Excalidraw
excalidraw/excalidraw ↗ ·★ 133.4k ·TypeScript ·MIT
Open-source whiteboard for diagrams and wireframes, with a React editor and a self-hostable frontend; collaboration needs extra services.
Overview
Excalidraw is useful for explaining an architecture or sketching a page before building it. Start with the drawing and export workflow, then decide whether you need the complete application or only the editor inside another React project.
The repository configuration defines the frontend output for Vercel. That is evidence of a deployment path, not a guarantee of a complete hosted collaboration service. Review domain-specific settings and the self-hosting limitations before opening an instance to a team. Hosting plan restrictions still apply.
This entry is based on the official repository and docs, without a hands-on deployment test. The image is the project’s official product showcase.
Highlights
- ✓ Sketch-style diagrams and wireframes
- ✓ Export drawings as PNG, SVG or editable scene files
- ✓ React editor package for embedding in your own application
- ✓ Repository includes frontend deployment configuration for Vercel
Best for
- →Architecture sketches
- →UI wireframes
- →Embedded drawing tools
Getting started
- 1 Clone the repository and follow the official development guide
- 2 Test the drawing and export workflow locally
- 3 Use the repository build configuration when importing into Vercel
- 4 Review environment variables and domain-specific headers for your own deployment
- 5 Verify local drawing works and configure separate backends before promising collaboration
FAQ
No. The official self-hosting guide warns that sharing and collaboration are not included in the standalone client. A collaboration server needs separate setup.
Yes. The React package is designed for embedding. Follow its integration documentation and decide how your application will save scenes.
It is the upstream product showcase. Collaboration shown there does not imply that a frontend-only deployment includes that backend.
Deploy Excalidraw for free
Free-tier platforms that can host this project. Pick one and ship it.
