Sonar Code Editor

Links

• ▸GitHub Repository
• ▸Webview
• ▸Microsoft Store — Windows
• ▸macOS (Homebrew):

brew install --cask rkvishwa/knurdz/sonar-code-editor

Overview

Sonar Code Editor is a purpose-built coding environment engineered for high-stakes scenarios, from university programming exams to technical hiring interviews. Unlike general-purpose IDEs, Sonar operates in a controlled, supervised mode that prevents candidates from accessing external resources while allowing proctors full visibility into in-progress code.

The editor supports real-time collaboration, meaning interviewers can observe and annotate code as it is being written, creating a natural and authentic interview experience.

The Problem

Traditional coding interviews rely on screen-sharing hacks, locked-down browsers, or proprietary platforms that feel alien to developers. Sonar bridges the gap: it feels like a real editor, keyboard shortcuts, syntax highlighting, multi-file support, while giving institutions the control they need.

Key Features

• ▸Real-time collaboration: Google Docs-style live editing powered by Yjs (CRDT), featuring automated workspace sync and multi-colored shared cursors with conflict-free resolution.
• ▸Supervised Exam Mode: Enforces academic integrity via an admin dashboard that can globally disable auto-complete and snippets. Includes a strict localhost-only preview panel that silently blocks external navigation.
• ▸Advanced Activity Monitoring: Dual-layer monitoring tracks all restricted events (e.g., suspicious pastes, app blurring), syncing them to a real-time dashboard and allowing PDF exports of color-coded session logs.
• ▸Multi-language support: Powered by the Monaco Editor engine, supporting multiple programming languages (e.g., HTML, CSS, PHP, JavaScript, TypeScript, Python) with out-of-the-box syntax highlighting.
• ▸Cross-platform Desktop App: Ships as a secure, native desktop application (Electron-based) available for Windows, macOS, and Linux.

Technical Architecture

Sonar is built on an Electron + React frontend with an Appwrite backend architecture. The Monaco Editor (the same engine powering VS Code) is embedded and surgically extended to support Sonar's proctoring hooks.

Real-time collaboration relies on Yjs for conflict-free replicated data types (CRDTs) to merge concurrent edits seamlessly across networks.

Stack

Status

Sonar is in production. Install on Windows via the Microsoft Store or on macOS with Homebrew:

brew install --cask rkvishwa/knurdz/sonar-code-editor

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License.