Title: Why I Built Marksafe: A Safer, More Flexible Alternative to Markdown

Introduction
Markdown is a fantastic tool for formatting content, but it comes with limitations and security risks. As a developer and content creator, I wanted a more powerful yet secure alternative—so I built Marksafe.

What is Marksafe?
Marksafe is a lightweight, XSS-safe alternative to Markdown, designed for developers and content creators who need more flexibility without the security risks of raw HTML.

  • Secure by Design: No need to sanitize user input manually.
  • More Powerful than Markdown: Supports attributes, custom styling, and enhanced formatting.
  • Concise Syntax: Reduces boilerplate compared to HTML.
  • Lightweight and Fast: Small footprint and optimized performance.

Why Not Just Use Markdown?
While Markdown is great, it has some major drawbacks:

  • Limited control over attributes (e.g., no inline styles, classes, or data attributes).
  • Requires extensions for extra functionality.
  • Can be vulnerable to XSS attacks if improperly sanitized.

How Marksafe Solves These Problems
Marksafe gives you the power of HTML with a Markdown-like simplicity, while keeping security in check. Here’s a quick comparison:

Feature Markdown Marksafe
Secure by default ❌ No ✅ Yes
Supports attributes ❌ Limited ✅ Full control
Custom styling ❌ No ✅ Yes
Nested elements ❌ Limited ✅ Flexible

Marksafe Syntax in Action
Instead of writing verbose HTML, Marksafe lets you do this:

[div]
  class=container,,
  [h1] Welcome to Marksafe! [/h1]
  [p]
    This is the first paragraph. ;;
    This is the second one. ;;
    This is the third. ;;
    Then the 4th.
  [/p]
[/div]

This prevents XSS vulnerabilities while still allowing attributes like class, style, and data-*.

Who Should Use Marksafe?

  • Developers building CMS platforms or documentation sites.
  • Writers who need more flexibility in their content.
  • Security-conscious teams who want safe formatting options.

Try Marksafe Today!
Marksafe is open-source and available on GitHub and npm.

💬 What do you think? Would you switch from Markdown to Marksafe? Let’s discuss in the comments!