Overview
Draw flowcharts in the browser
The self-hosted draw.io editor rendering a decision flowchart over HTTPS - shapes, connectors and labels edited entirely in the browser, served from your own AWS instance.
Draw flowcharts in the browser
Full editor with style controls
Clean editor canvas over HTTPS
This is a repackaged open source software product wherein additional charges apply for cloudimg support services.
Overview
draw.io (also known as diagrams.net) is a popular open-source diagram editor for creating flowcharts, UML, entity-relationship, network, BPMN, org-chart, mind-map, and wireframe diagrams in your browser. This AMI delivers a fully installed, security-hardened self-hosted draw.io server so a working diagram editor is available over HTTPS within minutes of launch, running entirely in your own AWS account.
The draw.io editor runs client-side in the browser; this appliance hosts the application and serves it over TLS, so your diagram data stays in your browser or in whatever storage you choose to connect (local device, Google Drive, OneDrive, or GitHub). It is a stateless editor host - there is no server-side database and no diagram data kept on the instance.
About cloudimg
cloudimg specializes in delivering pre-hardened, production-ready AMIs on AWS. This listing includes a software charge for ongoing cloudimg technical support services including deployment assistance, security patching guidance, and configuration help.
Why This Image vs a Manual Install
This image eliminates the Java runtime and servlet-container setup, WAR deployment, reverse-proxy configuration, TLS termination, and Tomcat hardening that a bare install requires. A stock Tomcat ships administrative web applications and a users file that are a well-known attack surface; this image removes the manager and host-manager applications, ships an empty users file, disables the shutdown port, and binds the application to the loopback interface so only the hardened nginx HTTPS front door is reachable. Launch the instance and start diagramming - no configuration files to edit and no additional packages to install.
Application Stack
The official draw.io web application is deployed on Apache Tomcat 9 (matching the runtime the draw.io project itself ships) on OpenJDK 17, bound to the loopback interface. An nginx reverse proxy on port 443 forwards to it over a self-signed TLS certificate that is regenerated uniquely on each instance's first boot; port 80 serves an unauthenticated health endpoint and redirects everything else to HTTPS. Image export to PNG, SVG, or PDF is performed client-side by your browser, so no additional export service is exposed.
Security Hardening
This image follows a defence-in-depth approach:
- Network isolation: the application binds exclusively to the loopback interface; only the nginx reverse proxy is exposed
- No admin console, no default credentials: the Tomcat manager and host-manager applications are removed, the users file is empty, and the shutdown port is disabled
- Encrypted transport: the reverse proxy terminates HTTPS with a certificate generated uniquely per instance on first boot
- Metadata protection: instances require IMDSv2 and the built-in image-import proxy is verified on every build not to expose the instance metadata endpoint
- Automatic restart: systemd monitors the application and nginx and restarts them on failure
Concrete Use Cases
- Private diagramming for regulated teams: Run the draw.io editor inside your own AWS account so architecture, security, and design diagrams are created and edited without sending diagram data to a public service - ideal for teams operating under data-residency or compliance requirements who need to keep intellectual property within their own infrastructure boundary.
- Team diagram host for engineering organizations: Put the appliance behind your own domain name and CA-signed certificate and give a development or platform team a shared, always-available draw.io editor over HTTPS for sprint planning, incident post-mortems, and cloud migration documentation.
- Diagram authoring for technical documentation workflows: Sketch and iterate on flowcharts, UML, network, and BPMN diagrams in the browser and export them as PNG, SVG, or PDF to embed in wikis, runbooks, and architecture decision records.
AWS Integration
Deploy on any EC2 instance type; the application is lightweight because rendering happens in the browser. Front the instance with an Application Load Balancer using the unauthenticated health endpoint on port 80 for availability monitoring, and restrict inbound access to your own network with the instance Security Group. The AMI enforces IMDSv2 for metadata security.
Getting Started
- Launch the AMI from this listing with a key pair and a Security Group allowing inbound ports 22, 80, and 443 - ideally restricted to your own IP range.
- Open https:/// in your browser and accept the per-instance self-signed certificate.
- Start creating diagrams; export to PNG, SVG, or PDF from the File menu when done.
- For production, put your own domain and a CA-signed certificate in front of the instance and restrict inbound access to your network.
Highlights
- Full-featured self-hosted draw.io / diagrams.net editor: create flowcharts, UML, entity-relationship, network, BPMN, org-chart, and mind-map diagrams in your browser and export to PNG, SVG, or PDF client-side. Your diagram data never leaves your browser or your own connected storage - the server is stateless and keeps nothing. Backed by 24/7 cloudimg technical support via email and live chat for deployment, configuration, and ongoing assistance.
