nvim-live-collab

A secure, real-time remote collaboration system for the Neovim text editor.

This project was developed for the "Komputerowe i Sieciowe Systemy Operacyjne" course at the Warsaw University of Technology (WEITI, PW).

Authors

• Karol Adamski
• Bartłomiej Masiak

Features

• Real-time Synchronization: Instantly syncs file content and edits between a host and multiple guests.
• Virtual Cursors: Displays the cursors of other connected users directly in your buffer using Neovim namespaces and extmarks.
• Secure Architecture:
  • The backend server listens only on the loopback interface (127.0.0.1) to prevent direct external access.
  • Communication between clients and the server is strictly routed through encrypted SSH tunnels.
  • The server process is isolated using AppArmor, restricting access to the file system to prevent privilege escalation.
  • Incoming traffic is filtered via iptables.

Tech Stack

• Client / Plugin: Lua (using Neovim's API)
• Backend Server: Rust (using tokio for asynchronous I/O)
• Protocol: JSON over TCP sockets
• Infrastructure & Security: Linux, Systemd, OpenSSH, AppArmor, Iptables, Zabbix