Colanode

Colanode is a self‑hosted, local‑first groupware platform that bundles real‑time chat, a Notion‑style rich text editor, customizable relational databases, and file management into a single cohesive workspace. From a developer’s standpoint it is engineered to give you full control over data flow, offline resilience, and extensibility while remaining lightweight enough to run on modest hardware. The core idea is that every change first lands in a local SQLite store, then synchronizes to the server via a background sync process—making offline usage seamless and ensuring that the client can always read data locally with minimal latency.

Architecture & Technical Stack

• Client – A web or Electron desktop app built with modern JavaScript/TypeScript, leveraging Yjs for CRDT‑based collaborative editing. The UI framework is Vue/React (the repo uses a component library that abstracts the editor, database views, and chat).
• Server – A Go‑based REST/WS backend that exposes a GraphQL‑style API for CRUD operations on pages, databases, and messages. It hosts a SQLite database per workspace and runs a lightweight WebSocket server for real‑time updates.
• Sync Engine – Each client runs a sync daemon that watches the local SQLite file, pushes changes to the server over authenticated HTTPS/WS endpoints, and pulls remote updates. Conflict resolution is handled by Yjs on the client side; server‑side validation ensures data integrity.
• Storage – SQLite for structured content, an object store (local filesystem or S3‑compatible) for binary files. The server can be deployed behind a reverse proxy (NGINX/Traefik) with TLS termination.

Core Capabilities & APIs

• Real‑time Collaboration – CRDTs allow concurrent edits on pages and database rows. The API exposes patch operations that clients apply locally before sending them to the server.
• Programmable Databases – Developers can define custom schemas via JSON/YAML and expose them through the REST/WS API. Each database row is a JSON document, so you can query with basic filters or full‑text search.
• Webhooks & Events – The server emits events for workspace changes, allowing external services to react (e.g., Slack notifications, CI pipelines).
• Plugin SDK – A minimal plugin system lets you inject UI components or extend backend routes. Plugins are packaged as Node modules and loaded at startup, giving you a sandboxed environment to build integrations.

Deployment & Infrastructure

Colanode is intentionally simple to deploy: a single binary plus a SQLite file per workspace. It supports Docker Compose out of the box, making it suitable for Kubernetes or serverless edge deployments. The lightweight Go server scales horizontally by running multiple instances behind a load balancer; SQLite’s file‑based nature requires careful handling of concurrent writes, so the recommended pattern is one write node per workspace or using a shared network filesystem. For larger teams, switching to PostgreSQL is possible via a community‑maintained adapter.

Integration & Extensibility

The platform’s open API (JSON over HTTPS) and WebSocket endpoints make it easy to build custom clients or automate workflows. The plugin SDK allows you to create bespoke UI panels, integrate with external auth providers (OAuth2), or add new data models. Because the editor is built on Yjs, you can embed Colanode documents in other applications or expose them through a public API with read‑only access.

Developer Experience

Documentation is concise but thorough, covering the sync protocol, API reference, and plugin architecture. The community is active on Discord and Twitter, offering quick support for integration questions. Licensing under Apache‑2.0 removes any commercial restrictions, encouraging internal tooling or marketplace extensions without legal overhead.

Use Cases

• Enterprise Collaboration – Teams that need GDPR‑compliant, on‑premises collaboration can deploy Colanode behind their corporate firewall.
• Remote/Offline Development – Software teams working in low‑bandwidth environments can edit code snippets and documentation locally, with changes syncing once connectivity returns.
• Education & Research – Universities can host a shared workspace for projects, ensuring student data remains on campus servers.
• Custom SaaS – Providers can bundle Colanode into a managed service, exposing tenant‑specific workspaces while keeping the core codebase open.

Advantages Over Alternatives

Colanode offers a unified, privacy‑first experience that blends chat, docs, and databases without the need for multiple SaaS products. Its CRDT‑based sync guarantees seamless collaboration even when clients are offline, a feature absent in many self‑hosted solutions. The lightweight Go server and SQLite storage make it ideal for small to medium deployments, while the plugin SDK and open API provide flexibility for advanced customizations. Finally, an Apache‑2.0 license ensures zero licensing costs and full freedom to modify the codebase for internal or commercial use.