Excalidraw on Ubuntu 24.04

(Docker + Nginx + SSL)

Excalidraw is an open-source virtual whiteboard and diagramming application designed for fast, intuitive visual collaboration. It allows users to create hand-drawn–style diagrams, sketches, flowcharts, wireframes, and technical drawings directly in the browser, with a strong focus on simplicity, speed, and privacy.

Unlike many online whiteboard tools, Excalidraw can be fully self-hosted, giving you complete control over access, data, and availability. This makes it ideal for development teams, educators, designers, and organizations that want collaborative whiteboarding without relying on third-party SaaS platforms.

Running Excalidraw on Ubuntu 24.04 LTS (Noble Numbat) provides a modern, secure, and long-term supported operating system. Ubuntu 24.04 includes systemd 255, OpenSSL 3, and excellent Docker support, making it a solid foundation for hosting Excalidraw with Docker, Nginx, and HTTPS (SSL) in a production-ready setup.

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Architecture Overview

Layer	Component	Role
OS	Ubuntu 24.04 LTS	Secure, long-term supported Linux base
Container Runtime	Docker / Docker Compose	Runs the Excalidraw application
Application	Excalidraw (React)	Whiteboard UI and collaboration logic
Reverse Proxy	Nginx	HTTPS termination, routing, compression
TLS	Let’s Encrypt / PKI	Encrypted web access
Clients	Web browsers	Create and collaborate on diagrams

Excalidraw itself is stateless, which makes it extremely easy to deploy, scale, and maintain.

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Why Use Excalidraw?

• Simple and intuitive UI – no learning curve
• Hand-drawn style diagrams – ideal for brainstorming and planning
• Fully self-hosted – no third-party dependencies
• Privacy-friendly – your drawings stay on your server
• Real-time collaboration – share links and collaborate instantly
• Export options – PNG, SVG, and Excalidraw JSON
• Open-source & actively maintained
• Very lightweight – minimal CPU and memory usage

Excalidraw is designed to help teams think visually without friction.

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Excalidraw vs Other Whiteboard Tools

Feature / Capability	Excalidraw	Miro	FigJam	Draw.io
Hosting	Self-hosted	Cloud only	Cloud only	Cloud / Self
Open-source	✅ Yes	❌ No	❌ No	❌ Partial
Real-time collaboration	✅ Yes	✅ Yes	✅ Yes	❌ Limited
Privacy control	Full	Vendor-controlled	Vendor-controlled	Partial
Ease of use	Very high	Medium	Medium	Medium
Cost	Free	Paid	Paid	Free / Paid

Excalidraw is ideal when simplicity, speed, and privacy matter more than enterprise-heavy features.

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Security & Best Practices on Ubuntu 24.04

• Run Excalidraw behind Nginx with HTTPS enabled.
• Bind the Docker container to localhost only and expose it via Nginx.
• Use Let’s Encrypt SSL certificates with automatic renewal.
• Enable UFW and allow only ports 80 and 443.
• Regularly update:
  • Ubuntu packages
  • Docker images
  • Excalidraw container
• Add basic rate limiting in Nginx if exposed publicly.
• Restrict access with authentication if used internally (optional).
• Monitor container health and logs.

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Typical Use Cases

• Architecture diagrams for DevOps and engineering teams
• System design & flowcharts
• Brainstorming sessions
• Technical documentation visuals
• Education & remote teaching
• Wireframes and UI sketches
• Internal team collaboration tools

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Deploying Excalidraw on Ubuntu 24.04 gives you a fast, private, and reliable self-hosted whiteboard solution — perfect for visual thinking, technical planning, and collaborative work without SaaS lock-in.

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Step 1: Create a Server Instance on Shape.Host

To self-host Excalidraw, you need a VPS with Docker support.

Log in to https://shape.host

Click Create → Instance

Choose a data center location close to your users

Select a plan with at least:

1–2 CPU cores

2 GB RAM

20 GB SSD storage

Choose Ubuntu 24.04 (64-bit) as the operating system

Create the instance and wait for provisioning

Copy the public IP address of the server

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Step 2: Connect to the Server

From Linux, macOS, or Windows:

ssh root@YOUR_SERVER_IP

This opens a secure shell session and gives you full administrative (root) access to the server.

