draw.io Hosting

How draw.io works

draw.io opens a diagram editor in the browser and lets users place, connect, group, style, and arrange shapes on one or more pages. Shape libraries cover common technical and business notations, while templates, automatic layouts, tables, images, freehand drawing, layers, tags, math typesetting, and import or export commands support a wide range of visual documents.

The editor is deliberately separated from a mandatory storage provider: users choose where diagram files live. The catalogue container does not mount a persistent server-side document library or create user accounts. Saving therefore relies on the browser workflow, a downloaded file, or a separately configured integration supported by draw.io. Closing a tab with unsaved work can still lose changes.

Key draw.io features

Diagram files can be opened, edited, exported, printed, and moved between compatible draw.io integrations. The same editor concepts are available across deployments, but connected storage, collaborative editing, identity, permissions, and version history depend on the selected integration rather than the basic self-hosted web container.

The hosted editor should not be presented as a central document repository. It provides the drawing surface and public application address; it does not include Google Drive, OneDrive, GitHub, GitLab, Confluence, Notion, Microsoft 365, or another storage account. Each external connection needs its own account, permissions, and security review.

draw.io vs Lucidchart

draw.io supplies a self-hosted diagram editor and lets users decide where to store files. Lucidchart is a commercial cloud workspace that combines diagramming with real-time collaboration, AI-assisted generation, data imports and linking, conditional formatting, layers, templates, and integrations with products such as Jira, Confluence, Google, Microsoft, Slack, and Notion.

Lucidchart may suit organisations that want provider-managed documents, shared workspaces, real-time team collaboration, data-driven visuals, and enterprise integrations. draw.io is attractive when the priority is an independent editor and portable diagram files. The catalogue package does not recreate Lucidchart’s hosted document library, account governance, or collaboration service.

Who uses draw.io

Software teams draw architectures and sequence diagrams, operations staff map networks or processes, teachers create learning visuals, and analysts prepare flowcharts and organisational views. A self-hosted editor is useful when participants can exchange files through an already approved document channel.

draw.io is not a shared file repository, identity platform, formal modelling verifier, live whiteboard service, or substitute for documenting the source data behind a diagram. Teams need a separate policy for storage, naming, permissions, versioning, reviews, and publishing.

Self-hosting draw.io: requirements and cost

draw.io resource demand is driven by simultaneous editors, diagram complexity, page count, imported images, large shape collections, exports, and browser memory. PostgreSQL and MariaDB are Not required, and the catalogue declares no persistent document volume. The software carries no separate application charge; users must provide their own durable file location outside the basic container.

On AvaHost, draw.io uses Plan 1 at €2. The hosted draw.io package includes one-click deployment, a custom domain with automated HTTPS, automatic application updates, and scheduled backups. The package hosts the editor only. It does not include server-side diagram storage, user accounts, live collaboration, version history, cloud-drive subscriptions, integration credentials, or a records workflow. Users must save and back up their diagram files through a separate approved destination.