Community-run open source tools for video, text, and code collaboration

updated: Dec 28, 2023

Please feel free to leave suggestions, critical notes, etc. via hypothes.is comments (see Annotation sidebar tab on the top-right of your screen) and I’ll make sure to add these to the main text.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.59350/6zvzt-94273

Table of Contents

  1. BigBlueButton — video alternative for teaching, learning, collaboration in projects, etc.
  2. EduMeet — alternative for video conferencing, collaboration in projects, etc.
  3. Unhangout — open source video/chat alternative focusing on group-based breakout sessions
  4. Misc. Open Source video alternatives for teaching: PeerTube — open source alternative to video streaming platforms such as Youtube, Vimeo
  5. CryptPad — text-based collaboration, alternative to GoogleDocs
  6. CokoDocs – text-based collaboration, alternative to gDocs
  7. Etherpad — text-based collaboration / notetaking
  8. HedgeDoc (formerly HackMD / CodiMD) — Markdown-based collaborative writing / notetaking
  9. ExcaliDraw – open-source collaborative whiteboard tool
  10. Polling/Date finder/Scheduler — open-source alternative to Doodle
  11. Git-based versioning platforms – community-run, non-commercial, self-hosted
  12. Jitsi Meet – User- and/or community-run jitsi instances — video meeting / conferencing alternative to proprietary/commercial solutions such as Zoom

Open Source video alternative for teaching purposes: BigBlueButton

 BigBlueButton has a selection of useful features tailored for those teaching online seminars and classes. Next to that, we’ve also been using it for a variety of conferences, project meetings, etc.:

  • Shared whiteboard (multi-user enabled)
  • Shared notes (via minimalist text editor)
  • Public and private messaging options
  • Session recording support
  • Ability to group users for team collaboration via Breakout rooms
  • Polling options available
  • Screen sharing
  • Provides an API for easy integration on web applications
  • Frontend UI via Greenlight plugin, configurable for your own server.

Documentation:

Community-run instances:

Misc. Open Source video alternatives for teaching

Open Source video conferencing alternative: EduMeet

 Alternative open-source approach to Jitsi Meet and BigBlueButton, based on WebRTC and mediasoup.
Supported by GÈANT (demo service used to be available at https://edumeet.geant.org, now offline) as part of the European Open Science Cloud scoping efforts, listed in EOSCSynergy and on the EOSC Marketplace.

📃 ➡️ Plain-text list of existing Edumeet servers (2023-01-22, 7 servers): 20230122-edumeet-list-7-servers.txt

Description:

In order to create a complete communication and fully functional solution that can meet the expectations of the scientific and research communities, enhanced functional features were designed, in particular:

  • WebRTC audio/video communication;
  • screen sharing, file sharing and chat feature;
  • federated login, including eduGAIN;
  • speaker detection (microphone analyser with visual indicator);
  • audio and video streams management ;
  • full-screen mode, raise hand option, connection testing;
  • customizable view layout (democratic and filmstrip);
  • high resolution support (tested up to 4K).

Germany

URL Run by SSL Test Server location
https://lets.teamjoin.de AdminForge run SSL check! Hetzner Online GmbH

Italy

URL Run by SSL Test Server location
https://mm.cedrc.cnr.it Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche – Ufficio ICT-SAC run SSL check! Consortium GARR
https://edu.meet.garr.it GARR run SSL check! Consortium GARR
https://edumeeting.area.fi.cnr.it Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche – Area di Ricerca di Firenze run SSL check! Consortium GARR

Norway

URL Run by SSL Test Server location
https://letsmeet.no UNINETT run SSL check! UNINETT AS
https://usually.in run SSL check! NTE Broadband

Poland

URL Run by SSL Test Server location
https://vc.learn.eosc-synergy.eu EOSCSynergy run SSL check! Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry Polish Academy of Science, Poznan Supercomputing and Networking Center PSNC

Open Source video / chat alternative: Unhangout (by MIT)

Description: Unhangout is an open source platform for running large-scale, participant-driven events online.

