Excalidraw

Application128MB+ RAM

Collaborative virtual whiteboard for sketching hand-drawn like diagrams

Download Server Compass View Documentation

whiteboarddiagramscollaborationdrawingsketching

Deploy Excalidraw in 3 Steps

Connect Your VPS

Add your server credentials to Server Compass

Select Excalidraw

Choose from our template library

Deploy & Configure

Fill in settings and click Deploy

No Docker knowledge required

Video Tutorials

Learn How to Deploy Excalidraw

All tutorials

How to Self Host Excalidraw on Any VPS (Free Miro Alternative)

Learn how to self-host Excalidraw, an open-source collaborative whiteboard tool (Miro alternative), on any VPS using Server Compass.

Watch tutorial

Do It Yourself

Deploy Excalidraw via Command Line

Prefer the command line? Follow this step-by-step guide to deploy Excalidraw manually on your VPS.

Start a Secure Shell Session

Open your terminal and connect to your server. Replace the IP address with your VPS IP.

terminal

# SSH into your server
ssh root@your-server-ip

# Using a custom SSH key
ssh -i ~/.ssh/id_rsa root@your-server-ip

First time? Need Docker? Install it: curl -fsSL https://get.docker.com | sh

Prepare Your Workspace

Set up a clean directory for your application.

terminal

# Create and navigate to project directory
mkdir -p ~/apps/excalidraw
cd ~/apps/excalidraw

Set Up Container Configuration

Set up the container stack using this Docker Compose configuration:

docker-compose.yml

services:
  excalidraw:
    image: excalidraw/excalidraw:latest
    ports:
      - "3030:80"
    restart: unless-stopped

Configuration Variables

PORTHost port to expose(default: 3030)

Bring Up the Application

Launch your application stack in the background.

terminal

# Start the containers in detached mode
docker compose up -d

# Check if containers are running
docker compose ps

# View logs
docker compose logs -f

Configure Firewall

Configure your firewall to permit external connections.

terminal

# Allow the application port through firewall
sudo ufw allow 3030/tcp
sudo ufw reload

# Access your app at:
# http://your-server-ip:3030

Skip the Terminal

Prefer a visual interface? Use Server Compass.

Deploy Excalidraw with a beautiful UI instead. No SSH, no YAML editing, no terminal commands. Just click, configure, and deploy in under 3 minutes.

Visual configuration UI
One-click deployment
Automatic SSL setup
Zero-downtime updates
Built-in monitoring
One-click rollbacks

Download Server Compass$29 one-time • Lifetime license

After Deployment

After deploying Excalidraw with Server Compass, complete these steps to finish setup

Open the Excalidraw URL in your browser

Start drawing!

For real-time collaboration, share the room link with others

Need help? Check out our documentation for detailed guides.

Excalidraw FAQ

Common questions about self-hosting Excalidraw

How do I deploy Excalidraw with Server Compass?

Simply download Server Compass, connect to your VPS, and select Excalidraw from the templates list. Fill in the required configuration and click Deploy. The entire process takes under 3 minutes.

What are the system requirements for Excalidraw?

Excalidraw requires a minimum of 128MB RAM. We recommend a VPS with at least 1024MB RAM for optimal performance. Any modern Linux server with Docker support will work.

Can I migrate my existing Excalidraw data?

Yes! Server Compass provides volume mapping that allows you to import existing data. You can also use standard Excalidraw backup and restore procedures.

How do I update Excalidraw to the latest version?

Server Compass makes updates easy. Simply click the Update button in your deployment dashboard, and the latest Excalidraw image will be pulled and deployed with zero downtime.

Is Excalidraw free to self-host?

Excalidraw is open-source software. You only pay for your VPS hosting (typically $5-20/month) and optionally Server Compass ($29 one-time). No subscription fees or per-seat pricing.