HedgeDoc Hosting

How HedgeDoc works

HedgeDoc stores collaborative notes that people edit through a browser. A shared note link opens a Markdown editor where several participants can type at the same time and see changes arrive in real time. The same content can be viewed as a rendered page without exposing the editing controls.

Notes can also switch into presentation mode, using Markdown separators to define slides. Permissions determine whether a note is private, visible to signed-in users, or available through a shared link. Revision history records earlier states and provides a route back when an edit needs to be undone.

Key HedgeDoc features

The editor supports HedgeDoc-flavoured Markdown, including tables, diagrams, mathematical content, embedded media, and other extensions. Split editing and preview views help writers see the formatted result while retaining portable source text.

Real-time collaboration makes HedgeDoc useful for meeting minutes, incident notes, classroom exercises, design discussions, and technical drafts. Presentation mode turns the same note into slides, while permission controls and published views let authors decide how broadly the finished material is exposed.

HedgeDoc vs HackMD

HedgeDoc is the self-hosted collaborative Markdown editor that grew from the earlier CodiMD codebase. HackMD operates a hosted collaborative Markdown workspace with team areas, managed APIs, and provider-run infrastructure. Both support real-time editing around Markdown documents.

HackMD may suit teams that want a commercial hosted service, account administration, and API operations maintained by the vendor. HedgeDoc is the stronger fit when the organisation wants to run the collaboration server itself and keep note storage within its own hosting environment.

Who uses HedgeDoc

Engineering groups use HedgeDoc for architecture notes, incident timelines, and meeting records. Teachers can prepare collaborative exercises or Markdown presentations, while open-source communities use shared notes to collect agendas, decisions, and event material.

It is less suitable for heavily structured databases, formal document approval, or rich desktop-style page layout. Its strengths come from Markdown, shared editing, links, and lightweight publishing rather than a broad office suite.

Self-hosting HedgeDoc: requirements and cost

HedgeDoc workload depends on simultaneous editors, note count, revision history, embedded content, and uploaded media. PostgreSQL stores users, notes, permissions, and revisions, while persistent application storage holds uploaded files. The PostgreSQL container is included in the AvaHost stack but is not managed.

The editor itself has no separate software charge, and the corrected starting plan is Plan 2 at €5. For HedgeDoc, AvaHost provides one-click setup, custom-domain support, automated HTTPS, automatic application updates, and scheduled backups. Registration is enabled in the catalogue template, so the first intended account should be created before the URL is distributed.