HedgeDoc

intermediate

Real-time collaborative markdown editor.

Overview

HedgeDoc is a real-time collaborative markdown editor that emerged from the CodiMD project, itself a fork of the original HackMD. It enables multiple users to simultaneously edit markdown documents with live preview, real-time synchronization, and rich formatting capabilities including diagrams, mathematical equations, and embedded media. Unlike simple text editors, HedgeDoc provides a web-based platform where teams can collaborate on documentation, meeting notes, and technical specifications with the power of markdown syntax. This Docker stack pairs HedgeDoc with PostgreSQL to create a robust, self-hosted documentation platform. PostgreSQL serves as the backend database, storing document content, user sessions, revision history, and metadata with ACID compliance and reliability. The combination provides enterprise-grade data integrity for collaborative editing scenarios where document consistency and user management are critical. This setup is ideal for development teams, technical writers, and organizations requiring a private, feature-rich alternative to cloud-based collaborative editors. The PostgreSQL backend ensures data sovereignty while supporting complex queries for document search and user management, making it suitable for environments with compliance requirements or teams handling sensitive documentation that cannot be stored on third-party platforms.

Key Features

Real-time collaborative editing with live cursor tracking and user presence indicators
Comprehensive markdown support including Mermaid diagrams, MathJax equations, and syntax highlighting
PostgreSQL-backed revision history with full document versioning and rollback capabilities
User authentication and permission management with document sharing controls
Export functionality to PDF, HTML, and various document formats
Plugin architecture supporting custom renderers and extensions
Presentation mode for creating slideshow presentations from markdown content
Full-text search across documents powered by PostgreSQL's advanced search capabilities

Common Use Cases

1Software development teams creating and maintaining technical documentation and API specifications
2Academic institutions hosting collaborative research papers and course materials
3Engineering teams managing meeting notes, project specifications, and knowledge bases
4Startups building internal wikis and documentation systems with version control
5Technical writing teams collaborating on user manuals and help documentation
6Open source projects providing contributor-friendly documentation platforms
7Organizations migrating from proprietary collaboration tools to self-hosted solutions

Prerequisites

Docker Engine 20.10+ and Docker Compose V2 for container orchestration
Minimum 1GB RAM for PostgreSQL optimal performance with concurrent users
Port 3000 available for HedgeDoc web interface access
DB_PASSWORD environment variable configured for PostgreSQL authentication
Basic understanding of markdown syntax and collaborative editing workflows
SSL certificate and reverse proxy setup for production deployments

For development & testing. Review security settings, change default credentials, and test thoroughly before production use. See Terms

docker-compose.yml

1services: 
2  hedgedoc: 
3    image: quay.io/hedgedoc/hedgedoc:latest
4    container_name: hedgedoc
5    restart: unless-stopped
6    environment: 
7      CMD_DB_URL: postgres://hedgedoc:${DB_PASSWORD}@postgres:5432/hedgedoc
8      CMD_DOMAIN: localhost
9      CMD_URL_ADDPORT: "true"
10    volumes: 
11      - hedgedoc_uploads:/hedgedoc/public/uploads
12    ports: 
13      - "3000:3000"
14    depends_on: 
15      - postgres
16    networks: 
17      - hedgedoc
18
19  postgres: 
20    image: postgres:15-alpine
21    container_name: hedgedoc-postgres
22    restart: unless-stopped
23    environment: 
24      POSTGRES_USER: hedgedoc
25      POSTGRES_PASSWORD: ${DB_PASSWORD}
26      POSTGRES_DB: hedgedoc
27    volumes: 
28      - postgres_data:/var/lib/postgresql/data
29    networks: 
30      - hedgedoc
31
32volumes: 
33  hedgedoc_uploads: 
34  postgres_data: 
35
36networks: 
37  hedgedoc: 
38    driver: bridge

.env Template

.env

1DB_PASSWORD=changeme

Usage Notes

1Access at http://localhost:3000
2Real-time markdown editing
3HackMD/CodiMD fork

Individual Services(2 services)

Copy individual services to mix and match with your existing compose files.

hedgedoc

hedgedoc:
  image: quay.io/hedgedoc/hedgedoc:latest
  container_name: hedgedoc
  restart: unless-stopped
  environment:
    CMD_DB_URL: postgres://hedgedoc:${DB_PASSWORD}@postgres:5432/hedgedoc
    CMD_DOMAIN: localhost
    CMD_URL_ADDPORT: "true"
  volumes:
    - hedgedoc_uploads:/hedgedoc/public/uploads
  ports:
    - "3000:3000"
  depends_on:
    - postgres
  networks:
    - hedgedoc

postgres

postgres:
  image: postgres:15-alpine
  container_name: hedgedoc-postgres
  restart: unless-stopped
  environment:
    POSTGRES_USER: hedgedoc
    POSTGRES_PASSWORD: ${DB_PASSWORD}
    POSTGRES_DB: hedgedoc
  volumes:
    - postgres_data:/var/lib/postgresql/data
  networks:
    - hedgedoc

Quick Start

terminal

1# 1. Create the compose file
2cat > docker-compose.yml << 'EOF'
3services:
4  hedgedoc:
5    image: quay.io/hedgedoc/hedgedoc:latest
6    container_name: hedgedoc
7    restart: unless-stopped
8    environment:
9      CMD_DB_URL: postgres://hedgedoc:${DB_PASSWORD}@postgres:5432/hedgedoc
10      CMD_DOMAIN: localhost
11      CMD_URL_ADDPORT: "true"
12    volumes:
13      - hedgedoc_uploads:/hedgedoc/public/uploads
14    ports:
15      - "3000:3000"
16    depends_on:
17      - postgres
18    networks:
19      - hedgedoc
20
21  postgres:
22    image: postgres:15-alpine
23    container_name: hedgedoc-postgres
24    restart: unless-stopped
25    environment:
26      POSTGRES_USER: hedgedoc
27      POSTGRES_PASSWORD: ${DB_PASSWORD}
28      POSTGRES_DB: hedgedoc
29    volumes:
30      - postgres_data:/var/lib/postgresql/data
31    networks:
32      - hedgedoc
33
34volumes:
35  hedgedoc_uploads:
36  postgres_data:
37
38networks:
39  hedgedoc:
40    driver: bridge
41EOF
42
43# 2. Create the .env file
44cat > .env << 'EOF'
45DB_PASSWORD=changeme
46EOF
47
48# 3. Start the services
49docker compose up -d
50
51# 4. View logs
52docker compose logs -f

One-Liner

Run this command to download and set up the recipe in one step:

terminal

1curl -fsSL https://docker.recipes/api/recipes/hedgedoc/run | bash

Troubleshooting

Database connection failed: Ensure DB_PASSWORD environment variable matches between HedgeDoc and PostgreSQL containers
HedgeDoc shows 'Cannot connect to database': Verify postgres container is running and network connectivity using docker logs hedgedoc-postgres
Upload functionality not working: Check hedgedoc_uploads volume permissions and ensure sufficient disk space
Real-time collaboration not syncing: Verify WebSocket connections aren't blocked by firewalls or reverse proxies
PostgreSQL container fails to start: Check postgres_data volume permissions and ensure no conflicting database processes on host
HedgeDoc interface loads but documents won't save: Examine PostgreSQL logs for constraint violations or disk space issues

Community Notes

Loading notes...

Download Recipe Kit

Get all files in a ready-to-deploy package

Includes docker-compose.yml, .env template, README, and license

Components

hedgedocpostgres

Related Recipes

Ad Space

Shortcuts: C CopyF FavoriteD Download