CollabCode: A Real-Time Code Sharing Space

Abstract

This paper introduces CollabCode, a web-based real-time collaborative Integrated Development Environment (IDE) designed to enable developers to code, debug, and communicate within shared sessions. The platform offers a comprehensive toolkit including live code synchronization, in-built team chat, AI-assisted code support, and collaborative task tracking. Built with Node.js, Express.js, WebSockets, and Google Gemini AI, the system leverages cloud storage for scalable backend performance and secure user session management. This paper discusses the system\'s architecture, development methodologies, and its real-world applications in education and software development.

Introduction

In modern software development, collaboration has become essential as teams increasingly work across distributed locations. Traditional IDEs and version control systems often fail to support real-time collaboration, resulting in fragmented workflows, miscommunication, and delays in debugging or integration. To address these challenges, CollabCode was developed as a browser-based, real-time collaborative IDE that integrates code editing, chat, AI-powered support, and shared task management into a single platform. Its goals include enabling multiple users to edit code simultaneously, communicate effectively, manage tasks collaboratively, and maintain secure, scalable performance.

The literature highlights a wide range of existing collaborative coding tools and approaches: from web-based IDEs using WebSocket technology (e.g., CodeR, Real-Time Collaborative Code Editor) to browser-based platforms for Java (CoRED), extensions for mainstream IDEs (CoVSCode), and educational environments (CodeWave, RTC Code Editor). Key innovations across these systems include real-time synchronization, conflict resolution, error isolation, AI-assisted coding, live debugging, integrated communication, and role-based access control. Studies show that these collaborative platforms improve productivity, reduce integration conflicts, enhance learning outcomes, and facilitate seamless distributed development.

Conclusion

CollabCode demonstrates how modern web technologies and AI integration can streamline collaborative coding. By unifying code editing, chatting, task tracking, and AI support, it offers an intuitive yet powerful solution for team-based development. Its real-time architecture ensures a fluid coding experience, and its scalability makes it suitable for both small academic groups and large enterprise teams. Future work will focus on integrating GitHub repositories for version control, supporting multiple programming languages, adding voice chat, and deploying a mobile-friendly version to further expand usability.

References

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Copyright

Copyright © 2025 Medha Wyawahare, Milind Rane, Chandrashekhar Chandekar , Soham Chavan, Atharva Chaudhari . This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.