Skip to content
SPECIFICTION
Get listed

Mahara

mahara.org

WebLinuxiOSAndroidAPISelf-hosted
Visit mahara.org
Spec score 7.6 #10 of 23 in Eportfolio Software

What it is

Mahara is a free ePortfolio system for learning communities. Students and staff can collect evidence, reflect on experiences, and relate work to competencies or registration requirements. Listed uses include study, professional development, work-integrated learning, assessment, presentation, and employability. Portfolios can be shared with an individual, group, or the public, with access limited by a time frame or assessment task. Users can comment, give feedback, build portfolios together in groups, and take part in group forums. Portfolios can be submitted to learning management systems through LTI for marking. Mahara is open source, under conditions that include providing source code with copies and using the same license for derivative works. It can be hosted on a Linux server; the manual also describes Docker setup for development and testing, and advises securing that environment before live use. The manual describes LTI 1.3 Advantage as experimental and tested only with Brightspace. The project links to community forums, a manual, a wiki, an issue tracker, and extended security support; Catalyst is named as maintainer.

Spec sheet

Purpose
Mahara is an ePortfolio system for students and staff to document learning with evidence, reflections, and context.Read 30 Sep 2026 · mahara.org
Intended users
The site describes Mahara as serving learning communities and names students and staff as portfolio creators.Read 30 Sep 2026 · mahara.org
Audience
The site presents Mahara for students and staff in learning communities and for organisations using portfolios in learning and assessment.Read 29 Sep 2026 · mahara.org
Free plan
YesRead 21 Sep 2026 · mahara.org
Integrations
The manual says Mahara supports LTI for connecting to LMS platforms and provides a wider web services suite for deeper integrations.Read 29 Sep 2026 · manual.mahara.org
Support
The site links to community forums, a manual, a wiki, an issue and enhancement tracker, and extended security support.Read 30 Sep 2026 · mahara.org
Founded
2006Read 23 Sep 2026 · mahara.org
Collaboration
Mahara groups support collaborative portfolio creation and forum discussions.Read 30 Sep 2026 · mahara.org
Demo
Mahara offers a demo site that resets once a day, erasing user-created content unless portfolios are exported beforehand.Read 29 Sep 2026 · demo.mahara.org
Deployment note
The manual says Docker images can serve as a basis for Kubernetes deployments and recommends securing the environment before using its Docker setup for a live site.Read 29 Sep 2026 · manual.mahara.org
Feedback
Users can comment on portfolios and give feedback.Read 30 Sep 2026 · mahara.org
LMS integration
Portfolios can be submitted to learning management systems via LTI for marking.Read 30 Sep 2026 · mahara.org
LTI limitation
The manual describes LTI 1.3 Advantage as experimental and says it has not been tested with LMS platforms other than Brightspace.Read 29 Sep 2026 · manual.mahara.org
Maintainer
The official site identifies Catalyst as Mahara's maintainer.Read 29 Sep 2026 · mahara.org
Maintainers
The site identifies Catalyst as Mahara's maintainers.Read 30 Sep 2026 · mahara.org
Open source
The site says users may copy, use, and modify Mahara subject to license conditions, including sharing source code when distributing it.Read 30 Sep 2026 · mahara.org
Portfolio uses
The site lists study, professional development, work-integrated learning, assessment, showcase and presentation, and employability as portfolio uses.Read 30 Sep 2026 · mahara.org
Self-hosting
The Mahara 26.04 manual provides traditional installation instructions for a Linux server and Docker setup instructions for development and testing.Read 29 Sep 2026 · manual.mahara.org
Sharing
Portfolios can be shared with one person, a specific group, or the public, with access restricted by time frame or assessment task.Read 30 Sep 2026 · mahara.org
Sharing controls
Portfolios can be shared with an individual, a group, or the public, with access restricted by time frame or assessment task.Read 29 Sep 2026 · mahara.org
Use cases
The site lists study, professional development, work-integrated learning, assessment, showcase and presentation, and employability as portfolio uses.Read 29 Sep 2026 · mahara.org

Strong points and limits

Strong points

  • Free plan is available.
  • Portfolios support individual, group, or public sharing.
  • Users can comment and give feedback.
  • LTI supports portfolio submission for marking.
  • Can be self-hosted on a Linux server.

Limits

  • LTI 1.3 Advantage is experimental.
  • LTI 1.3 Advantage has only been tested with Brightspace.
  • Docker setup should be secured before live use.

Who it suits

Mahara suits students and staff who need to gather evidence, reflect, and share learning portfolios. It may also suit organizations using portfolios for learning and assessment.

Verdict

Mahara brings portfolio creation, feedback, collaboration, and LMS submission together for learning communities. Check its LTI caveat and hosting guidance against your requirements.

Where Specifiction places it

Alternatives to MaharaAll alternatives →