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Etherpad Hosting
Collaborate on shared text documents in real time with revisions and author highlighting.
No setup fees-
One click deploy -
1 GB RAM Memory needed -
15 GB Disk Space Needed -
From 2 € Price
Official links
Etherpad’s official links and original website
Etherpad Website
More
Tech
- Docker image
- etherpad/etherpad:latest
- Default port
- 9001
How Etherpad works
Etherpad gives each pad a browser address and synchronises text changes between connected participants. Authors are distinguished by colours, and the timeslider can replay how the document developed. Built-in chat keeps short coordination beside the draft, while rich-text controls cover the common formatting needed for meeting notes, outlines, minutes, and shared working documents.
A pad address is not the same as a private account boundary. Upstream Etherpad can be configured with authentication and read-only identifiers, but the catalogue template only creates a generated administrator login for /admin; it does not provision participant accounts or enable pad-level access control. Users should therefore treat unshared pad URLs carefully and avoid placing confidential material in a public-facing pad without a separately reviewed access design.
Key Etherpad features
The plugin framework can extend Etherpad with comments, diagrams, authentication, export tools, and other behaviours. Those plugins are not included in the standard hosted image unless they are already part of the upstream container, and a plugin can introduce its own compatibility or security considerations. The /admin credentials are intended for settings and plugin administration rather than ordinary pad authorship.
The catalogue persists Etherpad’s application data under /opt/etherpad-lite/var. The standard container can handle common document import and export paths, while some legacy office formats still depend on LibreOffice or custom image changes. Teams should test the exact file types they intend to exchange and keep original source documents when formatting fidelity matters.
Etherpad vs Google Docs
Etherpad and Google Docs both support simultaneous browser editing and visible revision activity. Etherpad offers a compact, self-hosted pad model with an extensible plugin system and direct document URLs. Google Docs sits inside Google Workspace, where sharing controls, comments, version history, Drive storage, and connections to other office tools are maintained as a provider service.
Google Docs may fit organisations that want managed identities, native mobile clients, Drive-based file organisation, and a wider office workflow. Etherpad is attractive when the requirement is a focused collaborative text surface under an operator-controlled address. The default hosted template should not be represented as matching Google Workspace account governance or document permissions.
Who uses Etherpad
Facilitators use Etherpad for live workshop notes, teachers collect class contributions, engineering teams record incident timelines, and communities draft statements or agendas. A pad works best when participants need to see one another’s edits immediately and the document is primarily text rather than a complex spreadsheet, presentation, or publishing layout.
Etherpad is not a full office suite, formal records system, confidential document vault, or approval workflow. Sensitive collaboration needs an access model beyond an unguessable URL, and material with strict retention or evidentiary requirements should be exported into the organisation’s approved records process.
Self-hosting Etherpad: requirements and cost
Etherpad resource use is shaped by concurrent editors, pad size, revision history, chat activity, plugin count, imports, exports, and the number of retained pads. PostgreSQL and MariaDB are Not required in the catalogue template; the persistent Etherpad directory stores the application data used by this deployment. Etherpad itself carries no separate software charge, while large rooms and plugin-heavy installations can require more processing than small meeting pads.
On AvaHost, Etherpad uses Plan 1 at €2. The hosted Etherpad package includes one-click deployment, a custom domain with automated HTTPS, automatic application updates, and scheduled backups. The generated administrator account protects /admin, not every pad. Participant identity, private-pad authentication, custom plugins, legacy office conversion dependencies, content governance, and external identity providers are not included in the standard package.
F.A.Q
Etherpad starts at €2 on Plan 1. That plan suits small collaborative pads and ordinary meeting traffic. Concurrent editors, revision depth, pad size, chat activity, plugin use, imports, exports, and the number of retained pads are the main signals for deciding whether the installation needs additional processing or storage capacity.
No pad-level privacy should be inferred from the generated administrator login. The catalogue creates credentials for `/admin`, while ordinary pad addresses can be opened by anyone who can reach and knows the URL unless further authentication is configured. Keep sensitive text out of default pads and review an appropriate access design before confidential use.
A custom domain can point to the Etherpad service, and automated HTTPS protects traffic to that address. This secures the connection but does not create participant accounts or pad permissions. Share pad links deliberately, protect the administrator credentials, and confirm any authentication plugin or proxy policy separately before relying on the service for restricted collaboration.
AvaHost applies Etherpad application updates automatically and includes scheduled backups for persistent data. After a significant update, test pad creation, simultaneous editing, chat, the timeslider, administrator access, plugins, and every required import or export format. Some legacy office conversions depend on components outside the standard image, so retain original files and verify output quality.