Engineering teams sketching architecture
Excalidraw is quick for system diagrams and incident walkthroughs.
Skip if:
you need formal modeling notation with validation.
Open source alternative to Miro, FigJam, Lucidchart and Microsoft Whiteboard
Last verified
Collaborate on diagrams, wireframes, and whiteboards in an open source canvas with end-to-end encrypted sessions and MIT-licensed self-hosting.
Excalidraw is quick for system diagrams and incident walkthroughs.
you need formal modeling notation with validation.
the canvas supports fast wireframes and workshop sketches.
your workflow requires deep Figma integration and design-system components.
the npm package can add Excalidraw to internal tools.
you only need static diagrams exported from another app.
Whiteboard SaaS tools are useful until diagrams become sensitive, seat pricing grows, or exported files stop fitting the team's workflow. Product sketches, architecture diagrams, and incident notes often contain internal detail that should not live only inside a proprietary workspace.
Teams also need speed. For early diagrams, polished vector tools can slow down the conversation, while heavy collaboration suites add setup before anyone can sketch the idea.
Hand-drawn style canvas keeps diagrams informal enough for brainstorming, architecture sketches, and early wireframes.
Collaborative whiteboarding supports team sessions, with end-to-end encrypted collaboration noted by the project.
Browser-based editor works without installing a desktop design tool.
Embeddable `@excalidraw/excalidraw` package lets developers add the whiteboard to their own apps.
MIT license supports self-hosting, modification, and commercial embedding.
Deploy the Excalidraw client on any web server or edge host. For self-hosting with Docker, run the official image first, then add the optional room server if you want multiplayer collaboration on your own domain.
```bash
docker run --rm -p 3000:80 excalidraw/excalidraw:latest
git clone https://github.com/excalidraw/excalidraw-room.git
```Yes. Excalidraw is MIT licensed, and the editor is available as an open source project. The hosted product also offers paid options for additional team workflows.
Excalidraw can replace Miro for lightweight whiteboarding, architecture sketches, wireframes, and async visual notes. Miro remains stronger for large workshop programs, enterprise templates, and deep facilitation features.
Yes. The project publishes @excalidraw/excalidraw as an npm package for embedding the editor in web applications.
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Run Excalidraw on your own server
Hostinger sets Excalidraw up as a one-click app on a VPS.
Deploy on HostingerFeatured
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