I need a collaborative whiteboard tool that is self-hosted and does not require internet access.

Yes. If by “does not require internet access” you mean the users should be able to collaborate over a local LAN with no Internet connectivity, there are a few good options.

Best options

• github.com — best simple choice

• Open-source, self-hosted collaborative whiteboard.

• Multiple users can draw simultaneously with real-time updates.

• Can run entirely on your own server and be accessed at something like http://192.168.1.50:5001.

• Docker deployment is supported and boards are persisted on disk.

• Best fit if you want: a lightweight whiteboard server that works entirely inside an isolated network.

• github.com — best UI

• Excellent hand-drawn diagrams, flowcharts, architecture diagrams, etc.

• Open-source and supports offline/local editing.

• Important caveat: the official self-hosted Docker image currently does not include sharing/collaboration; you'd need to deploy the collaboration component as well.

• For a completely air-gapped LAN, I'd consider this if you're comfortable with a somewhat more involved deployment.

• offline.tldraw.com — excellent offline canvas, but not a traditional server

• Works completely without Internet and has no accounts or servers.

• Available for Windows, macOS, and Linux.

• Recent versions added LAN multiplayer, where one computer can act as the host and others join it.

• Best fit if: you want a desktop application rather than a centrally hosted web service.

What I'd choose

For an air-gapped office/classroom/lab network, I'd start with WBO. It's the closest match to:

“Run one server on our LAN → everyone opens a browser → everyone collaborates → Internet isn't involved.” If you tell me whether you're running Docker, Windows, Linux, or something like a Raspberry Pi, I can give you a concrete setup that works on an isolated network.

If you need a collaborative whiteboard that runs entirely on your local infrastructure (self-hosted) without needing an active internet connection, you have a few solid open-source options.

Depending on whether you mean solo offline use or real-time collaboration over a local network (LAN) without internet , the best tools available include:

• WBO (WhiteBoard Online):
  • What it is: A lightweight, open-source collaborative online whiteboard designed specifically for real-time multi-user drawing.
  • Offline/Self-Hosted Suitability: It is extremely easy to spin up locally using Docker (lovasoa/wbo ). Once hosted on a local machine or a home server, multiple users on the same local network can connect via IP address to collaborate simultaneously without any internet connection.
  • Where to find it: Check out the WBO Docker Hub Repository.
• AFFiNE:
  • What it is: A local-first, open-source alternative to Notion and Miro that combines structured documents with an infinite edgeless canvas/whiteboard mode.
  • Offline/Self-Hosted Suitability: It supports full offline functionality (saving locally in your browser or app) and provides a Docker Compose deployment option for team collaboration on a local network.
  • Where to find it: Read through the official AFFiNE Self-Hosting Guide via Docker.
• tldraw offline:
  • What it is: A file-based desktop app version of the popular tldraw infinite canvas.
  • Offline/Self-Hosted Suitability: Perfect if you don't need a server running for multiple people, but want a robust tool that operates 100% offline, saving data into self-contained .tldraw files. It even features a local HTTP API if you want local scripts or AI agents to interact with it.
  • Where to find it: Download it directly from tldraw offline.
• Excalidraw (Self-Hosted Client):
  • What it is: The widely-loved hand-drawn style whiteboard.
  • Offline/Self-Hosted Suitability: You can easily run the frontend client via Docker on your local network. Note: Standard self-hosting of the basic Docker image runs the client interface locally, but real-time multi-user collaboration requires setting up the accompanying collaboration/WebSocket server backend locally as well.
  • Where to find it: Review the setup instructions in the Excalidraw Local Installation Docs.

To help narrow down the best fit, could you tell me:

• Do you need multi-user real-time collaboration over a local network, or just a single-user offline app?
• Are you comfortable deploying via Docker on a local server?

When you need a self-hosted, collaborative whiteboard that operates entirely offline (or strictly within a local network with zero external internet dependency), your best options depend on whether you mean "single-server local network collaboration" or "local-first files."

