ClearFlask is an open-source feedback and roadmap management platform designed for product teams to collect, organize, and prioritize user input throughout the development lifecycle. Built as a self-hostable alternative to proprietary tools like Canny and UserVoice, it enables teams to manage feature requests, votes, comments, and roadmap planning without vendor lock-in. The platform is engineered for scalability with support for Kubernetes, AWS services, and customizable dependencies like MySQL, Elasticsearch, and MinIO. ClearFlask is ideal for startups, SaaS companies, and engineering teams seeking full control over their user feedback infrastructure while maintaining enterprise-grade reliability.
Its dual-component architecture — a Java-based backend (clearflask-server) and a Node.js frontend (clearflask-connect) — supports real-time feedback collection, role-based access, and seamless integration with email services (SMTP or AWS SES) for user notifications. With built-in support for TLS certificate automation via Let’s Encrypt, DNS configuration flexibility, and Helm-based Kubernetes deployments, ClearFlask empowers technical teams to deploy a full-featured feedback system in their own infrastructure.
What You Get
- User Feedback Collection - Users can submit feature requests, upvote existing ideas, and comment on proposals through a web-based interface with real-time updates and voting mechanics.
- Product Roadmap Visualization - Teams can organize feedback into public or private roadmaps with status tags (planned, in progress, shipped) and timeline views to communicate product direction transparently.
- Self-Hosted Deployment - Full control over data with Docker Compose and Helm chart support, enabling deployment on any infrastructure without SaaS dependencies.
- AWS and Kubernetes Integration - Native support for AWS services (DynamoDB, S3, SES) and production-grade Kubernetes deployments with Helm charts including autoscaling, health checks, and zero-downtime updates.
- Email Notification System - Configurable email delivery via SMTP (Gmail, Outlook) or AWS SES for user notifications on feedback updates, comments, and status changes.
- TLS Certificate Automation - Automatic Let’s Encrypt certificate generation and renewal for custom domains, simplifying secure HTTPS deployment without manual cert management.
- Multi-Database Support - Choose between MySQL/Aurora for search and filtering or Elasticsearch/OpenSearch for advanced full-text queries, with persistent storage via PVCs in Kubernetes.
Common Use Cases
- Building a SaaS product with user-driven development - A startup uses ClearFlask to collect feature requests from beta users, prioritize them based on upvotes and comments, and publish a public roadmap to build trust and transparency.
- Replacing Canny or UserVoice for compliance reasons - A healthcare tech company self-hosts ClearFlask to ensure all user feedback data remains within their private infrastructure, meeting HIPAA and GDPR requirements.
- Problem: Fragmented feedback from multiple channels → Solution: Centralized feedback hub - A product team receives requests via email, Slack, and support tickets; they deploy ClearFlask to unify all feedback into one searchable, votable system with priority tagging.
- DevOps teams managing multi-cloud product platforms - Engineering teams running on AWS EKS use ClearFlask’s Helm charts to deploy a feedback system with DynamoDB, S3 for file uploads, and SES for emails — all integrated into their existing cloud infrastructure.
Under The Hood
ClearFlask is a full-stack development framework that bridges API generation and frontend rendering through a modular, templated approach. It enables developers to define APIs using OpenAPI standards and automatically generate both backend services and frontend UIs, streamlining the development lifecycle.
Architecture
The project adopts a layered architecture with distinct modules for API handling, frontend rendering, and configuration management. This design promotes clear separation of concerns and modularity.
- A multi-tiered structure separates backend logic from frontend components, ensuring maintainable and scalable code.
- Extensive use of templating systems like Mustache allows for consistent generation of API contracts and UI elements.
- Component-based frontend design supports reusability and enhances long-term maintainability.
Tech Stack
The framework leverages a hybrid tech stack combining Java for backend services and TypeScript/React for the frontend, enabling full-stack development with modern tooling.
- Java-based backend services are complemented by a React and TypeScript frontend, offering a seamless integration of server-side and client-side logic.
- A rich ecosystem of libraries including Material-UI, Redux, React Router, and i18next enhances UI capabilities and internationalization support.
- Development tools such as Webpack, Babel, and pnpm streamline the build process and code transformation workflows.
Code Quality
The project demonstrates a mixed quality with strong automation practices and some gaps in core logic testing. Code consistency is maintained through linting and templating, though error handling varies.
- Comprehensive test coverage is present across both frontend and backend components, supporting reliability and maintainability.
- Error handling strategies are evident in generated templates but lack standardized application-level patterns.
- Code conventions follow industry standards, with a focus on templating and configuration-driven development.
What Makes It Unique
ClearFlask distinguishes itself through its unique blend of OpenAPI-driven API generation and frontend templating, offering a unified development experience across backend and frontend.
- The use of Mustache templating for code generation allows for highly customizable and consistent API and UI output.
- Its dual-language approach integrates Java and TypeScript in a cohesive framework, enabling developers to work across stacks with minimal friction.
- The OpenAPI integration provides a standardized and extensible method for defining and generating backend services and frontend components.