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Quick Notebook Viewing

Alph’s GitHub Notebook Viewer lets you view any public Jupyter notebook from GitHub without downloading or importing it.

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How It Works

Simply change the domain in a GitHub notebook URL:
  • GitHub URL
  • Alph Viewer URL
https://github.com/user/repo/blob/main/notebook.ipynb
Replace github.com with gitalph.com - that’s it!

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Features

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Rich Rendering

The viewer provides high-quality rendering of:

Code Cells

  • Syntax highlighting
  • Line numbers
  • Language detection

Markdown

  • Formatted text
  • Headers and lists
  • Links and images

Math

  • LaTeX equations
  • Inline and block math
  • KaTeX rendering

Outputs

  • Plots and charts
  • DataFrames
  • Images and media

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Interactive Features

While viewing, you can:
  • Scroll through cells: Navigate the entire notebook
  • Copy code: Click to copy cell content
  • Search: Find text within the notebook
  • Share: Copy viewer link to share with others
  • Download: Get the .ipynb file
  • Import: Save a copy to your Alph organization
The viewer is read-only. To execute code, import the notebook into Alph.

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Viewing Entire Repositories

Browse all notebooks in a repository: 
https://gitalph.com/user/repo
The repository browser shows:
  • Directory tree
  • All .ipynb files
  • Quick preview on hover
  • One-click viewing

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Use Cases

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Learning and Education

Browse tutorial notebooks: 
# Example: View a machine learning tutorial
https://gitalph.com/jakevdp/PythonDataScienceHandbook/blob/master/notebooks/05.02-Introducing-Scikit-Learn.ipynb
Benefits:
  • No need to clone repository
  • Fast loading
  • Mobile-friendly
  • Share easily with students

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Code Review

Review notebook PRs and changes:
  1. Open PR on GitHub
  2. Find changed .ipynb files
  3. Replace domain with gitalph.com
  4. See rendered diff (coming soon)

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Documentation

Link to notebooks in documentation: 
For examples, see our [analysis notebook](https://gitalph.com/org/repo/blob/main/examples/analysis.ipynb).
Readers can view without installing anything.

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Quick Reference

Quickly check a colleague’s notebook:
  • No need to ask them to export
  • No local Jupyter setup required
  • View on any device
  • Instant access

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Repository Branches and Tags

View notebooks from any branch or tag: 
# Main branch
https://gitalph.com/user/repo/blob/main/notebook.ipynb

# Development branch
https://gitalph.com/user/repo/blob/develop/notebook.ipynb

# Specific tag/release
https://gitalph.com/user/repo/blob/v1.0.0/notebook.ipynb

# Specific commit
https://gitalph.com/user/repo/blob/abc123/notebook.ipynb

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Import from Viewer

Found a notebook you want to work with?
1

Click Import button

While viewing, click Import to Alph at the top
2

Choose organization

Select which Alph organization to import to
3

Configure

  • Set visibility (private/public)
  • Add tags
  • Edit title if desired
4

Import

Notebook is copied to your Alph workspace where you can:
  • Edit and execute
  • Use AI assistance
  • Connect to kernels
  • Share with team

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Security & Privacy

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What the Viewer Can Access

  • ✅ Only public repositories
  • ✅ Notebooks you have GitHub access to (if logged in)
  • ✅ Any branch/tag/commit
  • ✅ File metadata

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What It Cannot Access

  • ❌ Private repositories (unless you’re logged in and have access)
  • ❌ Repository settings
  • ❌ Commit history beyond basic metadata
  • ❌ Other repository files (unless explicitly requested)

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Safety Features

Before running any code:
Alph shows a warning before executing notebooks from unknown sources. Never run untrusted code without reviewing it first.
When you import from viewer:
  • Notebook starts in view-only mode
  • Must explicitly connect kernel to execute
  • Can review all cells before running
  • Source attribution preserved

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Limitations

The viewer has some limitations compared to importing:
FeatureViewerImported
View cells✅✅
Copy code✅✅
Execute code❌✅
Edit cells❌✅
AI assistance❌✅
Save changes❌✅
Share link✅✅
Offline access❌✅
Use the viewer for quick looks, import for active work.

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Bookmarklets and Browser Extensions

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Bookmarklet

Add this bookmarklet to your browser for one-click viewing: 
javascript:(function(){
  if(window.location.hostname === 'github.com') {
    window.location.href = window.location.href.replace('github.com', 'gitalph.com');
  }
})();
Drag this to your bookmarks bar: View in Alph

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Browser Extension (Coming Soon)

Auto-detect Jupyter notebooks on GitHub:
  • Shows “View in Alph” button
  • Keyboard shortcut support
  • Available for Chrome, Firefox, Safari
The viewer is great for sharing notebooks:

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Share on Social Media

Direct links work on:
  • Twitter/X (with preview card)
  • LinkedIn (with preview)
  • Reddit (auto-preview)
  • Slack (unfurls with preview)

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Embed in Websites

<iframe
  src="https://gitalph.com/user/repo/blob/main/notebook.ipynb"
  width="100%"
  height="600px"
  frameborder="0"
>
</iframe>

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QR Codes

Generate QR codes linking to notebooks:
  • Great for presentations
  • Workshop materials
  • Conference posters

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Performance

The viewer is optimized for speed:
  • Fast loading: Streams content progressively
  • Cached rendering: Repeated views are instant
  • Mobile optimized: Works on phones and tablets
  • Large notebooks: Handles 100+ cells smoothly
Very large notebooks (>500 cells or >10MB) may take a few seconds to fully render.

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Comparison with Other Viewers

FeatureAlphnbviewerGitHub Native
Speed⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡
Math rendering✅ KaTeX✅ MathJax✅
Mobile friendly✅⚠️✅
Import to editor✅❌❌
Syntax highlighting✅✅✅
Interactive outputs⏳❌❌

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Next Steps

Search Notebooks

Find notebooks with semantic search

Import from GitHub

Import notebooks to edit and execute them

Publishing

Share your own notebooks

Connect GitHub

Connect your repositories for easy access