Each event has a landing page, which we call the lobby. When participants arrive, they can see who else is there and chat with each other. Hosts can welcome their community and do introductions in a video window that gets streamed into the lobby. Participants can then join breakouts, which are small group video chats, for in-depth conversations, peer-to-peer learning, and collaboration on projects.


Open Source alternative to video streaming platforms such as Youtube, Vimeo

PeerTube, developed by the good folks at FramaSoft, is a free software that, once installed on a server, generates a video hosting platform. This platform can be federated, to share its video catalog with other PeerTube platforms and the larger . It also provides a resilient video broadcasting system, which combines peer-to-peer and traditional streaming.

A list of more than 900 instances that run Peertube can be found at: https://instances.joinpeertube.org/instances


Open Source alternative to GoogleDocs, etc.: CryptPad

official: https://cryptpad.fr/

💡 For more alternatives to Google services, see the excellent DeGoogle list maintained by Josh Moore: https://web.archive.org/web/20220727130553/https://degoogle.jmoore.dev/, and GitHub repo


Open Source alternative to GoogleDocs for collaborative writing: CokoDocs

CokoDocs is an open-source, collaborative web-based Word Processor, developed and run by the amazing folks at Coko Foundation.

Compared to Etherpad (see below), CokoDocs has a richer set of features.

See https://cokodocs.net/ and try their Beta at https://beta.cokodocs.net

Cokodocs: sneak peak

Open Source alternative to GoogleDocs for collaborative writing: Etherpad

 … see the Etherpad Lite GitHub Wiki and https://etherpad.org for more details.

➡ make sure to also check the Etherpad Lite list of sites that run Etherpad Lite.


Open Source alternative to GoogleDocs for markdown-based collaborative writing: HackMD/CodiMD, now HedgeDoc


Open source collaborative whiteboard: Excalidraw

Virtual whiteboard for sketching hand-drawn like diagrams

Official: https://excalidraw.com
GitHub: https://github.com/excalidraw/excalidraw
Twitter: @excalidraw


Misc. Open Source Date-Finding / Polling alternatives to Doodle

Framadate

An open-source polling/scheduling tool focusing on privacy, run by French non-profit Framasoft

Source: https://framadate.org


Git-based versioning platforms

Gitea — “a community-managed lightweight code hosting solution written in Go”. https://gitea.io/

Forgejo — an open fork of gitea, see

SourceHuthttps://sourcehut.org/


User- and/or community-run jit.si instances

 as decentralized additive approach to lessen the load on https://meet.jit.si/

You can use DNS Lookup, GeoIP Lookup, and KeyCDN Geo Tool to find out more about each server’s location.

✨✨ Official Servers

✨🧰 User- and/or community-run jit.si instances by country

(feel free to add other servers you know of via hypothes.is comments (see commentary feature on the right-hand side)

📃 ➡️ Server list, text file: 2021-12-26, 195 servers

➡️ ➡️ … and the Community Wiki on GitHub

🖥️ ➡️ Jitsi Monitor “… monitors all known public Jitsi Meet instances for ping times and TLS quality”: Guardianproject/JitsiMonitor and JitsiMonitor on GitLab

🌟🖥️ ➡️ Jitsi Meter “… Helping with the decision of which instance of Jitsi to use. An list of public Jitsi Meet instances sorted for ping times and TLS quality in relation to the user’s location: JitsiMeter and JitsiMeter Repo

🖥️ ➡️🖥️ Jitsi Admin – central admin and management interface for Jitsi server setups. Project website and GitHub repo

🌟🌟 special feature: auto-forwarding to a random jitsi-Serverjitsi.random-redirect.de —– How does it work? check out the GitHub repo

📲📲 Next to its native webclient interface, Jitsi Meet is now also available as

Europe

Austria

URL Non-Google
STUN/TURN
On Amazon, Google,
Cloudflare or Microsoft
SSL Test hoster
easyconference.uibk.ac.at run SSL check! University of Innsbruck
meet.epicenter.works run SSL check! Nessus GmbH
fairmeeting.net run SSL check!
pro.fairmeeting.net run SSL check!
meet.graz.social run SSL check!