- Hardened and secure by default with defence-in-depth: the application binds exclusively to the loopback interface and is reachable only through an nginx HTTPS reverse proxy with a TLS certificate regenerated uniquely per instance. Tomcat administrative consoles are removed, the users file is empty, the shutdown port is disabled, and IMDSv2 is enforced - so the image ships no default credentials and no exposed attack surface.
- Operational in minutes with zero manual configuration: the Java runtime, Tomcat servlet container, draw.io deployment, nginx reverse proxy, and TLS termination are all pre-configured at build time. Launch an EC2 instance from this AMI and open your browser to a working diagram editor over HTTPS without editing configuration files, installing packages, or managing certificates. Deploy on any instance type from t3.small for individual use to m5.large for team workloads.
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Dimension | Description | Cost/hour |
|---|---|---|
m5.large Recommended | m5.large | $0.08 |
t2.micro | t2.micro instance type | $0.04 |
t3.micro | t3.micro instance type | $0.04 |
c5a.12xlarge | c5a.12xlarge instance type | $0.24 |
c5a.16xlarge | c5a.16xlarge instance type | $0.24 |
c5a.24xlarge | c5a.24xlarge instance type | $0.24 |
c5a.2xlarge | c5a.2xlarge instance type | $0.24 |
c5a.4xlarge | c5a.4xlarge instance type | $0.24 |
c5a.8xlarge | c5a.8xlarge instance type | $0.24 |
c5a.large | c5a.large instance type | $0.08 |
Vendor refund policy
Refunds available on request.
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Delivery details
64-bit (x86) Amazon Machine Image (AMI)
Amazon Machine Image (AMI)
An AMI is a virtual image that provides the information required to launch an instance. Amazon EC2 (Elastic Compute Cloud) instances are virtual servers on which you can run your applications and workloads, offering varying combinations of CPU, memory, storage, and networking resources. You can launch as many instances from as many different AMIs as you need.
Version release notes
Initial release of a self-hosted draw.io / diagrams.net diagram editor as a ready-to-use AMI: the official draw.io web application deployed on a hardened Apache Tomcat 9 runtime (manager and host-manager applications removed, empty users file, shutdown port disabled, loopback bind) behind an nginx HTTPS reverse proxy with a self-signed TLS certificate regenerated uniquely on each instance's first boot. Instances require IMDSv2 and the built-in image-import proxy is verified not to expose the instance metadata endpoint.
Additional details
Usage instructions
Connect via SSH on port 22 as the default login user for your operating system variant (for the Ubuntu 24.04 variant the user is ubuntu). draw.io has no login of its own: open the editor in a browser at https://<instance-public-ip>/ and accept the per-instance self-signed certificate. An unauthenticated health endpoint is available at https://<instance-public-ip>/healthz, and port 80 redirects to HTTPS. A secret-free access note is written to /root/drawio-server-credentials.txt (read with sudo cat). Diagrams are held client-side in your browser or in storage you connect (local device, Google Drive, OneDrive or GitHub); export to PNG, SVG or PDF from the File menu happens in the browser. Because the editor has no login, restrict inbound access to your own network with the instance Security Group (open ports 22, 80 and 443 only to your CIDR). The application runs on Apache Tomcat bound to the loopback interface behind nginx; the services run under systemd: systemctl status drawio nginx. To use your own domain and a trusted certificate, terminate TLS at nginx with your own cert/key.
Resources
Vendor resources
Support
Vendor support
cloudimg Support
cloudimg provides 24/7 technical support for this product by email and live chat.
Contact: support@cloudimg.co.uk
What we help with:
- Deployment and initial configuration (Security Group rules, key pair setup)
- Reverse-proxy termination with your own domain and TLS certificate
- Connecting the editor to your own storage (Google Drive, OneDrive, GitHub)
- Restricting access and network hardening for the login-less editor
- Instance sizing and performance tuning
- Updates and security patching guidance
- Guided deployment walkthroughs on request
Instance Sizing Guidance:
- t3.small or t3.medium: suitable for individual or light team use
- m5.large: recommended general-purpose size for team use
- Larger instances: for many concurrent editor sessions on one host
Refunds: For refund requests, contact support@cloudimg.co.uk with your AWS account ID and subscription details.
Getting Help: Email support@cloudimg.co.uk or reach us via live chat for immediate assistance with deployment, troubleshooting, or configuration questions.
AWS infrastructure support
AWS Support is a one-on-one, fast-response support channel that is staffed 24x7x365 with experienced and technical support engineers. The service helps customers of all sizes and technical abilities to successfully utilize the products and features provided by Amazon Web Services.
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