Obsidian Bases - Turn any set of notes into a powerful database

Super interesting interview with Obsidian's CEO @kepano on Decoder with @caseynewton yesterday — and just in time for the launch of Bases in v1.9.10.

Are there other Markdown-based, plaintext apps that include database functionality?

This seems significant!

If you're an Obsidian person, what will you use Bases for?

A huge congratulations to the Obsidian team for another exciting update! 🙌

I've been a consistent Obsidian user since early 2021 (I still use it daily!) and it's been incredible seeing the features that have emerged since then. I'm very excited to experiment with Bases now that it has fully launched and appreciate the rich documentation that you've provided so far as I do so. There's an incredible amount of potential with these databases.

Here's to what's ahead and congrats again on the launch! 🚀

Obsidian Bases surprised me with just how transformational it is. But first, it's blazing fast (makes Notion feel slow-motion), it treats your all your notes as a single database that you can easily slice and dice (again, at blazing speeds). But once I found out what you can do with Bases in the sidebar, allowing them to dynamically display all the links (and the relevant information) related to the active note, it blew my mind. Obsidian, you've done it again.

Turning my chaotic notes into structured databases without leaving Obsidian. Dynamic formulas + plain text freedom? This is the flex we needed. Already brewing a reading tracker!

@Obsidian has fundamentally changed how I think about knowledge management. The local-first approach is brilliant - your notes are yours, accessible offline, and not held hostage by subscription models or server downtime.

What sets Obsidian apart isn't just the linking and graph view (though those are game-changing), it's the philosophy: your thoughts shouldn't be trapped in proprietary formats or dependent on someone else's servers. The plugin ecosystem is incredible - it's like having a Swiss Army knife that you can customize infinitely.

The new Bases feature is particularly exciting because it bridges the gap between freeform thinking and structured data. Finally, we can have database functionality without sacrificing the flexibility of markdown or being locked into rigid templates like other tools.

We're launching Kipps.AI tomorrow - AI voice agents for Enterprises - and we actually use Obsidian internally for our knowledge base and product documentation. There's something powerful about tools that adapt to how you think rather than forcing you into predefined workflows.

Question for the community: How are you planning to use Bases? I'm thinking of combining it with the daily notes feature to create a dynamic project tracking system.

Obsidian represents the future of personal knowledge management - tools that empower rather than constrain. Well-deserved success! 🧠✨

I'm really excited about this. I use Obsidian for pretty much everything and I'll be interested to see how this changes my workflows.

Congrats! So, what’s your game plan for pushing past the usual limitations of these markdown + table setups and getting close to that all-in-one, no-compromise experience power users expect from a Notion or an Obsidian?

the database vibes in obsidian are cool – is there an easy migration from notion or airtable?

Turning notes into a database with filters and formulas? That’s crazy smart, tbh—no more digging through messy docs for info. You nailed it, team!

Whoa, finally a writing app that actually adapts to how I think! My notes are always chaotic—if Obsidian can handle my brain dumps, that's a total game changer.

Literally my fav. thing for research diaries. Nothing comparable :)

Feels like all Markdown is one table, and each Base is just a SQL-style view with filters and formulas.

Your notes, your rules. Stored locally for instant, offline access, plus hundreds of plugins and themes to match how you think. Finally, a workspace that adapts to you.

Congratulations on the launch! I really like how Obsidian balances simplicity with powerful customization—plugins and themes make it feel truly personal. Curious, what’s the most surprising way you’ve seen people use Obsidian so far?