The Collaborative Knowledge Tool (CKT) is a cross-platform application for structured, multi-user knowledge management. It integrates rich-text note-taking with interactive mind mapping in a unified document model, enabling users to fluidly shift between linear writing and visual thinking. The system supports real-time collaboration, offline-first editing, and intelligent content augmentation via AI.
Built using a modular architecture, CKT consists of a React-based frontend (shared across web and Electron desktop clients), a real-time synchronization backend powered by Yjs and WebSockets, and a RESTful API server backed by MongoDB. The platform uses TipTap (based on ProseMirror) for document editing, with customized extensions to support markdown formatting, hierarchical structures, and dual text–graph rendering.
The core collaboration model relies on CRDTs to support conflict-free, low-latency editing across clients, even in disconnected states. The system persists user data in MongoDB and uses AWS infrastructure to deliver a scalable, containerized deployment with support for auto-scaling, storage distribution, and global availability.
Key components:
- UI framework & Mind Map Renderer
- Document Model
- Real-time Collaboration
- API Layer
- Containerized Services
- Deployment & CI/CD Pipeline
- Scalability Framework