Joplin Desktop Linux package

Description

Joplin is a great FLOSS multiplatform notes app; this project aims to provide a ready to install package for Debian, Ubuntu and derivatives, as well as a DEB822 repository to automate updates.

Motivation

While Joplin officially provides an AppImage for Linux, some users may prefer a traditional system package for better integration with their desktop environment or easier updates via the package manager. By using the official upstream .deb package, this project ensures users get the latest stable version directly from Joplin’s maintainers, and the package is ready to install via the package manager. It also provides a repository to keep it up-to-date when performing system updates.

Debian Build

Since version 3.4.10, the official Joplin .deb from the upstream repository is just renamed following the conventional Debian package naming. SHA-1 and SHA-256 checksums are provided in the GitLab repo for individual file verification (upstream shows SHA-256 and SourceForge uses SHA-1).

Download and install

The latest (and previous) version can be downloaded from the pool directory, just download the file that works for your distro: .deb for Debian/Ubuntu and derivatives. If you do not have a GUI app that handles it, then use the package manager (apt) from the command line to install.

DEB822 repository

These instructions can be used with Debian and Ubuntu derivatives, adding the repo will automatically update the packages when the system is updated (no need to download newer versions manually).

It is tested on latest Ubuntu, but it should work with the latest stable/LTS version of both Debian and Ubuntu and up. As it happens when installing a package, administrative privileges are needed.

# add repo key
curl -s https://gitlab.com/LFd3v/joplin-desktop-linux-package/-/raw/master/pub.gpg | \
        gpg --dearmor | sudo dd of=/etc/apt/keyrings/lfdev-repo.gpg

# add repo source
echo "X-Repolib-Name: LFdev Repo
Enabled: yes
Types: deb
URIs: https://sourceforge.net/projects/joplin-desktop-linux-package/files/deb-repo
Suites: packages
Components: main
Architectures: amd64
Signed-by: /etc/apt/keyrings/lfdev-repo.gpg" | \
        sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/lfdev-repo.sources

# install package
sudo apt install joplin

The last step is only needed if you have not installed a previous version. If you did, it should be updated automatically when the next system update is run (if there is a new version, of course).

If you want to make sure that only Joplin Desktop will be installed from this new repo (not required, it is just an extra security layer), you can create a file /etc/apt/preferences.d/lfdev-repo.pref with the contents below:

Package: *
Pin: origin sourceforge.net/projects/joplin-desktop-linux-package/files/deb-repo
Pin-Priority: -1

Package: joplin*
Pin: origin sourceforge.net/projects/joplin-desktop-linux-package/files/deb-repo
Pin-Priority: 500

Contributing

Contributions and PR are welcome!

If you have tested the package with your distro and it worked or not, feel free to report it in the issues tab.

Also, if you know a way to optimize the build, plesase drop a line.

Authors and acknowledgment

Joplin - https://github.com/laurent22/joplin

Joplin deb - https://github.com/cvandesande/joplin-deb

Raul Dipeas - https://github.com/rauldipeas/apt-repository

Tecmint - https://www.tecmint.com/create-deb-package-repository-at-sourceforge/

SourceForge - http://sourceforge.net/projects/joplin-desktop-linux-package

License

AGPL 3.0 or later (as Joplin itself)

Please be aware that by installing the software, you accept full responsibility for any consequences that may arise. There is no warranty or guarantee provided with this software, whether expressed or implied. The Joplin developer and I do not assume any liability for damages, data loss, or other issues resulting from the installation or use of the software. Although I have tested it on my setup it is crucial to exercise caution and understand that you are solely responsible for your actions.