Etherpad is an open-source real-time collaborative text editor. It allows multiple users to edit documents simultaneously with instant synchronization. Etherpad supports multiple authors with color coding, version history, chat functionality, and export to various formats. It’s ideal for meeting notes, collaborative writing, and brainstorming sessions.
- Real-time collaborative editing
- Multiple authors with color coding
- Version history and time-slider
- Built-in chat
- Import/export (DOCX, PDF, HTML, TXT)
- Extensible with 290+ plugins
- Backend: Node.js >= 18.18.2
- Frontend: JavaScript, TypeScript
- Database: PostgreSQL (recommended), MySQL, SQLite, dirtyDB (dev only)
- Package Manager: pnpm
- Self-hosted installation on Linux
- Containerized deployment with Docker
- License: Apache License 2.0
- Current Version: 2.6.1 (January 2026)
- Project Status: Community-maintained (Apache Foundation)
¶ History and References
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