Belarus

URL Non-Google
STUN/TURN
On Amazon, Google,
Cloudflare or Microsoft
SSL Test hoster
meet.naveksoft.com run SSL check! Navek Soft & Mobile Service LTD

Belgium

URL Non-Google
STUN/TURN
On Amazon, Google,
Cloudflare or Microsoft
SSL Test hoster
jitsi-1.belnet.be run SSL check! BELNET
praatbox.be run SSL check!

Czech Republic

URL Non-Google
STUN/TURN
On Amazon, Google,
Cloudflare or Microsoft
SSL Test hoster
meet.vpsfree.cz run SSL check! Master Internet s.r.o.

Finland

URL Non-Google
STUN/TURN
On Amazon, Google,
Cloudflare or Microsoft
SSL Test hoster
jitsi.riot.im run SSL check! UpCloud Ltd, hosted by New Vector on behalf of the Matrix.org Foundation

France (partly sourced via Framasoft/Framatalk)

URL Non-Google
STUN/TURN
On Amazon, Google,
Cloudflare or Microsoft
SSL Test hoster
allo.bim.land SSL check ILOTH
blabla.dedidream.com SSL check Online S.a.s.
conf.conf.domainepublic.net SSL check Bouygues Telecom SA
conf.underworld.fr SSL check Bouygues Telecom SA
meet.kbu.freifunk.net run SSL check! Online S.a.s.
suricate.tv run SSL check! Online S.a.s.
jump.chat run SSL check! Online S.a.s.
jitsi.cheezecake.ovh SSL check Online S.A.S.
jitsi.hadoly.fr SSL check Grenode
jitsi.hivane.net SSL check Hivane
jitsi.milkywan.fr SSL check MilkyWan
jitsi.nextmap.io SSL check NXT Initiative SAS
jitsi.q2r.net SSL check Online S.a.s.
jitsi.tetaneutral.net SSL check Tetaneutral.net
jitsi.videodulib.re SSL check Tetaneutral.net
meet.artifaille.fr SSL check
meet.digdeo.fr SSL check OVH SAS
meet.evolix.org SSL check Evolix SARL
meet.lenalio.fr SSL check Oceanet Technology SAS
meet.tedomum.net SSL check Online S.a.s.
meet.yapbreak.fr SSL check OVH SAS
meeting.rezopole.net SSL check Rezopole A.D.
rendez-vous.renater.fr SSL check Renater
jitsi.debamax.com run SSL check! Online S.a.s.
talk.fdn.fr SSL check Association Gitoyen
talk.ouvaton.coop SSL check Inulogic Sarl
jitsi.laas.fr SSL check
video.devloprog.org SSL check Bouygues Telecom SA
video.omicro.org SSL check OVH SAS
jitsi.komuniki.fr SSL check OVH SAS
visio.lafranceinsoumise.fr SSL check Online S.a.s.
webconf.viviers-fibre.net SSL check OVH SAS
vidconf.tech4good.ch SSL check

special cases (limited access)

Germany

➡️ ➡️ for a subset collected by the folks at Chaos Computer Club, see pads.ccc.de/jitsiliste

