Introduction
Modern apps need built-in collaboration. Users expect to comment on text, see who is online, and receive updates without switching tools. If your editor lacks these features, discussions move to Slack or email. Context gets lost. Engagement drops.
In this guide, we will build a Dropbox Paper-style collaborative editor. You will add inline comments to selected text, show real-time presence, and enable in-app notifications. The stack uses Next.js with the App Router, TipTap for rich text editing, and Velt for collaboration infrastructure.
Building real-time collaboration from scratch is complex and time-consuming. Tools like Velt abstract that complexity so you can focus on product logic instead of infrastructure.
By the end, you will have a fully working collaborative editor running locally.