The top self-hosted open-source tools matching these criteria include:

1. WBO (WhiteBoard Online)
   • The Vibe: The ultimate lightweight, zero-fuss local whiteboard.
   • Why it fits: It is a single Node.js application process that requires no database and no external configuration . You can fire it up via Docker on a local home server or Raspberry Pi, point your local machines to its IP address and port (e.g., http://192.168.x.x:5001 ), and multiple users on the same local Wi-Fi/LAN can draw and collaborate in real time without an internet connection.
   • Get started: Deploy via the WBO GitHub Repository or pull the container image directly.
2. AFFiNE
   • The Vibe: An open-source, self-hosted hybrid of Notion and Miro.
   • Why it fits: AFFiNE features a "local-first architecture" with an infinite canvas mode alongside structured document blocks. Because it is local-first, it handles offline functionality natively on individual devices, and you can deploy its sync stack via Docker Compose on a local server if you want a private, cloud-free workspace for your team.
   • Get started: Review the configuration guidelines on AFFiNE Self-Hosting Docs.
3. Excalidraw (Self-Hosted)
   • The Vibe: The beloved hand-drawn-style virtual whiteboard.
   • Why it fits: The core Excalidraw frontend can be self-hosted via Docker or static web servers. While full real-time multi-user collaboration out-of-the-box usually expects a backing collaboration socket server (or Excalidraw Plus), running the core app locally allows individual users to draft diagrams, export to JSON, or share a strictly localized container instance.
   • Get started: Check out deployment blueprints via the Excalidraw GitHub.
4. CryptPad
   • The Vibe: Zero-knowledge, end-to-end encrypted collaboration suite.
   • Why it fits: Includes a collaborative whiteboard alongside documents and kanban boards. It is built so that data is encrypted in the browser before hitting any server, making it exceptionally private and fully deployable on offline/isolated local corporate networks via Docker.
   • Get started: Explore documentation on CryptPad's Official Site.

To help narrow down the ideal choice, do you need:

• Real-time multi-user collaboration over a local Wi-Fi/LAN without internet?
• A lightweight single-container setup (like WBO)?
• Advanced features like rich notes and document integration (like AFFiNE)?

If you mean multiple people collaborating over a completely offline/private LAN, there are a few good options—but the distinction between “self-hosted” and “actually works air-gapped” matters.

Best options

• WBO — probably the simplest fit. It is an open-source real-time collaborative whiteboard that you can run on your own server, including as a Docker container. Users connect to it over your LAN, so the server does not need Internet access once installed.
• Excalidraw — best UX if you want a polished diagramming/whiteboarding experience. It is open source and supports real-time collaboration, but the official self-hosted Docker image currently does not include collaboration/sharing. You would need to deploy/configure the collaboration server yourself.
• tldraw — excellent canvas, but its new tldraw offline application is primarily a local/single-user file-based tool; it does not provide LAN multiplayer by itself.

My recommendation

For a completely air-gapped environment, I'd start with WBO. It gives you:

• Real-time multi-user editing
• Self-hosting
• Docker deployment
• Persistent boards
• No dependency on a cloud service
• Works entirely on an internal network

You can have something like:

User PCs → http://whiteboard.internal → WBO server

with no Internet route whatsoever.

If you want something more sophisticated—e.g. sticky notes, images, diagrams, templates, cursors/presence, authentication, multiple boards, and a polished UI—I'd investigate a self-hosted Excalidraw/Nextcloud-based solution instead.

If you tell me whether this is a totally air-gapped network (no Internet ever) and roughly how many simultaneous users you need, I can recommend the best option and give you an offline-installable Docker setup.

When looking for a self-hosted collaborative whiteboard that operates entirely offline / without internet access (on a local network or single machine), your best options are open-source tools that can run locally via Docker or Node.js without phoning home to external cloud APIs.

Top choices matching these criteria include:

• WBO (Whiteboard Online) : A minimalist, open-source collaborative whiteboard built on Node.js. It allows multiple users on a local network to draw simultaneously in real-time. Because it is entirely self-contained, you can run the server locally or on an internal LAN server, and clients only need the local IP/URL to collaborate without any internet connection.
• AFFiNE : An open-source, local-first alternative to Notion and Miro. It features an infinite "edgeless" canvas alongside traditional doc modes. AFFiNE is built with a local-first architecture, meaning it functions completely offline on your device and can be self-hosted via Docker Compose for team synchronization over a local network.
• Excalidraw (Self-Hosted) : While commonly used as a public cloud tool, Excalidraw's core is open source and can be fully self-hosted. To make it truly collaborative locally without internet access, you deploy both the frontend container and a local WebSocket/collaboration backend (or use community local-sync variations) on your private network.
• Drawnix : An open-source, local-first infinite canvas and mind-mapping tool. It runs locally via Node.js, supports markdown and shapes, saves automatically, and works entirely offline while allowing local network access if hosted on a machine within your LAN.

