Livebook

Livebook is an open-source web application for writing interactive and collaborative code notebooks. It allows users to combine executable Elixir code with Markdown text to automate data workflows and document projects. The software is designed to handle everything from simple note-taking to complex data analysis with rich visualizations, providing a flexible environment for experimentation and documentation.

Users can deploy Livebook as a desktop application on macOS, Windows, and Linux, or run it as a server via Docker. It is also available for installation via Escript or from source for those who already have Elixir installed on their system. For specialized hardware, a dedicated firmware version built with Nerves is available for embedded devices such as Raspberry Pi and BeagleBone.

Key features

• Code notebooks with Markdown support and on-demand Elixir evaluation
• CodeMirror editor with autocompletion, inline documentation, and formatting
• Interactive results via Kino for Vega-Lite charts, tables, and maps
• Smart cells for querying databases and plotting charts through the UI
• Real-time collaboration allowing multiple users to work on one notebook
• Notebook storage in .livemd format with Mermaid diagrams and KaTex formulas
• Custom runtimes to connect to existing Elixir nodes or projects
• State tracking to annotate stale parts of the notebook

The application is built using Phoenix and LiveView, which enables its real-time collaborative capabilities without requiring additional setup. It supports various runtimes, meaning it can start a fresh Elixir instance or connect to an existing project to introspect modules and dependencies. This architecture makes it a useful tool for developers who need to document existing systems or for data scientists performing exploratory analysis. The .livemd file format is designed to be a subset of Markdown, ensuring that notebooks remain compatible with version control systems.

Livebook serves as a collaborative environment for Elixir developers and data analysts to build reproducible workflows.