Get Started with Excalidraw: Open Source Virtual Whiteboard Tool

Live stream set for 2026-01-03 at 14:00:00 Eastern

Ask questions in the live chat about any programming or lifestyle topic.

This livestream will be on YouTube or you can watch below.

Getting Started with Excalidraw A Free Open Source Diagramming Tool

Excalidraw is a free open source web based diagramming tool that allows users to create a wide range of diagrams from simple flowcharts to complex technical illustrations. Its simplicity ease of use and collaborative features make it an excellent choice for individuals and teams looking to visualize ideas and communicate more effectively.

What is Excalidraw

Excalidraw is built using JavaScript and is designed to be highly customizable. As an open source project it is actively maintained and developed by a community of contributors.

Installing Excalidraw

Excalidraw can be installed and run using various methods including Podman or Podman Compose. Here is an example of how to install Excalidraw using Podman Compose:

version: '3'
services:
  excalidraw:
    image: ghcr.io/excalidraw/excalidraw
    ports:
      - "8080:8080"

To run Excalidraw using Podman Compose save the above configuration to a file named docker-compose.yml then execute the following command:

podman-compose up

This will start the Excalidraw server and you can access it by navigating to http://localhost:8080 in your web browser.

Features and Usage

Excalidraw offers a wide range of features including:

• Real time collaboration
• Customizable diagrams
• Extensive library of shapes and symbols
• Support for multiple export formats

📷 Screenshots

📺 Live Walkthrough (Screencast)

Learn More About JavaScript

If you’re interested in learning more about JavaScript the programming language used to build Excalidraw check out my book Learning JavaScript.

or take my online course Learning JavaScript.

One on One Tutorials and Custom Excalidraw Installations

If you need help with installing updating or migrating Excalidraw or would like one on one programming tutorials feel free to contact me.