Excalidraw is a virtual whiteboard for sketching hand-drawn like diagrams, running in your browser. The cool thing about this amazing tool is that it requires no setup, no persistent volumes, you can start drawing immediately at the speed of thought. In this step by step guide I will show you how to install Excalidraw on your Synology NAS using Docker & Portainer.

💡Note: This guide works perfectly with the latest version of Excalidraw v0.14.2

• STEP 1

Please Support My work by Making a Donation.

• STEP 2

Install Portainer using my step by step guide. If you already have Portainer installed on your Synology NAS, skip this STEP. Attention: Make sure you have installed the latest Portainer version.

• STEP 3

Log into Portainer using your username and password. On the left sidebar in Portainer, click on Stacks then + Add stack. Follow the instructions in the image below.

• STEP 4

In the Name field type in excalidraw. Follow the instructions in the image below.

Note: Copy Paste the code below in the Portainer Stacks Web editor.

version: "3.9"
services:
  excalidraw:
    container_name: Excalidraw
    healthcheck:
     test: curl -f http://localhost:80/ || exit 1
    image: excalidraw/excalidraw:latest
    ports:
      - 3765:80
    restart: on-failure:5
    stdin_open: true
    environment:
      - NODE_ENV=production

• STEP 5

Scroll down on the page until you see a button named Deploy the stack. Click on it. Follow the instructions in the image below. The installation process can take up to a few minutes. It will depend on your Internet speed connection.

• STEP 6

If everything goes right, you will see the following message at the top right of your screen: “Success Stack successfully deployed“.

• STEP 7

Go back to STEP 1 or you will deal with karma 🙂.

• STEP 8

The installation process can take up to a few seconds/minutes. It will depend on your Internet speed connection. Now open your browser and type in http://Synology-ip-address:3765 Draw something, add images then click Export image on the top left menu. Follow the instructions in the image below.

• STEP 9

Choose to save your work either in the PNG or SVG format, with or without a background. Follow the instructions in the image below.

• STEP 10

Your saved drawing will look like this. In my case, I went for no background. Follow the instructions in the image below.

• STEP 11

On the left sidebar click Library then Browse Libraries. Follow the instructions in the image below.

• STEP 12

Choose your favorite Items from a very big free Library. Click Add to Excalidraw to add items to your selfhosted instance. Follow the instructions in the image below

• STEP 13

After you click Add to Excalidraw at STEP 12, the items will magically appear in your Excalidraw Library. Follow the instructions in the image below.

Enjoy Excalidraw!

Note: If you want to run the Excalidraw container over HTTPS, check my guide on How to Run Docker Containers Over HTTPS.

Note: Can I run Docker on my Synology NAS? See the supported models.
Note: Find out how to update the Excalidraw container with the latest image.
Note: How to Free Disk Space on Your NAS if You Run Docker.
Note: How to Schedule Start & Stop For Docker Containers.
Note: How to Activate Email Notifications.
Note: How to Add Access Control Profile on Your NAS.
Note: How to Change Docker Containers Restart Policy.
Note: How to Use Docker Containers With VPN.
Note: Convert Docker Run Into Docker Compose.
Note: How to Clean Docker.
Note: How to Clean Docker Automatically.
Note: Best Practices When Using Docker and DDNS.
Note: Some Docker Containers Need WebSocket.
Note: Find out the Best NAS Models For Docker.
Note: Activate Gmail SMTP For Docker Containers.

This post was updated on Monday / March 20th, 2023 at 11:40 PM