Description
Briefnote is designed for developers and site administrators who need a secure, centralized location to store development notes and sensitive credentials directly within the WordPress admin interface. The plugin combines a powerful Markdown editor with enterprise-grade encryption for credential storage.
Markdown Notes Editor
- Live-rendering WYSIWYG editor powered by Toast UI Editor
- Syntax highlighting for PHP, JavaScript, CSS, HTML, SQL, Bash, JSON, and YAML
- GitHub Flavored Markdown support including tables, task lists, and fenced code blocks
- Auto-save with 2-second debounce to prevent data loss
- Manual save option with visual confirmation
- Dark and light mode themes
Secure Credentials Storage
- AES-256 equivalent encryption using libsodium (XSalsa20-Poly1305)
- Support for multiple credential types: Username/Password, API Keys, SSH Keys, Secure Notes
- Reveal and copy functionality with audit logging
- Optional password re-verification for sensitive operations
- Role-based access control with custom capability
Audit Logging
- Comprehensive activity tracking for all credential operations
- Notes access and modification logging
- Copy/paste detection and logging
- IP address recording and user attribution
- Configurable log retention period
Security Features
- Automatic encryption key generation (no configuration required)
- CSRF protection on all operations
- Rate limiting on password verification
- Input sanitization and output escaping
- Memory cleanup for sensitive data
Privacy Policy
Briefnote does not collect, transmit, or share any user data with external services. All data is stored locally in your WordPress database. The plugin does not make any external API calls or load resources from external servers.
Third-Party Libraries
This plugin bundles the following third-party libraries:
- Toast UI Editor (MIT License) – https://ui.toast.com/tui-editor
- Prism.js (MIT License) – https://prismjs.com/
Both libraries are GPL-compatible and are included locally within the plugin.
Screenshots
Markdown editor with live rendering and syntax highlighting 
Credentials management interface 
Credential entry expanded showing reveal and copy functionality 
Activity log showing audit trail 
Settings panel for access control and configuration
Installation
- Upload the
briefnotefolder to the/wp-content/plugins/directory - Activate the plugin through the ‘Plugins’ menu in WordPress
- Access Briefnote from the new menu item in the WordPress admin sidebar
The plugin automatically creates the required database tables and generates a secure encryption key on first use.
FAQ
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What encryption does this plugin use?
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Briefnote uses libsodium’s crypto_secretbox construction, which provides XSalsa20 stream cipher encryption with Poly1305 message authentication. This is equivalent to AES-256-GCM in security strength.
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Where is the encryption key stored?
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The encryption key is automatically generated using cryptographically secure random bytes and stored in the WordPress options table. It is created on first use with no configuration required.
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Can I grant credential access to non-admin users?
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Yes. Go to Settings tab and toggle access for specific users. Users with access receive the
view_briefnote_credentialscapability. Administrators always have access. -
What happens if I delete the plugin?
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Deactivating the plugin keeps all data intact. To completely remove all data, delete the plugin and then manually remove the database tables (
wp_briefnote_credentials,wp_briefnote_audit_log) and options (briefnote_content,briefnote_settings,briefnote_encryption_key). -
Is the Markdown content encrypted?
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No, the Markdown notes are stored as plain text in the WordPress options table. Only credential fields (passwords, API keys, SSH keys, secure notes) are encrypted.
Reviews
There are no reviews for this plugin.
Contributors & Developers
“Briefnote” is open source software. The following people have contributed to this plugin.
Contributors
Translate “Briefnote” into your language.
Interested in development?
Browse the code, check out the SVN repository, or subscribe to the development log by RSS.
Changelog
1.0.0
- Initial release
- Markdown editor with Toast UI Editor integration
- Secure credentials storage with sodium encryption
- Comprehensive audit logging
- Role-based access control
- Dark and light mode themes
- Auto-save functionality
