Docs

Self-Hosted

Open-source collaborative document editor for privacy-focused teams

Overview

Docs is a self-hosted alternative to Google Docs, enabling real-time collaboration on text docs, spreadsheets, and presentations. It supports rich formatting, markdown, version history, and user access controls. Deploy via Docker for quick setup or Kubernetes for scaling. Integrate with S3, local storage, or cloud providers. Features offline editing with sync and mobile-friendly interfaces. Ideal for teams prioritizing data privacy—all content stays on your server, avoiding third-party SaaS risks. Perfect for remote/in-house teams needing secure collaborative workflows.

Self-Hosting Resources

Find Official Image on Docker Hub View Source & Docs

Below is a reference structure for docker-compose.yml. ⚠️ Do NOT run blindly. Replace placeholders with official values.

docker-compose.template.yml TEMPLATE


version: '3'
services:
  docs:
    image: <OFFICIAL_IMAGE_NAME>:latest
    container_name: docs
    ports:
      - "8080:<APP_INTERNAL_PORT>"
    volumes:
      - ./data:/app/data
    restart: unless-stopped

Key Features

Real-time collaborative editing
Markdown & rich text support
Version history tracking
Docker/Kubernetes deployment options
User access control

Frequently Asked Questions

? Is Docs hard to install?

Docs is easy to install using Docker—pull the official image and run the container with minimal config. Pre-built docker-compose files are available for non-technical users to get started quickly without deep server knowledge.

? Is it a good alternative to Google Docs?

Yes! It offers core collaborative features like real-time editing and version history, but with self-hosted data ownership. It lacks some advanced SaaS features (e.g., AI writing tools) but is ideal for teams prioritizing privacy over extra bells and whistles.

? Is it completely free?

Docs is 100% open source and free to use. There are no license costs, though you’ll need to cover server hosting expenses (cloud or on-prem) if you don’t have existing infrastructure.

Top Alternatives

Google Docs Compare

Microsoft Word Online Search Google

Notion Compare

Tool Info

Pricing Free/Open Source

Category Note-taking & Editors

Platform Self-Hosted

Pros

⊕ Data privacy (self-hosted)
⊕ No subscription fees
⊕ Cross-device sync (offline support)
⊕ Flexible storage integrations

Cons

⊖ Requires server maintenance
⊖ Technical setup for self-hosting
⊖ Fewer third-party integrations than SaaS tools
⊖ Limited AI-powered features