Textfilers

Textfilers is a term used to describe individuals, groups, or software systems that manage information by storing it primarily as plain text files. The practice emphasizes human readability, portability across platforms, and compatibility with version control. While not a formal standard, the term is used in software development, digital archiving, and personal knowledge management to distinguish text-centric workflows from binary or proprietary formats.

Common file formats include plain text (.txt), Markdown (.md), CSV (.csv), JSON (.json), and YAML (.yaml). Textfilers organize data using simple folder hierarchies, consistent file naming, and explicit encoding, with UTF-8 as a common baseline. Metadata may be stored in separate companion files or embedded within the text, such as front matter in Markdown documents.

Workflows rely on text editors, command-line tools, and version-control systems like Git, which support diffs, branching, and collaborative editing. Textfilers often adopt lightweight conventions for structure, such as consistent indentation, clear headings, and standardized metadata schemas.

Advantages include human readability, long-term accessibility, and easy integration with automated tooling and backups. Limitations include challenges with large binary data, performance overhead for very large corpora, and the need for disciplined governance over naming, encoding, and metadata.

Historically, text-based storage predates many binary formats and remains influential in software development and digital preservation. Textfilers tend to favor open, interoperable formats and practices that minimize vendor lock-in.