URL Non-Google
STUN/TURN
On Amazon, Google,
Cloudflare or Microsoft
SSL Test hoster
meet.ffmuc.net ❌ (only Frontend
no videotraffic
through CF)
run SSL check! CLOUDFLARENET
besprechung.net SSL check Host Europe GmbH
meet.physnet.uni-hamburg.de SSL check
meet.rexum.space SSL check
meet.in-berlin.de SSL check
meet.jotbe.io SSL check
meet.nerd.re SSL check Contabo GmbH
framatalk.org SSL check Hetzner Online GmbH
freejitsi01.netcup.net SSL check netcup GmbH
jitsi.arl.wtf SSL check fux eG
jitsi.debian.social SSL check Hetzner Online GmbH
jitsi.dorf-post.de SSL check
jitsi.fem.tu-ilmenau.de SSL check DFN
jitsi.flyingcircus.io SSL check KAMP Netzwerkdienste GmbH
jitsi.freifunk-duesseldorf.de SSL check Freifunk Duesseldorf e.V.
jitsi.hamburg.ccc.de SSL check Hetzner Online GmbH
jitsi.komun.org SSL check Contabo GmbH
jitsi.linux.it SSL check Hetzner Online GmbH
jitsi.netways.de SSL check NETWAYS GmbH
jitsi.osna.social SSL check Verein zur Foerderung eines Deutschen Forschungsnetzes e.V.
jitsi.piratenpartei-duesseldorf.de SSL check Contabo GmbH
jitsi.sixtopia.net SSL check Alexej Senderkin
jitsi.uni-kl.de SSL check Technische Universitaet Kaiserslautern
jitsi.zfn.uni-bremen.de SSL check DFN
konferenz.netzbegruenung.de ✅ — 📞 SSL check Hetzner Online GmbH
meet.adminforge.de SSL check Hetzner Online GmbH
meet.alpha.berlin SSL check manitu GmbH
meet.alps.one SSL check Hetzner Online GmbH
meet.cybercyber.digital SSL check Hetzner Online GmbH
jitsi.stura.htwk-leipzig.de SSL check DFN
meet.darmstadt.social SSL check netcup GmbH
meet.ffrn.de SSL check Hetzner Online GmbH
meet.ffbrb.de SSL check Hetzner Online GmbH
meet.freifunk-aachen.de SSL check RelAix Networks GmbH
meet.freifunk-rhein-sieg.net SSL check Hetzner Online GmbH
meet.golem.de SSL check Hetzner Online GmbH
meet.hackerspace-bremen.de SSL check
meet.hasi.it SSL check Hetzner Online GmbH
meet.isf.es SSL check Hetzner Online GmbH
meet.jugendrecht.org SSL check Hetzner Online GmbH
meet.kobschaetzki.de SSL check myLoc managed IT AG
meet.lrz.de SSL check Leibniz-Rechenzentrum
meet.lug-stormarn.de SSL check
meet.meerfarbig.net SSL check meerfarbig GmbH & Co. KG
meet.no42.org SSL check 1&1 Ionos Se
meet.opensuse.org SSL check
meet.piratenpartei-sh.de SSL check ISPpro Internet KG
meet.roflcopter.fr SSL check Hetzner Online GmbH
meet.rollenspiel.monster SSL check Hetzner Online GmbH
meet.scheible.it SSL check Hetzner Online GmbH
meet2.scheible.it SSL check Hetzner Online GmbH
meet3.scheible.it SSL check Hetzner Online GmbH
meet.schnuud.de SSL check Hetzner Online GmbH
meet.stura.uni-heidelberg.de SSL check
meet.systemli.org SSL check Digitale Partizipation e.V.
meet.weimarnetz.de SSL check Foerderverein Freie Netzwerke e.V.
teamjoin.de SSL check Hetzner Online GmbH
vc.autistici.org SSL check Hetzner Online GmbH
viko.extinctionrebellion.de SSL check SysEleven GmbH
webmeeting.opensolution.it SSL check DIGITALOCEAN-ASN
virtual.chaosdorf.space SSL check
jitsi.eichstaett.social run SSL check! Severloft GmbH
konferenz.buehl.digital run SSL check!
meet.stuvus.uni-stuttgart.de run SSL check! Universität Stuttgart
jitsi.php-friends.de run SSL check! PhP-Friends GmbH
meet.studiumdigitale.uni-frankfurt.de run SSL check! Johann Wolfgang Goethe-Universitat Frankfurt am Main
onlinetreff.ash-berlin.eu run SSL check! netcup GmbH
meet.nerd.re run SSL check! Hetzner Online GmbH
meet.bjoernhaendler.de run SSL check! netcup GmbH
jitsi.mpi-bremen.de ✅ – 📞 run SSL check! Verein zur Foerderung eines Deutschen Forschungsnetzes e.V.
meet.rdi.zimt.uni-siegen.de run SSL check! Verein zur Foerderung eines Deutschen Forschungsnetzes e.V.
meet.ur.de run SSL check! Verein zur Foerderung eines Deutschen Forschungsnetzes e.V.
jitsi-01.csn.tu-chemnitz.de run SSL check! Verein zur Foerderung eines Deutschen Forschungsnetzes e.V.
jitsi.folkwang-uni.de run SSL check! Verein zur Foerderung eines Deutschen Forschungsnetzes e.V.
jitsi.hs-nb.de run SSL check! Verein zur Foerderung eines Deutschen Forschungsnetzes e.V.

