Quickstart - Get started with a collaborative Tldraw whiteboard using Liveblocks and Next.js

Liveblocks is a realtime collaboration infrastructure for building performant collaborative experiences. Follow the following steps to start adding collaboration to your Next.js and Tldraw app using hooks from @liveblocks/react.

Quickstart

1. Install Liveblocks

   Every package should use the same version.

   Terminal

   npm install @liveblocks/client @liveblocks/react tldraw

2. Initialize the liveblocks.config.ts file

   We can use this file later to define types for our application.

   Terminal

   npx create-liveblocks-app@latest --init --framework react

3. Add Tldraw types to liveblocks.config.ts

   Edit your new liveblocks.config.ts file to include the following types for Tldraw.

   liveblocks.config.ts

   declare global {  interface Liveblocks {    Presence: {      presence: any;    };
       Storage: {      records: LiveMap<string, any>;    };
       UserMeta: {      id: string;      info: {        name: string;        color: string;        avatar: string;      };    };  }}

4. Create a Liveblocks room

   Liveblocks uses the concept of rooms, separate virtual spaces where people collaborate, and to create a realtime experience, multiple users must be connected to the same room. When using Next.js’ /app router, we recommend creating your room in a Room.tsx file in the same directory as your current route.

   Set up a Liveblocks client with LiveblocksProvider, join a room with RoomProvider, and use ClientSideSuspense to add a loading spinner to your app.

   app/Room.tsx

   "use client";
   import { ReactNode } from "react";import {  LiveblocksProvider,  RoomProvider,  ClientSideSuspense,} from "@liveblocks/react/suspense";
   export function Room({ children }: { children: ReactNode }) {  return (    <LiveblocksProvider publicApiKey={"pk_prod_xxxxxxxxxx…xxxxxxxxpk_prod_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx"}>      <RoomProvider id="my-room">        <ClientSideSuspense fallback={<div>Loading…</div>}>          {children}        </ClientSideSuspense>      </RoomProvider>    </LiveblocksProvider>  );}

5. Add the Liveblocks room to your page

   After creating your room file, it’s time to join it. Import your room into your page.tsx file, and place your collaborative app components inside it.

   app/page.tsx

   import { Room } from "./Room";import { TldrawApp } from "./TldrawApp";
   export default function Page() {  return (    <Room>      <TldrawApp />    </Room>  );}

6. Add the Tldraw component

   Now that we’re connected to a room, add the Tldraw component, importing a custom useStorageStore hook.

   app/TldrawApp.tsx

   "use client";
   import { useStorageStore } from "./useStorageStore";
   function StorageTldraw() {  const id = useSelf((me) => me.id);  const info = useSelf((me) => me.info);
     const store = useStorageStore({    user: { id, color: info?.color || "red", name: info?.name || "Guest" },  });
     return (    <div style={{ height: "100%", width: "100vw" }}>      <Tldraw store={store} autoFocus />    </div>  );}

7. Synchronize Tldraw with Liveblocks

   Create the useStorageStore hook to synchronize Tldraw state with Liveblocks Storage, and your whiteboard should be synchronized.

   app/useStorageStore.ts

8. Next: set up authentication

   By default, Liveblocks is configured to work without an authentication endpoint where everyone automatically has access to rooms. This approach is great for prototyping and marketing pages where setting up your own security isn’t always required. If you want to limit access to a room for certain users, you’ll need to set up an authentication endpoint to enable permissions.

   Set up authentication

What to read next

Congratulations! You now have set up the foundation to start building collaborative experiences for your React application.

• @liveblocks/react API Reference
• Next.js and React guides
• How to use Liveblocks Presence with React
• How to use Liveblocks Storage with React

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