To narrow down the best setup for you, let me know:

• Will you be collaborating across a local LAN network (multiple computers in the same building), or is this strictly for a single offline machine?
• Do you prefer a Docker deployment or a direct Node.js/npm setup?

If by “does not require internet access” you mean multiple people should collaborate over a local network with no Internet connection, there are a few options—but the distinction matters.

Best options

Excalidraw is probably what you're looking for. Its collaboration system uses a WebSocket server, so you can put both the web app and collaboration server on a machine on your LAN and have everyone connect to something like http://192.168.1.50. The upstream project documents running the collaboration server locally.

There are also community projects that package Excalidraw's client, collaboration server, and storage into Docker Compose deployments specifically for self-hosting.

One important caveat: the official Excalidraw self-hosting documentation currently says that its standard self-hosted client does not itself provide sharing/collaboration, so you'll want a deployment that explicitly includes the collaboration server rather than simply running the official Docker image.

If you want absolutely zero Internet dependency

I'd set it up like this:

                 Local Ethernet / Wi-Fi
                         │
        ┌────────────────┼────────────────┐
        │                │                │
     Laptop 1         Laptop 2         Laptop 3
        │                │                │
        └────────────────┼────────────────┘
                         │
                  ┌──────────────┐
                  │ Local Server │
                  │              │
                  │ Excalidraw   │
                  │ Collab WS    │
                  │ Storage      │
                  └──────────────┘

No cloud account, DNS, Internet connection, or external service is necessary. You can even put the server on a small NUC/Raspberry Pi-type machine.

tldraw Offline is worth mentioning because it was released in July 2026 and is explicitly designed to work without an Internet connection, but it's a local desktop application rather than a LAN multiplayer whiteboard.

If you tell me whether your clients are Windows, Linux, macOS, tablets, or a mixture, I can recommend the simplest fully-offline setup and give you the Docker Compose configuration.

Yes. If by “does not require internet access” you mean the server and all collaborators can operate entirely on an isolated LAN, there are a few good choices.

My recommendation: WBO

WBO is probably the closest match to your requirements. It's open source, designed for simultaneous drawing by multiple users, persists boards, and has an official Docker image. You can run it on a machine on your private network and have everyone connect to it via something like http://192.168.1.50:5001—no Internet connection is required for normal operation.

The basic deployment is very small:

mkdir wbo-boards

docker run -it \
  --publish 5001:80 \
  --volume "$(pwd)/wbo-boards:/opt/app/server-data" \
  lovasoa/wbo:latest

Then users on the LAN visit:

http://<server-ip>:5001

WBO is particularly attractive if this is for a closed/offline environment because it doesn't require a cloud account, external collaboration service, or Internet-based backend.

Excalidraw — better UI, but an important caveat

Excalidraw has a much nicer interface and is excellent for diagrams, architecture sketches, brainstorming, and hand-drawn-style whiteboarding. The project itself is open source and supports offline use and real-time collaboration.

However, the official self-hosted Docker image currently does not support sharing/collaboration. hub.docker.com There are community self-hosted collaboration stacks, but I'd be less inclined to deploy one in an air-gapped production environment without testing it thoroughly.

Nextcloud Whiteboard

If you already have Nextcloud running internally, its Whiteboard app is compelling. It provides real-time collaboration and a client-first architecture with local browser storage; synchronization requires the local WebSocket/server infrastructure, not the public Internet.

One distinction worth making

If you need multiple people simultaneously editing the same board, choose WBO or a properly configured Excalidraw/Nextcloud deployment.

If you merely need a whiteboard that works completely offline on individual computers, the newly released tldraw offline is excellent—but it is a desktop, file-based application rather than a shared LAN whiteboard. It explicitly has no server and works without Internet access.

For an air-gapped classroom, lab, command center, or corporate LAN, I'd start with WBO. It's the simplest match to self-hosted + simultaneous collaboration + no Internet.

To run a truly self-hosted and offline/local-network collaborative whiteboard without external internet dependencies, you have a few specific open-source options.

