FAQ

What is Etherpad?

A web-based collaborative real-time editor, allowing authors to simultaneously edit a text document. More: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Etherpad#Etherpad_Lite

Is there help or general discussion available?

Yes! We're usually found in #etherpad-lite-dev on Freenode: irc://irc.freenode.net:6667/etherpad-lite-dev IRC SEEMS TO BE BROKEN

There aren't always a lot of people around, but ask your question and be patient, we'll try to get around to you. Also, Tuesday nights at 20:00 (8PM UTC±00:00) are an active time.

Is this an Etherpad copy?

No, it isn't. We don't want to copy every feature of Etherpad. We try to copy the good parts and replace/remove the bad parts. We will never include a feature just because it's in Etherpad.

I want to include Etherpad Lite into my web application, can I do that?

Yes. That's one of the main goals of Etherpad Lite. We're working on an API that allows you to manage pads. The API will allow you to map your users and their permissions to Etherpad, so you don't need to manage two user systems.

Is it stable?

It can be regarded as stable.

I want to use Etherpad Lite with database X, can I do that?

Yes, but you have to add support. Adding support for a new database backend is very easy. Etherpad Lite uses simple key values. All you need is a database driver for node. We're using a database module called ueberDB. Just fork it and add support for your database.

I'm not a developer; how can I help you?

Tell us about your experience as an administrator/user of Etherpad Lite. We're happy to hear what you like and what you don't like. The documentation (i.e., this wiki) can always use some cleaning up and expanding. We're also asking people with all sorts of skills to get involved. Stay tuned for an Openhatch site with ways to help, and also a more comprehensive listing of helpful things you can do.

Will Etherpad Lite replace Etherpad?

That's up to the community to decide. We believe Etherpad Lite solves a lot of the problems the original Etherpad software wasn't able to solve. However, by completely rewriting, we have removed some functionalities that may be core to certain users.

How can I prune the database so that only the last n "revisions" are kept?

Both var/dirty.db and MySQL grow quickly. Production instances should use MySQL or some mature database storage mechanism. Dirty.db is not really designed for production and is just included so you can easily get started with Etherpad Lite. Etherpad Lite has no automated database pruning (removal of older revisions) mechanism.

How can I view all existing pads and delete certain pads from my set of pads?

You should use the API to delete certain pads from your set of pads. Alternatively, you can install and use the ep_adminpads plugin, and view and delete pads from /admin/pads.

Is there an administration web page where I can send API commands to manage my Etherpad Lite online?

A simple jQuery- and EP-API-powered example framework in the git repository which can fire API calls would be a nice-to-have and a solution for pad deletion and pad password protection. Filed as improvement bug 192.

How can I limit to a certain set of pads? I wish to offer a certain number of pads (limiting the number of pads), and to offer a certain predefined set of pads with names "test", "mypad", "sandbox". Is this possible?

No, you should put a feature request in for this.

However, you can create a set of predefined pads and then prevent users from creating new ones. Create the pads you want, then enable the "editOnly" option, which prevents the creation of new pads (except through the API).

How can I run a password-protected Etherpad Lite with https:// using Apache?

See How-to-put-Etherpad-Lite-behind-a-reverse-Proxy for password-protecting the access to your Etherpad Lite installation as such, not to single pads.

How can I set up Apache server proxying requests to http://www.example.com/pad to be mapped to http://www.example.com:9001 where my etherpad runs?

See How-to-put-Etherpad-Lite-behind-a-reverse-Proxy.

Can we please have nice urls like "http://etherpad.example.com/padname"?

Yes, see How-to-put-Etherpad-Lite-behind-a-reverse-Proxy.

How can I set up several Etherpad installations which share the code, and perhaps also the database? I'd like to set up different Etherpad installation for different user groups, different fav icons, different default pad texts.

This is currently a feature request: https://github.com/ether/etherpad-lite/issues/195

How can I install and use AbiWord which is needed for import/export of pads?

Please see How-to-enable-importing-and-exporting-different-file-formats-with-AbiWord.

How is the changeset constructed from what I edit on the pad?

See PDF files in the documentation folder.