What is draw.io?
draw.io is a configurable diagramming and whiteboarding application, jointly owned and developed by draw.io Ltd (previously named JGraph) and draw.io AG. The GitHub repository holds the source code under the Apache License 2.0 and is described as a test version for evaluating the application. A paid production version is available for production deployments.
The project site offers a free online editor and a desktop app, and says it is free forever with no sign-up required. Users can store diagrams in their own storage, and the application integrates with Google Drive, Microsoft SharePoint and OneDrive, Atlassian Confluence and Jira, GitHub, a VS Code extension and Notion. Diagrams can be embedded in docs, wikis or applications.
To run the test version yourself, you can publish a fork to GitHub Pages, use the Docker image, or use the packaged .war files on the releases page. The README states that draw.io does not support real-time collaborative editing in this version.
Key capabilities
- A configurable diagramming and whiteboarding editor
- Online tool, desktop app, Docker image and .war packages
- Apache License 2.0 source code
- Integrations with Google Drive, SharePoint, Confluence, Jira, GitHub and VS Code
- Embeddable diagrams for docs, wikis and applications
- Storage in your own location
Where draw.io fits
draw.io can fit into diagram-based documentation and visual planning workflows for developers and IT teams. Its whiteboarding function also supports visual explanations where simultaneous editing is not required.
Before deployment, teams should distinguish the repository's evaluation version from the paid production offering, check supported browser requirements and confirm any required integrations. The GitHub Pages option is explicitly described as an editor without integrations. Reuse of bundled icons and stencils in Atlassian products or its marketplace ecosystem requires written permission; that restriction does not apply to end-user diagram output.
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ExcalidrawExcalidraw is an MIT-licensed virtual whiteboard with an infinite canvas, hand-drawn rendering, shape libraries and PNG, SVG and JSON export. Use excalidraw.com with encrypted collaboration, self-host the Docker client, or embed the npm package in a React app.
MermaidOpen-source JavaScript diagramming library: write flowcharts, sequence, ER, Gantt and many other diagrams as Markdown-like text and render them to SVG in the browser, in docs and in build pipelines.
homelab-diagramhomelab-diagram is an MIT-licensed Python script that draws a detailed homelab network diagram (VLANs, switch ports, link speeds, servers, containers, storage) from inventory.yaml. Its layout is hand-placed for one specific lab.