special cases (limited access, mostly HEI)

Italy

URL Non-Google
STUN/TURN
On Amazon, Google,
Cloudflare or Microsoft
SSL Test hoster
jitsi.area.fi.cnr.it run SSL check! Consortium GARR
jitsi.cedrc.cnr.it run SSL check! Consortium GARR
smaug.lixper.it run SSL check! Telecom Italia
iorestoacasa.unicam.it run SSL check! Consortium GARR
balin.siriustec.it run SSL check! Sirius Technology SRL
open.meet.garr.it run SSL check! Consortium GARR

Netherlands

URL Non-Google
STUN/TURN
On Amazon, Google,
Cloudflare or Microsoft
SSL Test hoster
beeldbellen.vc4all.nl run SSL check! Transip B.V.
jitsi.tuxis.net run SSL check!
meet.greenmini.host run SSL check!
meetme.bit.nl run SSL check! BIT BV
calls.disroot.org run SSL check! Serverius Holding B.V.
jitsi.hivos.org run SSL check! WorldStream B.V.
meet.waag.org run SSL check!
jitsi.nluug.nl run SSL check! ProcoliX B.V.
vdc.dyne.org run SSL check!
meet.greenhost.net run SSL check!
meet.speakup.nl run SSL check!
video.linxx.net run SSL check! Hetzner Online GmbH

Portugal

URL Non-Google
STUN/TURN
On Amazon, Google,
Cloudflare or Microsoft
SSL Test hoster
jitsipodcast.linuxtech.pt run SSL check!

Romania

URL Non-Google
STUN/TURN
On Amazon, Google,
Cloudflare or Microsoft
SSL Test hoster

Russian Federation

URL Non-Google
STUN/TURN
On Amazon, Google,
Cloudflare or Microsoft
SSL Test hoster
conf.edu-kuban.ru run SSL check!
jitsi.ufanet.ru run SSL check!

Slovenia

URL Non-Google
STUN/TURN
On Amazon, Google,
Cloudflare or Microsoft
SSL Test hoster

Spain

URL Non-Google
STUN/TURN
On Amazon, Google,
Cloudflare or Microsoft
SSL Test hoster
meet.guifi.net run SSL check! Fundacio Privada per a la Xarxa Lliure, Oberta i Neutral, guifi.net
videoconferencia.valenciatech.com run SSL check! VALENCIATECH – Servicios de Informática con Software Libre – Administración y provisión de servidores GNU/Linux.

