Show HN: CodeCafé – A real-time collaborative code editor in the browser

I’ve been working on a web app called CodeCafé—a collaborative, browser-based code editor inspired by VS Code and Replit, but with no downloads, no sign-up, and zero setup. You just open the link and start coding—together.

The frontend is built with React and TypeScript, and the backend runs on Java with Spring Boot, which handles real-time editing via WebSockets. For syncing changes, I’m using Redis along with a custom Operational Transformation system (no third-party libraries!!!).

The idea came after I found out a local summer school was teaching coding using Google Docs (yes, really). Google Docs is simple and free, but I wanted something that could actually be used for writing and running real code—without the need for any sign-ups or complex setups. That’s how CodeCafé came to life.

Right now, the app doesn’t store files anywhere, and you can’t export your work. That’s one of the key features I’m working on currently.

If you like what you see, feel free to star the repo to support the project!!

Check it out and let me know what you think!

GitHub: github.com/mrktsm/codecafe

Web App: codecafe.app