Introduction

draw.io is a whiteboarding / diagramming software application. This project packages draw.io for Docker:

• jgraph/drawio, a draw.io docker image that is always up-to-date with draw.io releases
• a docker-compose to run draw.io with the Google Drive, Microsoft OneDrive and GitLab integrations
• a docker-compose to run draw.io integrated within Nextcloud

The separate export server image (jgraph/export-server) has reached end of life and is no longer built or configured by this project, see Removed variables.

Description

The Dockerfile builds from tomcat:9.0-jdk11-temurin (see https://hub.docker.com/_/tomcat/)

Note: Starting from version 16.5.3, alpine and debian images are no longer maintained. We changed to a single image that uses the tomcat image with the least security vulnerabilities.

Forked from fjudith/draw.io

Features

• Based on Tomcat so it can be used directly or behind a reverse-proxy
• Self-Signed certificate autogen
• Let's encrypt certificate autogen
• Support SSL Keystore mount to /user/local/tomcat/.keystore

Quick Start

Run the container.

docker run -it --rm --name="draw" -p 8080:8080 -p 8443:8443 jgraph/drawio

Start a web browser session to http://localhost:8080/?offline=1&https=0 or https://localhost:8443/?offline=1

If you're running Docker Toolbox then start a web browser session to http://192.168.99.100:8080/?offline=1&https=0 or https://192.168.99.100:8443/?offline=1

?offline=1 is a security feature that disables support of cloud storage.

Docker Compose

docker-compose.yml runs the same image and passes every DRAWIO_* variable listed under Environment variables through from the environment, so the configuration lives in a .env file next to it:

DRAWIO_SERVER_URL=https://drawio.example.com/
DRAWIO_GITLAB_ID=...
DRAWIO_GITLAB_SECRET=...
DRAWIO_GITLAB_URL=https://gitlab.example.com

docker compose up -d

Variables you leave unset are passed through empty, which the image treats as unset.

AWS ECS

The compose file can be deployed to AWS ECS by following this tutorial (we recommend EC2 deployment). Change the port mapping to 80 and 443 in docker-compose.yml to support the standard HTTP and HTTPS ports, allow access to these ports in the security group inbound rules, and set DRAWIO_SERVER_URL to your public deployment URL.

Running as a non-root user

The image already runs as a dedicated non-root user by default — tomcat (UID 1001, GID 999) — so nothing needs to be configured just to avoid root.

Users have reported it working with [rootless] Podman, but we haven't tested ourselves.

To run under a different UID (a compose user: override, Kubernetes runAsUser, or OpenShift's arbitrary UIDs), the user must carry the root group (GID 0). Configuration is applied at startup by rewriting files inside the container (main/docker-entrypoint.sh), and the image grants GID 0 owner-equivalent permissions on those paths, following the OpenShift image guidelines. Membership of group 0 grants no other privileges — it is not root.

docker run -it --rm -p 8080:8080 --user 1234:0 jgraph/drawio

docker-compose — either set group 0 directly or keep your own GID and add it as a supplementary group:

services:
  drawio:
    image: jgraph/drawio
    user: "1234:1234"
    group_add:
      - "0"

Kubernetes:

securityContext:
  runAsNonRoot: true
  runAsUser: 1234
  runAsGroup: 0        # or keep your own runAsGroup and add supplementalGroups: [0]

On OpenShift, restricted SCCs already run pods with an arbitrary UID and GID 0, so the image works there without any extra configuration.

Without GID 0 the container still starts, but the entrypoint logs a warning and skips all runtime configuration (DRAWIO_* variables, SSL, context path).

readOnlyRootFilesystem: true is not currently supported, since configuration is written into the webapp at startup.

Environment variables

All container behaviour is controlled by environment variables, processed by main/docker-entrypoint.sh at startup and written into PreConfig.js / PostConfig.js inside the deployed webapp.

Certificate and SSL

Variable	Default	Description
LETS_ENCRYPT_ENABLED	false	Enables Let's Encrypt certificate instead of self-signed
PUBLIC_DNS	draw.example.com	DNS domain to be used as certificate "CN" record
ORGANISATION_UNIT	Cloud Native Application	Organisation unit to be used as certificate "OU" record
ORGANISATION	example inc	Organisation name to be used as certificate "O" record
CITY	Paris	City name to be used as certificate "L" record
STATE	Paris	State name to be used as certificate "ST" record
COUNTRY_CODE	FR	Country code to be used as certificate "C" record
KEYSTORE_PASS	V3ry1nS3cur3P4ssw0rd	.keystore / .jks store password
KEY_PASS	same as KEYSTORE_PASS	Private key password

