Does Excaliself need a database?
Yes, PostgreSQL. The Compose file starts it next to the app and keeps drawings in the pgdata volume, which survives upgrades.
Excaliself: Excalidraw Whiteboard for Your Team
Self-host the Excalidraw whiteboard with accounts, folders and live collaboration, and keep every drawing in your own Postgres database. Members get private spaces and a shared team space, and search looks inside the text of drawings.
Compare with similar apps
How Excaliself stacks up against other productivity apps. Add or remove apps to change the comparison.
| Requirement | Excaliself | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Web UI | Yes | Yes |
| Architecture | x86 + ARM | x86 + ARM |
| Containers | 2Plus Postgres | 1The app alone |
| Database | Postgres | none |
| Runtime | Node | nginx |
| Docker | Yes | Yes |
| Coolify | Yes | – |
| Full comparison | This app | Excalidraw vs Excaliself |
Common questions
Can anyone sign up to Excaliself?
No. The first visitor creates the admin account at /setup, and everyone else joins through an invite link.
Can I import my drawings from Excalidraw+ into Excaliself?
Yes, in beta. Settings has an import that brings scenes, collections and images across with an Excalidraw+ API key.
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