Kaneo — Lightweight Open-Source Project Management

Introduction

Kaneo is a self-hosted project management tool that gives small teams a fast, focused workspace for tracking tasks and sprints. It offers Kanban boards, issue tracking, and project organization without the bloat and complexity of enterprise tools like Jira.

What Kaneo Does

• Organizes work into projects with Kanban boards and list views
• Tracks issues with labels, priorities, assignees, and due dates
• Provides a clean drag-and-drop interface for moving tasks between columns
• Supports multiple workspaces for separating teams or clients
• Offers a responsive UI that works well on desktop and mobile browsers

Architecture Overview

Kaneo is a TypeScript full-stack application using React on the frontend and Hono on the backend. Data is stored in a lightweight database, keeping the deployment footprint small. The entire stack runs in Docker containers with minimal configuration required.

Self-Hosting & Configuration

• Deploy with Docker Compose using the provided configuration
• Configure database and authentication via environment variables
• Set up user accounts and workspace permissions through the admin panel
• Customize board columns and workflow stages per project
• Data is stored in a single database volume for easy backup

Key Features

• Fast, responsive UI built with React and modern TypeScript
• Kanban boards with drag-and-drop card management
• Issue tracking with labels, priorities, and filtering
• Multi-workspace support for organizing separate teams or projects
• Lightweight deployment that runs comfortably on a Raspberry Pi

Comparison with Similar Tools

• Jira — enterprise-grade with steep learning curve; Kaneo is minimal and quick to deploy
• Linear — polished SaaS product; Kaneo offers a similar aesthetic as a self-hosted option
• Planka — Trello-like boards; Kaneo adds issue tracking features beyond simple Kanban
• Plane — more feature-rich self-hosted PM; Kaneo is lighter and simpler to operate

FAQ

Q: Can I migrate from Jira or Trello? A: There is no built-in importer, but the simple data model makes scripting migrations straightforward.

Q: Does it support sprints or time tracking? A: Kaneo focuses on Kanban-style workflows. Sprint planning and time tracking are not core features.

Q: How many users can it handle? A: Kaneo is designed for small to medium teams. It runs efficiently with dozens of concurrent users on modest hardware.

Q: Is there an API? A: Yes. The backend exposes a REST API used by the frontend, which can also be consumed by external integrations.

Sources

• https://github.com/usekaneo/kaneo
• https://kaneo.app