Deployment URL

• DRAWIO_SERVER_URL: Public deployment URL with a trailing slash, e.g. https://drawio.example.com/, or https://www.example.com/drawio/ if deployed into a sub-path. When a sub-path is present the entrypoint also updates the Tomcat context path automatically. Default unset (the webapp is served at /).
• DRAWIO_BASE_URL: (Optional, backwards-compat) Same URL without a trailing slash, used by the viewer/lightbox/embed code paths. Only needed if DRAWIO_SERVER_URL is not set; the entrypoint derives whichever one is missing. If both are set, both pass through unchanged.
• DRAWIO_VIEWER_URL: Optional URL of a hosted viewer JS bundle, e.g. https://drawio.example.com/js/viewer.min.js.
• DRAWIO_LIGHTBOX_URL: Optional lightbox URL, e.g. https://drawio.example.com.
• DRAWIO_USE_HTTP: (Optional and INSECURE) If your setup uses http only and you understand the risks (for example, sending OAuth tokens over http), set DRAWIO_USE_HTTP=1. Caution: Use at your own risk.

Editor configuration

• DRAWIO_CONFIG: JSON configuration object for the diagram editor — written verbatim into window.DRAWIO_CONFIG. See https://www.drawio.com/doc/faq/configure-diagram-editor. Must be valid JSON, not arbitrary JavaScript, and must be the JSON itself, not the path of a file (see DRAWIO_CONFIG_FILE). The entrypoint logs a warning at startup when the value does not parse as JSON. In a compose file use the map syntax, DRAWIO_CONFIG: '{"defaultFonts":["Helvetica"]}' — with the list syntax (- DRAWIO_CONFIG='{...}') the quotes become part of the value and the editor ignores it (the entrypoint strips a matching pair of single quotes and logs a notice).

• DRAWIO_CONFIG_FILE: Path inside the container of a file holding that same JSON object, for a bind mount or a Kubernetes ConfigMap. Takes precedence over DRAWIO_CONFIG when both are set. For example:

  docker run -p 8080:8080 -v ./drawio-config.json:/config/drawio-config.json:ro -e DRAWIO_CONFIG_FILE=/config/drawio-config.json jgraph/drawio

• DRAWIO_LANG: Default language of the editor UI as a draw.io language code, e.g. es, de or pt-br (the codes behind the editor's Language menu). Used when the URL has no lang parameter and the user has not picked a language in the editor; both of those still win. Unset = browser language. There is no language key in DRAWIO_CONFIG.

• DRAWIO_CSP_HEADER: Override the default Content-Security-Policy <meta> injected into the page. Defaults to a hard-coded policy in docker-entrypoint.sh — start from that policy when customising.

• ENABLE_DRAWIO_PROXY: Set to 1 to enable the /proxy endpoint (ProxyServlet) which allows embedding images from external URLs; default disabled.

Enabling AI diagram generation: the AI options (enableAi, gptApiKey, geminiApiKey, claudeApiKey, aiModels, aiConfigs, ...) are editor configuration settings, not standalone environment variables — there is no DRAWIO_ENABLE_AI. Set them inside DRAWIO_CONFIG, for example:

DRAWIO_CONFIG={"enableAi":true,"claudeApiKey":"sk-ant-...","aiModels":[{"name":"Claude 4.5 Sonnet","model":"claude-sonnet-4-5","config":"claude"}]}

enableAi defaults to true only on app.diagrams.net, and the custom AI actions only appear once an API key and model are configured, so a self-hosted deployment needs both enableAi: true and a key. See Customise LLM backends for diagram generation for the full list of options.

Custom fonts

The editor renders text in the user's browser, which can only use fonts installed on the viewer's device or loaded over HTTP(S) — mounting font files into this container does not make them appear in the editor. Make a web font selectable in the font picker with defaultFonts (or customFonts, which prepends to the list) inside DRAWIO_CONFIG:

DRAWIO_CONFIG={"defaultFonts":["Helvetica",{"fontFamily":"My Font","fontUrl":"https://drawio.example.com/fonts/MyFont.woff2"}]}

Plain string entries must be installed on every viewer's device; entries with fontFamily + fontUrl (a direct font file or a Google-Fonts-style CSS URL) are downloaded by the browser, and the URL is stored in the diagram so other viewers and exports can resolve it — use an absolute URL reachable from every browser that will open the diagram. To serve font files from this container, mount them into the webapp: -v ./fonts:/usr/local/tomcat/webapps/draw/fonts serves them at https://your-host/fonts/….

fontCss (also inside DRAWIO_CONFIG) injects raw @font-face rules; it makes text using that family render, but does not add anything to the font picker — combine it with a plain font name in defaultFonts/customFonts, or just use a fontUrl entry instead. The default CSP allows fonts from any origin (font-src *); if you override DRAWIO_CSP_HEADER, keep your font host allowed there.

See the draw.io documentation on external fonts for how fonts behave in the editor itself.

