Overview
Collide is an open source alternative to Google Drive, Docs, and Mattermost Chat, specifically designed for deployment to the Airforce BDP (Big Data Platform). Successfully deployed to staging right before the BDP 3.0 release, the platform features real-time collaborative document editing using Prosemirror, file storage, and team chat capabilities. Currently undergoing a refactor using Next.js, Supabase, and Tiptap with AI-powered slash commands similar to Notion.
Key Features
- Real-time collaborative document editing with Prosemirror/Tiptap
- AI-powered slash commands for enhanced document editing
- File storage and management (Google Drive alternative)
- Team chat and messaging (Mattermost alternative)
- Deployed and tested on Airforce BDP infrastructure
Technical Implementation
Originally built with Prosemirror for real-time collaborative editing, successfully deployed to Airforce BDP staging environment. The current refactor leverages Next.js for the frontend with Supabase as the backend infrastructure, providing authentication, real-time database, and file storage.
Tiptap (built on Prosemirror) enables rich text editing with AI-powered slash commands similar to Notion. The platform integrates seamlessly with military-grade security requirements and BDP infrastructure constraints, offering a complete open source alternative to proprietary collaboration tools.
The Refactor Journey
After successfully deploying the initial version to BDP staging, I recognized opportunities for architectural improvements and modern developer experience enhancements. The refactor focuses on leveraging Next.js for better performance, Supabase for simplified backend infrastructure, and enhanced AI capabilities.
Why Refactor?
- Streamline deployment and infrastructure management
- Add AI-powered features with Tiptap's extensible architecture
- Improve developer experience and maintainability
- Better real-time performance with Supabase Realtime
Architecture Evolution
Original Stack
- • Custom Node.js backend
- • Manual PostgreSQL management
- • Socket.io for real-time updates
- • Custom authentication system
- • Complex deployment pipeline
Refactored Stack
- • Next.js full-stack framework
- • Supabase managed infrastructure
- • Built-in real-time subscriptions
- • Supabase Auth with RLS
- • Simplified Vercel deployment
New AI-Powered Features
The refactor introduces Notion-style AI capabilities through Tiptap's extensible editor framework, enabling intelligent content generation and editing assistance directly within documents.
Slash Commands
Type "/" to access AI writing assistance, templates, and content generation
Smart Editing
AI-powered text completion, summarization, and content improvement suggestions
Context Awareness
AI understands document context for relevant suggestions and collaborative insights