drawnix

Drawnix is a free, open-source whiteboard tool that runs in the browser. It combines several types of visual drawing in one place: mind maps, flowcharts, and freehand drawing. You can use it without installing anything by visiting drawnix.com, or self-host it using Docker.

The tool works on an infinite canvas that you can pan and zoom. Features include inserting images, undoing and redoing actions, copying and pasting, automatic saving to the browser cache, and exporting your work as a PNG image or as a .drawnix file. It supports light and dark themes and adapts to mobile screens. Two text-to-diagram shortcuts are available: you can type Mermaid syntax to generate a flowchart, or paste Markdown text to generate a mind map automatically.

Drawnix is built on top of an open-source drawing framework called Plait, which the same team developed. Plait handles the core rendering and plugin system, while Drawnix layers the user-facing whiteboard application on top. Because the architecture is plugin-based, the drawing tools (mind map, flowchart, freehand) are each implemented as separate plugins rather than being wired directly into the core. The text editing layer uses Slate, a rich text editor framework.

The repository is primarily documented in Chinese, with an English README also available. The project is MIT-licensed, accepts bug reports and code contributions, and is under active development toward a milestone called the Dawn release. If you want an all-in-one diagramming and sketching tool you can run yourself or embed in another product, Drawnix is a capable starting point.