Observable Notebooks

this is a small site introducing the Observable platform, along with instructions for setting up a local development environment for Observable Notebooks, including pages on using GitHub and GitHub Pages to develop with version control, and host your projects publicly

Observable is a literate programming, live-coding notebook platform that has been in use and under development since 2016. It was founded to provide a platform for collaborative, live data visualization, analysis, and communication, but it is also a general-purpose programming environment that is particularly well-suited to interactive, web-based applications.

John Cayley was attracted to it because it offers a live-coding platform built on and targeting the web stack (HTML, CSS, and JavaScript). To me, it comes across as ‘pen and paper for the web.’

In 2026 Observable 2.0 was launched and is now the default version of the platform. Even with a free account, there is a great deal that anyone can do using Observable with, basically, no installation. Moreover, the platform has:

language model assistance built in.
This, combined with live-code transparency (and immediate, reactive feedback), means that people with no programming experience can learn as they create.
And the integration of simple text editing with code manipulation allows writers to be introduced to a practice of language art that is fully engaged with computation.

So, if you are interested in learning to code, or if you are a writer who wants to explore the possibilities of computation, sign up for a free account and start exploring Observable.

💡 Tip: When you create your Observable account you will receive a verification email — check your spam folder if it doesn’t arrive within a minute or two.

Once you’ve done this, the other pages of this site (built from notebooks with Observable Notebook Kit) will help you set up a local development environment for your notebooks, including instructions for using GitHub and GitHub Pages to host your notebooks on the web.