Confluence is Atlassian's workspace for creating and organising a team's knowledge: you write pages, live docs, whiteboards, databases and slides, and keep them in spaces. As of October 2026 Confluence Cloud saves a version every time something changes, so you can always go back.
Here's the catch, and it's the choice that matters most when you start. A page and a live doc look alike but suit different work. Pages are for versioned content such as documentation or policy. Live docs are for real-time work, with up to 30 people editing at once. Pick the wrong one and you'll either lose the clean history a policy needs or slow down a group that wants to write together.
The building blocks of Confluence
| Item | What it does |
|---|---|
| Space | A self-contained place for a team or project |
| Page | Versioned content such as docs or policy |
| Live doc | Real-time editing, up to 30 editors at once |
| Whiteboard, database, slides | The other content types you can create |
| Blog | Announcements, one in every space |
Spaces: where everything lives
Everything in Confluence is organised into spaces. Each space has an overview, a blog for announcements, and its pages and live docs, which you arrange in a hierarchy or group with labels.
I'd give each team or major project its own space, and use the overview as the front door, the page that tells a newcomer what's here and where to start. The space blog is the right home for updates that would otherwise get lost in a chat thread. Hierarchy works when content has a clear parent and child, and labels help when the same page belongs to more than one topic.
Pages vs live docs
This is the decision you'll make most often. Pages are best for versioned content, so anything people need to trust as the current, approved version, such as a process, a handbook or a policy, belongs on a page. You can embed a Trello board or attach files to a page too, which keeps the reference material next to the explanation.
Live docs suit work that's still moving. Up to 30 people can edit at the same time, which makes them right for a workshop, planning notes or a first draft everyone's adding to. Once a live doc settles into something people will rely on, that's the point to turn it into a page.
Versioning: nothing is lost
Confluence saves a snapshot automatically every time a page is updated, a new file version is uploaded or a live doc changes in real time. You can revert to an earlier version.
That's what makes it safe to let more people edit. If someone deletes a section by mistake or rewrites a policy without asking, you go back to the version before. It's the main reason I'd put important documents in Confluence rather than in a chat or an email.
Comments, decisions and action items
Collaboration happens on the page itself. You can leave inline comments on a word, a sentence, a file or an image, add general comments in the footer, or use the side panel. Decisions, action items and @mentions sit alongside them, so the conversation and its outcome stay with the content.
Inline comments are the habit to build. A comment on the exact sentence that needs changing is far quicker to act on than a footer note that says the third paragraph is wrong.
Permissions: open by default, restricted when you need it
Confluence is open by default, which suits teams that want people to find things. Permissions and restrictions let you narrow that down when you need to. You can share a project with a client who sees nothing else, or make a space public so customers can read it but not edit it.
That second option turns Confluence into a help centre or a set of public docs without a separate tool. The first is useful for agencies and consultants: one space per client, restricted so each client sees only their own work.
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How to get started with Confluence
- Create a space for your team or project.
- Add pages for anything that needs a version history, and live docs for real-time work.
- Organise them with a hierarchy and labels.
- Set permissions or restrictions, especially before you invite a client.
- Share it, and use inline comments to give feedback.
My verdict on Confluence
I'd use Confluence if your team keeps losing decisions in chat and needs one place for processes and policies, because automatic versioning means nothing important is ever gone for good. Start with one space, put your three most-asked-about processes on pages, and use live docs for meetings. I'd think twice if your team mostly works in documents shared by email and you only need a handful of files, because the value comes from spaces, versions and permissions working together. If you're comparing options, read Notion vs Confluence or my take on Confluence against SharePoint.
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Frequently asked questions
What is Confluence used for?
Creating and organising a team's knowledge in spaces, with pages, live docs, whiteboards, databases and slides.
What's the difference between a Confluence page and a live doc?
Pages are best for versioned content such as documentation or policy. Live docs are for real-time work and allow up to 30 simultaneous editors.
Does Confluence keep old versions?
Yes. Automatic versioning saves a snapshot every time a page is updated, a file version is uploaded or a live doc changes, and you can revert.
Can I share Confluence with a client?
Yes. Permissions and restrictions can share a project with a client who sees nothing else.
Can I make a Confluence space public?
Yes. You can make a space public so customers can read it but not edit it.
What is a Confluence space?
A self-contained place for a team or project, with an overview, a blog for announcements, and pages and live docs arranged in a hierarchy or by labels.
