LibreAI / Design / flat
// design · netless-io/flat

flat

Project flat is the Web, Windows and macOS client of Agora Flat open source classroom.

★ 6.4k stars⑂ 877 forksMITupdated 2026-10
▦ visual — this project's README ships no embeddable screenshot,
so here's a placeholder. The guide below is complete regardless.
// project facts

Project facts

flat is an open-source design project by netless-io (netless-io/flat on GitHub). It has 6,439 GitHub stars and 877 forks, is released under the MIT license, and was last updated on GitHub on 3 October 2026.

Repository
netless-io/flat
GitHub stars
6,439
Forks
877
License
MIT
Last updated on GitHub
3 October 2026
Category
Design
Listing
Full install guide
Official site
GitHub repo
// how it works

How it works

  1. Pick the surface

    Whiteboard, diagrams-as-code, or component library — match the artifact.

  2. Start from templates

    Community templates and themes skip the blank page.

  3. Collaborate

    Real-time editing and version history included.

  4. Export & ship

    SVG/PNG/code output drops into products and docs.

// features

Why people love it

No per-seat fees

The whole team joins free.

Templates galore

Community starters for every common artifact.

Export anywhere

SVG, PNG, PDF, and framework code.

Self-hostable

Run the whole studio on your own server.

Infinite canvas

Brainstorm without page boundaries.

Component systems

Production-ready UI kits with theming.

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// run it

Run it yourself

  1. Step 1 — Clone the repo

    Download the source and move into the project folder.

    git clone https://github.com/netless-io/flat.git
    cd flat
  2. Step 2 — Check the README

    Every project documents its own setup; start with install requirements.

    cat README.md | head -60
  3. Step 3 — Run it

    Follow the project's launch command — Docker, pip, npm, or a binary release.

    # see README for the exact launch command
// use cases

What you can build

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// faq

Questions, answered

Who maintains flat?

It is an open-source project at netless-io/flat with 877 forks. Check the repo's contributors and recent commits to see how active maintenance is.

Is flat free for commercial use?

MIT licensed — use it commercially, no strings attached.

Is real-time collaboration solid?

Yes — CRDT-based editing is the standard approach now.

Can it replace Figma?

For whiteboarding and diagrams, yes. Deep product design still favors Figma's ecosystem.

What about design handoff?

Export to code and specs that developers can actually use.

// keep exploring

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// alternatives

Alternatives in Design

The most-starred other Design projects in the LibreAI catalogue — the realistic shortlist if flat is not the right fit.

Get flat

Free and open — grab the source, star the repo, and start creating.