Ramble uses conflict-free replicated data types (CRDTs) for real-time collaboration. Multiple people can edit the same draft simultaneously without conflicts — changes merge automatically, even if editors were offline.
Live Cursors and Presence
When someone else is viewing or editing your draft, you see their cursor in the editor with a colored label showing their name. Each collaborator gets a distinct color.
Presence is real-time: cursors appear when someone connects and disappear when they leave. If someone is connected but idle, their cursor stays visible at their last position.
Offline Editing
Ramble continues working without an internet connection. When you go offline:
- The editor remains fully functional
- Your changes are saved locally in your browser (IndexedDB)
- The status badge shows Working offline
When you reconnect, local changes sync automatically with the server. If someone else edited the same draft while you were offline, changes are merged — not overwritten.
Connection States
The status badge at the bottom of the editor shows your current state:
| Badge | Meaning |
|---|---|
| In sync | Your changes are saved to the server |
| Working offline | No connection; changes are saved locally |
| Syncing… | Reconnecting and merging changes |
Who Can Edit
Two paths grant editing access, and they work together:
Workspaces are for teams. Everyone in the workspace with an editor role can edit any draft in it simultaneously — up to 10 members per workspace.
Link sharing is for quick, ad-hoc access. When set to Edit, anyone with the link can edit — up to 3 people at a time.
The author always has full access. Workspace members connect through membership, not the link — they don’t count toward the link’s 3-person cap. A draft in a workspace with link sharing enabled can have all workspace editors and up to 3 link visitors editing at the same time.
Merge Behavior
CRDTs guarantee that all editors converge to the same document state, regardless of edit order or network timing. In practice:
- Two people typing in different parts of the document: both edits appear
- Two people editing the same line: both edits are preserved, merged character by character
- Someone deleting text while another edits it: the delete wins for the deleted characters, but inserted characters within the range are preserved
There are no “conflict resolution” dialogs. The merge is automatic and deterministic — every editor sees the same result.
Related
- Sharing & Access — how to give others access to your draft
- The Editor — formatting, shortcuts, and the preview panel
- Limits — resource quotas and draft size