Google Drive integration

Create a project at the Google API Console and create Credentials of type "Create OAuth client ID" -> Web Application. This option is disabled until you create the "OAuth consent screen" from the link in the warning message bar; there, enter the "Application name" and "Authorized domains". In the "Create OAuth client ID" configuration, set "Authorized redirect URIs" to [your-draw.io-hostname]/google and "Authorized JavaScript origins" to your hostname. For example, if you host draw.io at https://drawio.example.com, the redirect URI is https://drawio.example.com/google and the JavaScript origin is https://drawio.example.com.

• DRAWIO_GOOGLE_CLIENT_ID: OAuth client ID. Unset = Google Drive integration disabled.
• DRAWIO_GOOGLE_CLIENT_SECRET: OAuth client secret.
• DRAWIO_GOOGLE_APP_ID: Google project number (the numeric prefix of the client ID, before the first -). For example, if the client ID is 123456789-abc..., the app ID is 123456789.
• DRAWIO_GOOGLE_VIEWER_CLIENT_ID / DRAWIO_GOOGLE_VIEWER_CLIENT_SECRET / DRAWIO_GOOGLE_VIEWER_APP_ID: Optional separate read-only credentials for a viewer deployment. If you also host a draw.io viewer, create another client ID for it; the viewer has read-only access to Drive files.

Microsoft OneDrive integration

Register an application to use the MS Graph APIs, see how to register your app and how to use the APIs. In the Azure portal select the new app, then "Authentication", and add two redirect URIs: [your-draw.io-hostname]/microsoft and [your-draw.io-hostname]/onedrive3.html. For example, if you host draw.io at https://drawio.example.com, the redirect URIs are https://drawio.example.com/microsoft and https://drawio.example.com/onedrive3.html. In "Advanced settings" on the same page, enable the "Access tokens" and "ID tokens" check boxes. Create the client secret under "Certificates & secrets" ("+ New client secret"); the "Application (client) ID" is on the "Overview" page.

• DRAWIO_MSGRAPH_CLIENT_ID: Azure app client ID. Unset = OneDrive integration disabled.
• DRAWIO_MSGRAPH_CLIENT_SECRET: Azure app client secret.
• DRAWIO_MSGRAPH_TENANT_ID: Tenant ID for single-tenant Azure apps.

GitLab integration

Create a new OAuth app in GitLab (Settings -> Applications). Set the "Redirect URI" to [your-draw.io-hostname]/gitlab, e.g. https://drawio.example.com/gitlab, and the "Scopes" to api, read_repository and write_repository.

• DRAWIO_GITLAB_ID: OAuth application ID. Unset = GitLab integration disabled.
• DRAWIO_GITLAB_SECRET: OAuth application secret.
• DRAWIO_GITLAB_URL: GitLab base URL without any path, e.g. https://gitlab.com or https://gitlab.example.com. The entrypoint appends /oauth/token itself for server-side auth, and uses this value as the base of the client-side /oauth/authorize URL — adding a path here breaks both. When this is set to anything other than https://gitlab.com the entrypoint also writes Editor.enableCustomGitLabUrl = true; into PostConfig.js, which is required by the client to allow self-hosted instances; without it the OAuth flow fails with an "access denied" dialog before any request is made.

Removed variables

• EXPORT_URL and DRAWIO_SELF_CONTAINED no longer have any effect. They pointed the editor at the separate jgraph/export-server image, which has reached end of life and is no longer built from this repository. The entrypoint writes window.EXPORT_URL = null into PreConfig.js instead, which tells the editor that no export service exists: Export as > PDF uses the browser's print dialog (so the Include a copy of my diagram option is not offered for PDF) and the server-rendered PNG/JPEG export is hidden. PNG, JPEG and SVG export rendered in the browser are unaffected.

HTTPS SSL Certificate via Let's Encrypt

Prerequisites:

1. A Linux machine connected to the Internet with ports 443 and 80 open
2. A domain/subdomain name pointing to this machine's IP address. (e.g., drawio.example.com)

Method:

1. Create a directory to store the letsencrypt data. (e.g., /opt/docker/drawiodata/letsencrypt-log, /opt/docker/drawiodata/letsencrypt-etc, /opt/docker/drawiodata/letsencrypt-lib)
2. Using jgraph/drawio docker image, run the following command

docker run -it -m1g -v "/opt/docker/drawiodata/letsencrypt-log:/var/log/letsencrypt/" -v "/opt/docker/drawiodata/letsencrypt-etc:/etc/letsencrypt/" -v "/opt/docker/drawiodata/letsencrypt-lib:/var/lib/letsencrypt" -e LETS_ENCRYPT_ENABLED=true -e PUBLIC_DNS=drawio.example.com --rm --name="draw" -p 80:80 -p 443:8443 jgraph/drawio

Notice that mapping port 80 to container's port 80 allows certbot to work in stand-alone mode. Mapping port 443 to container's port 8443 allows the container tomcat to serve https requests directly.

Reference

• https://github.com/jgraph/drawio