Etherpad Hosting

Allow about a minute for initial startup, then open your pod URL and create a pad. Choose a useful name and share the pad URL with your collaborators. PikaPods notes that the administration dashboard is available at /admin/; its access depends on the pod’s configured administrator settings.

No. PikaPods sets up and runs Etherpad for you, including OS and app updates and HTTPS. You won't touch Docker or a server. Your files and database stay accessible if you ever want to move them elsewhere.

Etherpad runs in a web browser, so collaborators open the same pad URL to work together. Each person can choose a display name and author color. Check your instance’s access settings before sharing links, since a pad URL alone is not a guarantee that a document is private.

The basic editor runs on your pod and does not require a separate collaboration-service account. Optional plugins and some document conversion formats have additional requirements. Consult the Etherpad project documentation before depending on a plugin or export format.

Set up incremental backups to S3 in your pod settings for automatic nightly snapshots, or download your files and database yourself. We keep whole-server backups for server failures, but they aren't a per-pod restore service, so your own backup is what protects your data.

You can use Etherpad instead of Google Docs and HackMD. PikaPods runs it for you, and you can move your files and database elsewhere.

Both let people write together in real time. Google Docs has richer formatting, comments and Google accounts. Etherpad keeps to plain writing with colored authorship and a revision timeline, and people can join by link. It's a good fit for meeting notes and drafts rather than polished documents.

No. You add prepaid credit and your pods are billed by the hour from that balance, rounded up to full hours. There are no contracts or minimum terms: delete a pod anytime and billing stops. Optional automatic top-ups keep your pods running without manual payments.

You do. And you're in full control. If you ever want to download, migrate, edit or delete your data, just enable file and database access for your pod and it will be right there.