Draw Simulated Selfhost
Executive summary
Search results for "Draw Simulated Selfhost" point chiefly to Excalidraw as the practical self‑hosted drawing/diagramming solution and to a handful of unrelated or low‑value hits (Symbolab math pages and obscure PDFs). Excalidraw is repeatedly described as a simple, self‑hostable whiteboard with collaboration features, though several reports note it has relied on Firebase/Firestore unless explicitly self‑hosted or wrapped by third‑party projects like "excalidraw-complete" to run fully on your own server [1] [2] [3].
1. What people likely mean by "Draw Simulated Selfhost" — a fast path to diagrams
When users search this phrase they are usually looking for a way to draw diagrams or simulated architectures on infrastructure they control; the most consistent match across results is Excalidraw, an open, simple drawing/diagram tool promoted as "self‑hosted" and suitable for mapping self‑hosted services and systems [1] [4].
2. Excalidraw: simple, collaborative, and commonly recommended
Multiple writeups praise Excalidraw's minimal learning curve and real‑time collaboration for sketching architecture and self‑hosted service maps; guides show it being used to document systems and produce hand‑drawn style diagrams quickly [1] [4]. Community lists and self‑host directories commonly include it among recommended tools for a "self‑hosted toolbox" [5] [6].
3. Self‑hosting caveat: default cloud dependencies have drawn scrutiny
Forums and developer threads highlight that the upstream Excalidraw web app historically used Google Firebase/Firestore for real‑time sync, meaning a default deployment of the official client might not be entirely server‑local unless you take extra steps to self‑host the backend or use a packaged self‑host distribution [2]. That is a key distinction between "can be self‑hosted" and "is fully self‑hosted by default" [2].
4. Third‑party projects aim to deliver a single‑binary, fully local option
Projects like "excalidraw‑complete" package Excalidraw into a single Go binary that supports multiple storage backends and real‑time collaboration — an attempt to make true local self‑hosting as simple as running one server process and serving the app at localhost:3002 [3]. This addresses the Firebase dependency and fits typical self‑host use cases for private diagrams and team collaboration behind a VPN.
5. Practical workflow: mapping your self‑hosted services with Excalidraw
Hands‑on guides show using Excalidraw to draw networks, service diagrams or whiteboard system designs — features emphasized include freehand sketching, basic shapes and arrows, text, and layers for organization; users export drawings when finished [4] [1] [5]. These guides frame Excalidraw as an approachable tool for documenting self‑hosted stacks.
6. Confusing or irrelevant search results — what else appears
Search results also returned multiple Symbolab pages and odd PDF stubs titled "Draw Simulated Selfhost" that do not meaningfully relate to diagramming or self‑hosting; these appear to be noise or misindexed content rather than alternative tools [7] [8] [9]. Available sources do not mention any other mainstream "draw simulated" tool by that exact name.
7. How to choose and what to watch for
If you need strict local control and no external services, choose a distribution that explicitly removes Firebase/Firestore dependencies or run a packaged server like excalidraw‑complete; otherwise, the official client may rely on cloud services for collaboration [3] [2]. Consider directories of self‑hosted apps for alternatives, but cross‑check each project's architecture for third‑party backend use [6].
Limitations and transparency note: this analysis is built only from the provided search results and does not attempt to verify upstream project code or recent changes beyond those sources; for definitive deployment security and privacy guarantees consult the projects' repositories and release notes directly [3] [2].