Draw.io is a diagram editor that runs in your browser. Flowcharts, network maps, floor plans and wireframes are drawn and saved on your own device, and nothing you draw is sent anywhere else.
On this page
Good to know before you install
Draw.io keeps nothing on the server — diagrams are saved to the device you draw them on
At a glance#
- What it is
- Diagram Editor Productivity
- Where it opens
- Web Interface
On its own port at
http://your-server:port, ordraw.your-domainonce you have a domain - Updates
- Automatic A backup is taken first, and it rolls back if the update fails
- Backups
- Left out Not in the scheduled backups unless you switch it on
- Copies
- As many as you like Run several copies, each with its own data
What it's good for#
Draw.io is the one to reach for when a picture says it better: how your home network hangs together, a family tree, the steps of a process at work, a rough layout for a website. You drag shapes from the libraries down the side, join them with connectors that stay attached when you move things, and export the result as an image or PDF.
It's the same editor as the well-known diagrams.net site. Running your own copy means the diagram never leaves your network, which matters when it's a map of your own systems.
Signing in#
There's nothing to sign in to. Draw.io has no accounts and keeps nothing on the server: the page loads into your browser, and the drawing happens there. That's also why there's no admin to set up.
It does mean anyone who can reach the page can use it. That's harmless, since there's nothing on the server to see, but if it's only for you, make it Private on its Config tab under Network (see Who can reach what).
How to use it#
Open it with the Web Interface button. Draw.io asks where to keep your diagrams, then offers a blank page or a template.
Save your work to your own device: Draw.io writes a .drawio file, like any other document, which you can open again later, back up and send to people. The same file opens in the Draw.io desktop app and in the editor on diagrams.net, so you're never stuck with this server.
When you export a picture as PNG or SVG, you can include a copy of the diagram inside it. The image then still opens in Draw.io for editing, which is handy for pictures you drop into documents and may want to change later.
Good to know#
- Your diagrams are only where you saved them. The server keeps nothing, so LibrePortal leaves Draw.io out of backups; there's nothing to back up. Back up the files on your own computer instead. If you keep diagrams in the browser's own storage, they live in that one browser, and clearing it clears them.
- Plain
http://works. Draw.io would normally send visitors on tohttps://, which on a home network is a page that doesn't exist, so LibrePortal turns that off. With a domain, you get HTTPS as usual. - Updates are automatic. LibrePortal follows Draw.io's latest release. Since nothing is stored, an update can't harm your work.
- You can run several copies, for instance one public and one private. See More than one copy of an app.
Addresses and ports#
Draw.io has one port. LibrePortal picks a free port number for each when you install, so yours will differ from anyone else's. The Config tab's Network section shows them, and the app's Open button uses the right one. "Anyone" means it's reachable from wherever your server is reachable; you can make it private later.
| What it is | Who can reach it | With a domain |
|---|---|---|
| Web Interface | Anyone | draw.your-domain |
Settings#
In its config file#
Draw.io's own settings aren't on the Config tab yet. They live in the app's config file, described here so you know they exist. How to change them.
| Setting | What it does | Starts as |
|---|---|---|
NameCFG_DRAWIO_DISPLAY_NAME |
What this app is called on your dashboards. Leave empty to use its usual name | Empty |
Show on the LibrePortal DashboardCFG_DRAWIO_SHOW_ON_DASHBOARD |
Whether this app gets a shortcut on the front page of the LibrePortal WebUI, separate from any Dashy dashboard Choices: true, false |
true |
Works with#
These are the other apps Draw.io knows how to work with. Once it's installed, its page shows the same list with whether each one is connected. How this works.
- Grafana: Shows dashboards for the apps that have one. works with every app
- Prometheus: Collects metrics from the apps that can export them. works with every app
- Uptime Kuma: Watches your apps and shows when one goes down. works with every app
Privacy and security#
Worth knowing draw.io draws diagrams in your browser and keeps them on your device. We have not yet confirmed it never loads fonts or icons from outside, so this stays marked until a network trace settles it.
What leaves this server#
- Not yet confirmed whether the editor loads fonts or icons from outside hosts
- Cloud storage connections (Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox) only if you configure them
What LibrePortal turns off#
Nothing needed switching off.
Licence: Apache-2.0 for draw.io itself (from memory); Docker packaging GPL-3.0 (per docker-drawio README). Audited: 21 October 2026. See the privacy of every app and the Promise.
Sources#
Under the hood#
- It runs this image:
jgraph/drawio:32.5.5@sha256:16296fe9fd09eff92a3808cc674ce1883712c1b0bae5d48ccc30f9abf13c578b. - It can sit behind Authelia's sign-in once Authelia is installed.
- Its own project and documentation: github.com/jgraph/drawio
Ports, settings, tools and connections on this page are read from LibrePortal v0.10.97's app catalogue each time the guide is built.