JavaScript Library for Document Layout like Google Docs?

Other Questions Google docs
1

I’m in search of a JavaScript library that can effectively manage text layout akin to Google Docs. I understand that Google Docs does some unique things to achieve this, avoiding native browser features such as designMode and contentEditable, and instead, it creates a customized system. Microsoft Office Online follows a similar methodology.

I need a solution that can manage intricate text formatting, positioning, and layout while not depending on the browser’s default editing tools. Are there any open source options or frameworks that offer this sort of specialized text rendering engine?

// Sample code to illustrate my requirement
const docEngine = new CustomTextEngine({
  target: document.getElementById('text-editor'),
  canvasWidth: 800,
  canvasHeight: 600
});

docEngine.addTextBlock({
  content: 'Example text for the document',
  size: 12,
  typeface: 'Arial'
});

docEngine.renderContent();

Essentially, I aim to build a document editor that grants detailed control over text placement and formatting while avoiding issues related to browser behavior.

2

I’ve been working on something similar lately. ProseMirror is your best bet - it doesn’t ditch browser editing entirely like Google Docs, but gives you solid control over text positioning and formatting. The schema-based approach lets you define exactly how your document structure works. You could also try Quill.js with custom modules, though it’s more limited. If you want truly custom text rendering like your code example, you’ll probably need canvas-based rendering plus a text measurement library like opentype.js. Just heads up - building text selection, cursor positioning, and input handling from scratch is a ton of work.

3

I’ve built custom editors before - this is a pretty complex project. ProseMirror and Fabric.js get mentioned a lot, but they’re still stuck using browser primitives. For real document control like Google Docs, I’d look at Draft.js with canvas rendering. Here’s the thing - Google Docs treats the whole document as one rendered surface, not DOM elements. You’ll have to handle text measurement, line breaks, and cursor positioning yourself. I tried using Canvas API for text rendering with a separate data model for document state. Performance was decent, but multi-line text selection gets messy fast. Start with a hybrid approach - canvas for text rendering, DOM events for input handling.

4

you might wanna look into fabric.js. it’s pretty good for canvas text stuff n offers control that’s not a bad start. it won’t hit all the features of google docs, but it’s a solid base u can build on.