Vikunja — Self-Hosted Open Source To-Do and Project Management

Introduction

Vikunja provides a full-featured task and project management suite you can host yourself. It covers personal to-do lists and team project boards alike, with a clean UI that supports multiple views and integrations.

What Vikunja Does

• Manages tasks with due dates, priorities, labels, assignees, and subtasks
• Displays projects as lists, kanban boards, Gantt charts, or table views
• Syncs tasks with CalDAV-compatible calendar apps on desktop and mobile
• Supports file attachments, comments, and task relations
• Provides team workspaces with fine-grained sharing and permission controls

Architecture Overview

Vikunja consists of a Go API backend and a Vue.js frontend, both shipped in a single Docker image. The backend uses GORM for database abstraction and supports SQLite, PostgreSQL, and MySQL. Authentication supports local accounts, OpenID Connect, and LDAP. A background worker handles scheduled reminders and recurring task generation. The CalDAV server is built into the API for native calendar sync.

Self-Hosting & Configuration

• Deploy with Docker Compose using the all-in-one image (API + frontend)
• SQLite works out of the box; switch to PostgreSQL or MySQL for multi-user workloads
• Configure via config.yml or environment variables (database, mailer, auth providers)
• Enable OIDC for single sign-on with Authentik, Keycloak, or any OpenID provider
• Set up SMTP for email notifications and task reminders

Key Features

• Four project views: list, kanban, Gantt, and table — switch per project
• CalDAV integration for syncing tasks to Apple Reminders, Thunderbird, and other clients
• Import from Todoist, Trello, and Microsoft To Do for easy migration
• Recurring tasks with flexible schedules (daily, weekly, monthly, custom)
• REST API and webhooks for automation and third-party integrations

Comparison with Similar Tools

• Todoist — polished commercial to-do app with no self-hosting option
• Planka — kanban-focused board without list or Gantt views
• Plane — project management with issue tracking; heavier and more developer-oriented
• Focalboard — Notion-like boards by Mattermost; less active since Mattermost deprecated it
• Tasks.org — Android-only task app with CalDAV; Vikunja offers a full web UI plus CalDAV

FAQ

Q: Can I use Vikunja on my phone? A: Yes, via the responsive web UI or by syncing tasks to your phone's calendar/reminders app via CalDAV.

Q: Does Vikunja support teams? A: Yes, create teams, share projects with specific permissions, and assign tasks to team members.

Q: How do I migrate from Todoist? A: Use the built-in importer: go to Settings, select Todoist, and provide your API token to import all projects and tasks.

Q: What are the server requirements? A: Vikunja is lightweight. A 1-core VPS with 512 MB RAM and SQLite handles personal use comfortably.

Sources

• https://github.com/go-vikunja/vikunja
• https://vikunja.io/docs