Sonar Code Editor

• ▸🐙 GitHub Repository: https://github.com/rkvishwa/Sonar-Code-Editor
• ▸🌐 Webview: https://sonar.knurdz.org/

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 currently under active development on the main branch. An open beta is available for anyone to install, test, and contribute.

⚖️ License

This project is licensed under the MIT License.