Kanboard — Minimalist Kanban Project Management

Introduction

Kanboard is a minimalist Kanban project management tool designed for individuals and small teams who want a simple way to visualize work. It focuses on doing one thing well: managing tasks on a Kanban board with swimlanes, WIP limits, and Gantt charts, all without the bloat of enterprise project management suites.

What Kanboard Does

• Provides a visual Kanban board with drag-and-drop task cards and swimlanes
• Enforces work-in-progress limits per column to reduce multitasking
• Supports Gantt charts, calendar views, and cumulative flow diagrams
• Includes task automation with triggers and automatic actions
• Offers a plugin system with 50+ community plugins for extended functionality

Architecture Overview

Kanboard is a PHP application that uses SQLite by default with optional MySQL or PostgreSQL backends. It runs on Apache or Nginx with PHP-FPM. The frontend is server-rendered HTML with vanilla JavaScript for interactive elements. The plugin architecture allows extending functionality without modifying core code. A JSON-RPC API enables programmatic access to all features.

Self-Hosting & Configuration

• Deploy via Docker with volumes for persistent data and plugins
• Uses SQLite by default for zero-configuration database setup
• Switch to MySQL or PostgreSQL by editing config.php for multi-user production use
• Install plugins by dropping them into the plugins directory or via the UI
• Configure LDAP, OAuth, or reverse proxy authentication for SSO

Key Features

• Work-in-progress limits per column to enforce flow-based productivity
• Automatic actions triggered by task events like moves, assignments, and due dates
• Gantt chart and calendar views for timeline-based project planning
• JSON-RPC API for scripting, automation, and external tool integration
• Subtasks, time tracking, and task relations for detailed work breakdown

Comparison with Similar Tools

• WeKan — More Trello-like with teams focus; Kanboard is leaner and more individual-focused
• Trello — Cloud-based freemium; Kanboard is fully self-hosted with no usage limits
• Planka — Modern UI for team boards; Kanboard emphasizes minimalism and WIP limits
• Taiga — Full agile suite with Scrum; Kanboard keeps it simple with pure Kanban
• Focalboard — Mattermost-integrated; Kanboard is standalone with a mature plugin ecosystem

FAQ

Q: Is Kanboard suitable for large teams? A: Kanboard works best for individuals and small teams. For larger organizations needing advanced permissions, consider WeKan or Taiga.

Q: Can I migrate from Trello? A: Yes. Kanboard has an official Trello import plugin that converts Trello JSON exports into Kanboard projects.

Q: Does it support mobile access? A: The web UI is responsive. There are also third-party mobile apps that connect via the JSON-RPC API.

Q: What is the plugin ecosystem like? A: Over 50 community plugins are available covering themes, integrations with Slack and Mattermost, calendar sync, and more.

Sources

• https://github.com/kanboard/kanboard
• https://docs.kanboard.org/