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Step 3: Update the Operating System

apt update

• Refreshes the local package index
• Ensures the system knows about the latest available software versions

apt upgrade -y

• Installs all pending updates
• Improves security and stability before installing new services

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Step 4: Install Docker Engine

curl -fsSL https://get.docker.com | sh

• Downloads and runs the official Docker installation script
• Installs Docker Engine and all required dependencies automatically

systemctl enable docker

• Configures Docker to start automatically when the server boots

systemctl start docker

• Starts the Docker service immediately

docker --version

• Verifies that Docker is installed and working correctly

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Step 5: Install Docker Compose Plugin

apt install docker-compose-plugin

• Installs Docker Compose v2 as a plugin
• Allows you to manage containers using docker compose

docker compose version

• Confirms Docker Compose is available and functional

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Step 6: Create the Excalidraw Project Directory

mkdir -p /opt/excalidraw

• Creates a dedicated directory for Excalidraw
• Keeps application files organized under /opt

cd /opt/excalidraw

• Switches into the Excalidraw project directory

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Step 7: Create Docker Compose Configuration

nano docker-compose.yml

Paste the following content:

services:
  excalidraw:
    image: excalidraw/excalidraw:latest
    container_name: excalidraw
    restart: unless-stopped
    ports:
      - "127.0.0.1:5000:80"

What this configuration does:

• Uses the official Excalidraw Docker image
• Runs Excalidraw in a single container
• Binds port 5000 only to localhost (security best practice)
• Automatically restarts the container if it stops or crashes

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Step 8: Start Excalidraw

docker compose up -d

• Pulls the Excalidraw image if it’s not already present
• Starts the container in detached (background) mode

docker ps

• Lists running containers
• Confirms that the Excalidraw container is active

curl -I http://127.0.0.1:5000

• Sends a test HTTP request to the Excalidraw service
• A 200 OK or 302 response confirms it is running locally

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Step 9: Install and Enable Nginx

apt install nginx

• Installs the Nginx web server

systemctl enable nginx

• Enables Nginx to start automatically on boot

systemctl start nginx

• Starts the Nginx service

Nginx will act as a reverse proxy, forwarding public traffic to Excalidraw.

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Step 10: Configure Nginx Reverse Proxy

nano /etc/nginx/sites-available/excalidraw

Paste:

server {
    listen 80;
    server_name draw.example.com;

    location / {
        proxy_pass http://127.0.0.1:5000;
        proxy_http_version 1.1;
        proxy_set_header Upgrade $http_upgrade;
        proxy_set_header Connection "upgrade";
        proxy_set_header Host $host;
        proxy_set_header X-Real-IP $remote_addr;
        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-For $proxy_add_x_forwarded_for;
        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-Proto $scheme;
    }
}

Explanation:

• Listens on port 80 for HTTP traffic
• Forwards requests to Excalidraw running on localhost
• Includes WebSocket headers required by Excalidraw
• Preserves real client IP and protocol information

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Step 11: Enable the Nginx Site

ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/excalidraw /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/

• Enables the Excalidraw site configuration

nginx -t

• Tests the Nginx configuration for syntax errors

systemctl reload nginx

• Reloads Nginx and applies the new configuration

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Step 12: Enable SSL with Let’s Encrypt

apt install certbot python3-certbot-nginx

• Installs Certbot and the Nginx integration plugin

certbot --nginx -d ubuntu-tutorials.shape.host

Replace with your real domain:

yourdomain.com

Certbot will:

• Issue a free SSL certificate
• Automatically configure HTTPS in Nginx
• Enable automatic certificate renewal

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Step 13: Access Excalidraw

Open your browser:

https://draw.example.com

You now have:

• A self-hosted Excalidraw instance
• Running in Docker
• Secured with HTTPS
• Accessible via a custom domain

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You installed Excalidraw on Ubuntu 24.04 using Docker, exposed it through Nginx, and secured it with Let’s Encrypt SSL. This setup is lightweight, secure, and ideal for personal use, teams, or internal documentation workflows.

For hosting self-hosted tools like Excalidraw with full root access, reliability, and scalability, Shape.Host Cloud VPS provides a solid foundation for modern server deployments.