Excalidraw: Self-Hosted Whiteboard for Diagrams, Wireframes, and Collaboration

Why Excalidraw?

Polished diagram tools produce sterile output. Excalidraw’s hand-drawn style makes technical diagrams feel human:

Hand-drawn aesthetic — Professional yet approachable.
Real-time collaboration — End-to-end encrypted.
Shape libraries — AWS, Azure, GCP, UML, networking icons.
Export to SVG/PNG — Embed in docs, READMEs, presentations.
Infinite canvas — No page boundaries.
Keyboard shortcuts — Fast diagramming.

Prerequisites

Docker on any machine.
Minimal resources (static frontend only).

Deploy with Docker

docker run -d \
  --name excalidraw \
  --restart=always \
  -p 80:80 \
  excalidraw/excalidraw:latest

Access at http://your-server. That’s it.

Use Cases by Team

Team	Use Case	Example
Engineering	Architecture diagrams	Microservice topology, data flow
Product	Wireframes, mockups	UI sketches, user flows
DevOps	Infrastructure diagrams	Network topology, CI/CD pipelines
Management	Brainstorming	Org charts, strategy maps
Education	Teaching materials	Concept explanations, mind maps

Shape Libraries

Library	Contents	Install
AWS Architecture	EC2, S3, Lambda, VPC, RDS icons	Community library
Azure	VMs, App Service, SQL, AKS icons	Community library
GCP	Compute, Storage, BigQuery icons	Community library
Networking	Routers, switches, firewalls	Community library
UML	Class, sequence, activity diagrams	Community library

Excalidraw vs Alternatives

Feature	Excalidraw	Miro	Draw.io	Whimsical
Self-hosted	Yes	No	Yes	No
Style	Hand-drawn	Clean	Technical	Clean
Collaboration	Real-time, E2E encrypted	Real-time	Limited	Real-time
Cost	Free	Free / $8/mo	Free	Free / $10/mo
Export	PNG, SVG, JSON	PNG, PDF	PNG, SVG, XML	PNG, PDF
Shape libraries	Community	Built-in	Extensive	Limited

Troubleshooting

Problem	Solution
Collaboration link not working	Self-hosted requires a collaboration server (excalidraw-room); deploy it separately
Libraries not loading	Import .excalidrawlib files manually from the community library repo
Large canvas performance	Reduce element count; use grouping to simplify complex diagrams

Summary

Hand-drawn diagrams that look professional and approachable.
Real-time collaboration with end-to-end encryption.
Cloud provider libraries (AWS/Azure/GCP) for architecture diagrams.
SVG export for embedding in documentation and READMEs.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Excalidraw and why self-host it?

Excalidraw is an open-source virtual whiteboard that produces hand-drawn-looking diagrams. Self-hosting keeps your diagrams private (the public version at excalidraw.com stores data in the browser). Useful for architecture diagrams, wireframes, flowcharts, and brainstorming sessions.

Does Excalidraw support real-time collaboration?

Yes. Share a link and multiple people can draw on the same canvas simultaneously. All collaboration is end-to-end encrypted — even the server can't read the content.

What export formats are supported?

PNG, SVG, and native .excalidraw JSON format. SVG exports are vector-based and can be embedded in documentation, README files, or web pages. The hand-drawn style makes technical diagrams more approachable.

Can I use it for technical architecture diagrams?

Yes. Excalidraw has a built-in shape library with common diagram elements (boxes, arrows, text, icons). There are also community libraries for AWS, Azure, GCP icons, network diagrams, and UML.