse proxy and external access controls
  • Encryption is manual and limited; there is no built-in automated cloud sync or hosted backend
  • Some optional features require additional Python dependencies and extras to be installed

Buku is a pragmatic, privacy-conscious tool for users who prefer terminal-driven workflows but want an optional lightweight web frontend. It emphasizes portability, fast search, and minimal telemetry.

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