Most typical web-based whiteboards require an external cloud service or public WebSocket relay for real-time multi-user syncing. However, the tools below can be hosted locally on a home server, Raspberry Pi, or local PC, and accessed over a local area network (LAN) or air-gapped environment entirely offline.

• WBO (Web Whiteboard) : This is a minimalist, open-source, lightweight collaborative whiteboard designed specifically for easy self-hosting via Node.js or Docker . It doesn't rely on complex external databases or cloud connections—multiple users on the same local network just point their browsers to your local server's IP address (e.g., http://192.168.x.x:5000 ) and draw in real-time.
• Excalidraw (with a local excalidraw-room server) : While running the official Excalidraw Docker container out-of-the-box only gives you a single-user local board, you can easily self-host it alongside its companion real-time collaboration relay server (excalidraw-room using Socket.IO). By pointing the frontend container’s environment variables to your local WebSocket container instead of Excalidraw's public cloud endpoints, you get full multi-user collaborative sketching running completely inside your local network.
• AFFiNE (Local-First Mode) : AFFiNE combines an infinite whiteboard with document workspaces. It is built with a local-first philosophy (passing the "airplane mode" test), meaning it saves everything locally on your machine or private server instance and can function without an active internet connection.

Would you prefer an installation method using Docker Compose (for WBO or Excalidraw), or are you looking for a desktop application that multiple people can access over a local Wi-Fi network without setting up a server?

Yes. If by “does not require internet access” you mean multiple people should be able to collaborate over a private LAN/air-gapped network, there are a few good choices.

My top pick: WBO

WBO is probably the closest match to your requirements.

• Self-hosted: run it on your own server, VM, or Docker host.
• Real-time multiplayer: multiple users can draw on the same board simultaneously.
• LAN/air-gapped friendly: users only need access to your WBO server; it doesn't need a cloud service.
• Persistent boards: board state is stored on the server.
• Lightweight: considerably simpler than deploying something like Nextcloud.
• Open source.

For example, you could put WBO on a machine at 192.168.1.50, and everyone on your isolated LAN accesses http://192.168.1.50:5001. No Internet connection is necessary after you've obtained the software/container image.

Other good options

Excalidraw is arguably the nicest user experience. Its collaboration architecture can be self-hosted, but you need to deploy the collaboration/sync component as well—the standalone Excalidraw frontend isn't sufficient for your requirement.

Nextcloud Whiteboard is particularly interesting if you already have Nextcloud. Its current implementation uses local browser storage plus a WebSocket collaboration server, and both can live entirely on your internal network.

tldraw is excellent technically, but its current offline desktop application is single-user/local-file oriented; multiplayer requires a server component.

What I'd choose

• Need something you can deploy quickly on an isolated network: WBO
• Want the best drawing/diagramming UX: self-hosted Excalidraw
• Already have Nextcloud: Nextcloud Whiteboard
• Building your own internal application: tldraw

If you tell me whether this is for a completely air-gapped network, a normal private LAN, or a server with occasional Internet access, I can narrow it down and give you a Docker setup that can be installed without Internet access.

The best self-hosted, open-source collaborative whiteboard tools that can run completely offline or on a local intranet without external internet dependencies include Excalidraw for virtual sketching, AFFiNE for a local-first workspace, and WBO (Whitebophir) for lightweight multi-user local collaboration.

Top Self-Hosted Whiteboard Options

• Excalidraw : Highly popular with an approachable, hand-drawn look. You can host the static frontend on a local server or use its desktop/container configurations. For live multi-user collaboration locally, run its companion WebSocket room server on your private network.
• AFFiNE : An offline-first, open-source alternative combining Notion and Miro. Its desktop applications for Windows, macOS, and Linux store data locally on your machine, and a local Docker Compose setup enables team syncing over a closed LAN.
• WBO (Whitebophir) : A minimalist, open-source collaborative whiteboard designed specifically for straightforward multi-user rendering. It is easily deployed via Docker or Node.js on a local IP address or reverse proxy, making it ideal for zero-internet environments.
• draw.io (diagrams.net) : While more structured for flowcharts and diagrams than freeform brainstorming, the core application can be fully hosted locally via its Docker image or static files, saving files directly to local storage without phoning home.

If you can share whether you need real-time multi-user syncing over a local network or just a single-user offline canvas , I can recommend the exact Docker command or setup guide for your preferred option.