Fastboard
An open-source collaborative whiteboard with cloud-synced drawing tools, built on React 19 and Vercel serverless functions as a zero-cost alternative to subscription whiteboard tools.
Challenge
Teams and educators wanted a digital canvas that felt as immediate as a physical whiteboard, without paying for a subscription tool or accepting the lag that makes people stop drawing together in the first place.
Approach
Fastboard pairs a React 19 and TypeScript frontend, built with Vite for fast load times, with Vercel Serverless Functions for a lightweight backend. MongoDB Atlas handles real-time data sync so sketches, text, and annotations persist across sessions and devices, and Google OAuth handles sign-in. Tailwind CSS v4 drives a fully responsive UI across desktop, tablet, and phone.
Outcome
Fastboard gives teams and educators a persistent, cross-device canvas with an instant-on feel, at zero licensing cost — a serverless, MERN-lite stack that trades subscription fees for a modern CI/CD pipeline on Vercel.