Sweden

URL Non-Google
STUN/TURN
On Amazon, Google,
Cloudflare or Microsoft
SSL Test hoster
jitsi.brainmill.com run SSL check! Stiftelsen Chalmers Studenthem
meet.operationtulip.com run SSL check! Bahnhof AB

Switzerland

URL Non-Google
STUN/TURN
On Amazon, Google,
Cloudflare or Microsoft
SSL Test hoster
swiss-meet.hidora.com run SSL check! HIDORA
vidconf.tech4good.ch run SSL check! VTX Services SA
www.free-solutions.org run SSL check! VTX Services SA
swisschat.free-solutions.org run SSL check! VTX Services SA
tel.free-solutions.org run SSL check! VTX Services SA
eelo.free-solutions.org run SSL check! VTX Services SA
noalyss.free-solutions.org run SSL check! VTX Services SA
meet.infomaniak.com run SSL check!
jitsi.math.uzh.ch run SSL check! SWITCH
jitsi.ff3l.net run SSL check! Init7
hosttech.chat run SSL check!
meet.cyon.tools run SSL check!
meet.init7.net run SSL check! Init 7 AG
meet.hostpoint.ch run SSL check! Hostpoint AG
meet.coredump.ch run SSL check! Nine Internet Solutions AG

UK / GB

URL Non-Google
STUN/TURN
On Amazon, Google,
Cloudflare or Microsoft
SSL Test hoster

South & North America

Argentina

URL Non-Google
STUN/TURN
On Amazon, Google,
Cloudflare or Microsoft
SSL Test hoster
jitsi.unp.edu.ar run SSL check! Red de Interconexion Universitaria
jitsi.uner.edu.ar run SSL check! Universidad Nacional de Entre Rios
jitsi.hostcero.com run SSL check! Servicios y Telecomunicaciones S.A.
jitsi.justiciajujuy.gov.ar run SSL check! Telecom Argentina S.A.

Canada

URL Non-Google
STUN/TURN
On Amazon, Google,
Cloudflare or Microsoft
SSL Test hoster
conference.facil.services run SSL check! OVH SAS

Chile

URL Non-Google
STUN/TURN
On Amazon, Google,
Cloudflare or Microsoft
SSL Test hoster

El Salvador

URL Non-Google
STUN/TURN
On Amazon, Google,
Cloudflare or Microsoft
SSL Test hoster

United States

URL Non-Google
STUN/TURN
On Amazon, Google,
Cloudflare or Microsoft
SSL Test hoster
gruveo.com run SSL check! AMAZON-AES
meet.jit.si run SSL check! AMAZON-02
meet.mayfirst.org run SSL check! HURRICANE
team.video run SSL check! HURRICANE
swrtc.talky.io run SSL check! AMAZON-02
jitsi.member.fsf.org/ run SSL check! Free Software Foundation

Uruguay

URL Non-Google
STUN/TURN
On Amazon, Google,
Cloudflare or Microsoft
SSL Test hoster

Africa

South Africa

URL Non-Google
STUN/TURN
On Amazon, Google,
Cloudflare or Microsoft
SSL Test hoster
noumeet.com run SSL check! Teraco Johannesburg

Tunisia

URL Non-Google
STUN/TURN
On Amazon, Google,
Cloudflare or Microsoft
SSL Test hoster

Asia

India

URL Non-Google
STUN/TURN
On Amazon, Google,
Cloudflare or Microsoft
SSL Test hoster

Sri Lanka

URL Non-Google
STUN/TURN
On Amazon, Google,
Cloudflare or Microsoft
SSL Test hoster
meet.gov.lk run SSL check! Information and Communication Technology Agency of Sri Lanka

Thailand

URL Non-Google
STUN/TURN
On Amazon, Google,
Cloudflare or Microsoft
SSL Test hoster
vroom.truevirtualworld.com run SSL check!

Some additional bits & pieces …

Jitsi use advice:

  • use chromium / Chrome — for those not wanting to install Google Chrome, you might consider using Iridium or Brave instead.
  • if not really necessary, have most participants use audio-only, in many settings it is not necessary that all people are visible. Turning video off helps safe bandwith

Jitsi setup advice:

CC BY 4.0 Community-run open source tools for video, text, and code collaboration by Tobias Steiner is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.