Penpot

Penpot is an open-source web app and server that provides a comprehensive platform for design and prototyping. It allows teams to build digital products by combining visual design tools with a code-based approach to ensure a closer translation between visual mockups and final development. The platform serves as a centralized hub where teams can design, prototype, and hand off assets to developers within a single environment.

The software is deployment agnostic and can be used as a cloud-based service or self-hosted on private servers using Docker or Kubernetes. This flexible architecture allows organizations to maintain full ownership of their design infrastructure and meet specific compliance or governance requirements. By utilizing a browser-based interface, it enables real-time collaboration across different operating systems without requiring local software installations.

Key features

• Real-time collaboration for distributed design teams
• Native design tokens for maintaining a single source of truth
• CSS Grid and Flex Layout for responsive interface design
• Inspect mode providing direct access to SVG, CSS, and HTML code
• Component and variant systems for scalable UI libraries
• Programmable workspace via an open API and plugin system
• MCP server for multi-directional workflows between design and code
• Webhook support for integration into development toolchains

Built with Clojure and ClojureScript, the platform focuses on open standards like SVG, CSS, HTML, and JSON to avoid vendor lock-in. It is specifically designed to serve both designers and developers, bridging the gap between the two roles by expressing design elements in a way that is readable by code. The inclusion of a plugin system and an open API enables automation and the creation of AI-driven workflows within the design environment, allowing teams to integrate the workspace with other existing tools in their development toolchain.

Penpot is a full-stack design platform for teams that require a self-hosted, open-standard environment for building scalable design systems and integrated product development processes.