Your Memories,
Future-Proofed.
The Open Journal Format ensures your life's story remains yours—readable, portable, and timeless.
See It In Action
One file. Two views. Always readable.
Don't Lock Your Life in a Black Box.
Apps disappear. Formats become obsolete. Your journal shouldn't die with a startup. We believe in plain text, open standards, and total ownership.
What is an Open Journal Entry?
At its core, it's just text. A simple, human-readable file with a little bit of metadata at the top.
- No proprietary database
- Readable by any text editor
- Images stored as standard files
- Metadata in YAML format
Built for Real Life
Flexible enough for any journaling style.
Daily Reflection
Just you and your thoughts. No distractions, no notifications.
Photo Journaling
Reference local images directly in your entry. Your photos stay with your text.
Migration
Move your entire history to a new app in seconds. It's just moving files.
Ready to own your journal?
We built Can Journals on top of this open standard. It gives you a beautiful writing experience without the lock-in.
About this page
This page outlines the Open Journal Format, a public specification designed for long-term data preservation. It explains the technical philosophy behind how data is structured and is not a feature inside the Can Journals app. You do not need to read or understand this standard to use the application.