Excalidraw Client/Server

A self-hosted, privacy-focused Excalidraw setup with a Tauri desktop application and a minimal Go collaboration server.

Features

• 🖥️ Desktop App: Native Tauri application for Windows, macOS, and Linux
• 🔒 Privacy First: All data stored locally by default
• 🤝 Optional Collaboration: Connect to your own server for real-time collaboration
• 📸 Room Snapshots: Save and restore drawing states with thumbnails (manual + auto-save)
• 💾 Multiple Storage Options: SQLite, filesystem, or in-memory storage
• 🚀 No Cloud Dependencies: No Firebase, no external services
• ⚡ Fast & Lightweight: Minimal server with WebSocket support

Project Structure

excalidraw-app/          # Tauri desktop application
├── src/                 # React/TypeScript frontend
├── src-tauri/           # Rust backend
└── package.json

excalidraw-server/       # Go collaboration server
├── handlers/            # WebSocket & API handlers
├── stores/              # Storage backends
└── main.go

start-app.sh            # Start the desktop app
start-server.sh         # Start the collaboration server

Quick Start

Desktop App Only (Offline Mode)

1. Start the app:

   ./start-app.sh

2. Choose "Work Offline" when prompted

3. Start drawing!

Your drawings are saved locally to a SQLite database.

With Collaboration Server

1. Start the server (in one terminal):

   ./start-server.sh

2. Start the app (in another terminal):

   ./start-app.sh

3. Choose "Connect to Server" and enter: http://localhost:3002

4. Enter a room ID or leave blank for a new room

5. Share the room ID with collaborators!

Requirements

Desktop App

• Node.js 18+ and npm
• Rust and Cargo (will be installed automatically if missing)

Collaboration Server

• Go 1.21+

Configuration

Server Configuration

Create a .env file in excalidraw-server/:

# Storage type: memory, filesystem, or sqlite
STORAGE_TYPE=sqlite

# SQLite database path (when using sqlite)
DATA_SOURCE_NAME=./excalidraw.db

# Filesystem storage path (when using filesystem)
# LOCAL_STORAGE_PATH=./data

# Server port
PORT=3002

# Log level: debug, info, warn, error
LOG_LEVEL=info

App Configuration

On first launch, you'll be prompted to:

• Connect to a server (enter URL)
• Work offline (local storage only)

Your choice is saved and can be changed by clearing app data.

Development

Server Development

cd excalidraw-server
go run main.go --listen :3002 --loglevel debug

App Development

cd excalidraw-app
npm install
npm run tauri dev

Building for Production

Build Desktop App

cd excalidraw-app
npm run tauri build

The built application will be in src-tauri/target/release/bundle/.

Build Server Binary

cd excalidraw-server
go build -o excalidraw-server .

Room Snapshots

The app includes a powerful snapshot feature for saving and restoring drawing states:

• 📸 Manual Snapshots: Save snapshots on demand via the menu
• ⏰ Auto-Save: Automatic snapshots at configurable intervals (default: 5 min)
• 🖼️ Thumbnail Previews: Visual preview of each snapshot
• 🔧 Configurable: Per-room settings for max snapshots and auto-save interval
• 🌐 Smart Storage: Server-side when connected, local when offline

Access snapshots: Menu → 📸 Snapshots

For detailed documentation, see SNAPSHOTS_FEATURE.md.

Architecture

Desktop App (Tauri)

• Frontend: React + TypeScript + Excalidraw library
• Backend: Rust with SQLite for local storage
• Features:
  • Local drawing storage
  • Server connection dialog
  • WebSocket client for collaboration
  • Auto-save functionality
  • Room snapshots with thumbnails

Collaboration Server (Go)

• WebSocket: Socket.IO for real-time collaboration
• REST API: Save/load endpoints + snapshot management
• Storage: Pluggable backends (memory/filesystem/SQLite)
• Features:
  • Room-based collaboration
  • User presence tracking
  • Document persistence
  • Snapshot storage and retrieval

License

This project builds upon Excalidraw (MIT License).

Support

For issues or questions, please open an issue on GitHub.