Websites using Togetherjs

Okay, let s break down TogetherJS, its revenue (or lack thereof), alternatives, pricing (again, or lack thereof), and customer care details.

What is TogetherJS?

TogetherJS was a free, open-source JavaScript library created by Mozilla that aimed to add real-time collaboration features to websites. It allowed users to:

• Real-time Co-browsing: Share the same browser window and interact with the same content simultaneously. Think of it as Google Docs, but for any website.
• Collaborative Forms: Fill out forms together.
• Shared Cursors: See where each other is pointing on the page.
• Voice and Text Chat: Communicate directly within the collaborative session.

Key Idea: The goal was to make it incredibly easy for web developers to add a collaborative layer to their existing websites with minimal code changes.

Unfortunately, TogetherJS is no longer maintained. Mozilla discontinued it in 2017. The official website (togetherjs.com) is now defunct. The project is archived on GitHub but receives no active updates.

Revenue and Pricing (Important Note: Historic)

• Revenue: TogetherJS never had a revenue model. It was a purely open-source project supported by Mozilla.
• Pricing: It was completely free to use under the Mozilla Public License 2.0.

Alternatives (Current Options for Real-Time Collaboration)

Since TogetherJS is no longer viable, here are some actively maintained alternatives for adding real-time collaboration to web applications:

• Liveblocks: This is probably the closest direct replacement. It s a commercial service focused on collaborative experiences (cursors, presence, and more) with good documentation and integrations. Pricing is tiered, based on usage (active users, data storage, etc.). They provide generous free tier for testing and small projects.
• tldraw: This isn t a library you directly integrate, but it s a fantastic open-source drawing application that is built to be collaborative. You can use it as inspiration or even fork and adapt it. It uses conflict-free replicated data types (CRDTs) for efficient synchronization.
• Yjs: Another good open-source CRDT library. Provides a solid foundation for building collaborative applications and relies on you building the user interface and backend integrations.
• Ably: A platform as a service (PaaS) specializing in real-time data delivery. It provides features for presence, channels, pub/sub, and more, which can be used to build collaborative experiences. Ably has usage-based pricing.
• PubNub: Similar to Ably, PubNub is a real-time communication platform that provides infrastructure for building collaborative features. It also has usage-based pricing.
• Firebase (Realtime Database or Firestore): While not specifically designed for collaborative cursors and the like, Firebase s real-time database capabilities can be leveraged to build collaborative features. It requires more manual implementation compared to the specialized services. Firebase has a generous free tier and paid plans based on storage, data transfer, and other factors.
• WebSockets (with a custom backend): You can always implement your own real-time communication system using WebSockets. This gives you the most control but also requires the most development effort. You ll need to handle server-side logic, scaling, and reliability yourself.

Choosing an Alternative:

The best alternative depends on your specific requirements:

• Ease of Integration: If you want the easiest and quickest way to add basic collaborative features, Liveblocks may be a good starting point.
• Cost: Open-source options like Yjs and using Firebase or building your own solution are potentially more cost-effective, especially for projects with tight budgets.
• Scalability: For applications that need to handle a large number of concurrent users, consider platforms like Ably or PubNub.
• Flexibility: If you need highly customized collaborative features or want complete control over the underlying infrastructure, a custom WebSocket-based solution might be the best choice.
• Offline Support: CRDT libraries, such as Yjs, are advantageous when offline support is needed for collaborative editing.

Customer Care (for TogetherJS - Historic)

• Since the project is defunct, there is no customer care available for TogetherJS.
• In its active days, support was primarily through:
  • GitHub Issues: Reporting bugs and asking questions on the GitHub repository.
  • Mozilla Developer Network (MDN) Documentation: Official documentation and examples (now likely outdated).
  • Community Forums: (These are probably inactive now).

In summary:

TogetherJS was a great idea and filled a need at the time, but it is no longer a viable option. You ll need to explore the alternatives mentioned above to add real-time collaboration to your web applications today. Remember to carefully evaluate your requirements and budget when choosing a replacement.