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TexLite is a lightweight, local-first web workspace for a small, trusted team writing LaTeX together. It provides browser-based editing, compilation, previewing, and source-level discussion while reusing the LaTeX installation already present on the host.
Documentation: English (this file) · Operations · Design · 简体中文
Website: TexLite GitHub Pages
- Own the writing environment. Use the host's TeX installation and keep sources, history, and compiled output in one local data directory.
- Collaborate without a large stack. The default deployment is one Node.js process, SQLite, and local files—plus real-time editing and source-level comments for a small trusted team.
Overleaf is a strong choice when its hosted product or broader ecosystem is the right fit. TexLite addresses a narrower self-hosted use case:
- A shared hosted service can queue, slow down, or time out at usage peaks.
- Overleaf's open-source Community Edition follows a more involved Docker deployment path, and source comments are a Server Pro feature.
- TexLite uses the server's existing TeX environment, runs as a small single-host stack, and includes real-time source comments and replies.
Self-hosting does not make every document compile faster: that still depends on the host and the document. It does give the team control over capacity, TeX updates, data location, and the collaboration workflow.
For a desktop-first, individual workflow, start with VS Code + LaTeX Workshop or TeXstudio instead. TexLite is purpose-built for shared browser writing, not a replacement for a personal IDE.
- Projects with folders, ZIP import/export, tags, sharing, ownership transfer, archiving, and a private per-user citation library.
- CodeMirror editing with LaTeX/BibTeX highlighting, folding, completion, optional Vim mode, formatting, spelling/grammar assistance, search/replace, and source/PDF SyncTeX navigation.
- Yjs-based collaborative source editing, active-session presence, comments anchored to source text, replies, resolution, and permissions that let reviewers comment without changing source.
latexmkcompilation with selectable engines, project settings, structured diagnostics, cached successful PDFs, downloadable artifacts, and optional project-levellatexmkrc.- Per-project history and owner-only Git/GitHub backup. Git is optional and is checked only when its integration is used.
Install Node.js 24 or newer, latexmk, and at least one TeX engine such as
pdflatex, xelatex, or lualatex. Git is needed only for the optional
Git/GitHub integration.
npm install --global texlite texlite init texlite start texlite status
Open http://127.0.0.1:3000. texlite init creates the configuration and the
first administrator; public registration is deliberately unavailable.
For upgrades and routine management:
npm update --global texlite texlite restart texlite logs
texlite serve runs in the foreground for debugging, Docker, or systemd.
start, stop, restart, status, and logs use the PM2 runtime bundled
with the npm package. Run texlite help for the complete command list.
| Need | Read |
|---|---|
| Installation, configuration paths, effective defaults, environment overrides, service management, backups, and security boundaries | Operations guide |
| Collaboration, source persistence, compilation isolation, history, and design trade-offs | Design |
| Testing an npm package before publication | NPM testing guide |
| Complete configuration starting point | texlite.config.example.json |
TexLite is a single-host application for trusted users. It is not a compiler
sandbox: LaTeX and an enabled project latexmkrc can execute powerful local
behaviour. Keep the default 127.0.0.1 bind unless you add the authentication,
network controls, and isolated compiler environment appropriate for an
untrusted deployment.
TexLite is licensed under the GNU Affero General Public License v3.0; see LICENSE. For proprietary modifications or commercial terms that differ from AGPL-3.0, contact the copyright holder.