What is PlainRaw?
A minimal text sharing service. Create a snippet, get two links: one for editing (private) and one for sharing (public, returns raw text/plain).
Why PlainRaw? Unlike traditional pastebins that wrap content in HTML, PlainRaw returns pure text/plain — ideal for curl, CI/CD pipelines, and programmatic access. The secret edit link model means you can share a read-only URL while keeping edit access private, all without creating an account.
A minimal text sharing service. Create a snippet, get two links: one for editing (private) and one for sharing (public, returns raw text/plain).
No. PlainRaw is completely anonymous. No registration, no login, no subscription. Just text.
The edit link contains a secret key baked into the URL. Anyone with this link can edit. Lose it, and there's no recovery.
It returns Content-Type: text/plain — pure text, no HTML. Perfect for curl, wget, scripts, or embedding in tools.
Indefinitely, as long as the service runs. No auto-expiration.
Built for engineers who need raw text without HTML wrappers.
Lightweight feature toggles. App fetches raw on startup. Edit link changes true/false instantly — no redeploy, no config server.
curl -s .../raw/flags | grep DARK_MODE
Runtime circuit breaker. Service polls raw link. Emergency? Edit to 'disabled' and it's off globally in seconds.
enabled=true → enabled=false
Store prompts via edit link. Inference fetches raw — no HTML/markdown contaminating your prompt. AI engineers get this.
curl .../raw/prompt | llm chat
Store sample payloads for third-party integrations. Share raw link in docs, Slack, issues. No JSON copying.
curl .../raw/payload | httpie POST
One editor, N readers. Post incident notes via edit link. Team reads raw. No 'everyone can edit' chaos like Google Docs.
Raw link in #incidents channel
Share tokens/keys temporarily. Recipient uses raw link. Done? Edit to revoke. More controlled than Slack or email.
Edit to clear after use
Host .bashrc/.zshrc fragments. New machine? curl | source. Edit link updates all your devices instantly.
curl .../raw/aliases | source
Edit on laptop. View raw on phone. No account, no app. Just a URL that holds your current working text.
Phone browser → raw link
PlainRaw is built for developers who need raw text output and scriptable access.
| Feature | PlainRaw | Pastebin | Hastebin | Rentry | Gist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Raw text/plain output
Content-Type: text/plain, no HTML
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Anonymous creation
No account required
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Editable without account
Update or delete content
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curl-friendly
CLI / script access
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No ads or tracking
Clean, privacy-respecting
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Syntax highlighting
Code colorization
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Persistent raw links
Links never expire
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Unlisted / private mode
Not publicly indexed
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Expiration / TTL
Auto-delete after time
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PlainRaw exists because I couldn't find a tool that did this properly.
I often just need a link that returns plain text — not a webpage, not a document, not something wrapped in UI, scripts, or formatting.
Every existing tool added something extra: accounts, ads, rendering, tracking, or assumptions about how the text should be used. None of that worked when the goal was simply text as text.
So I built PlainRaw. A small tool that lets me write text, edit it when needed, and share a raw link that returns exactly what I wrote — nothing more.
— @meditic