Overview: Fizzy is an open-source Kanban board developed by 37signals, the creators of Basecamp. Designed as a minimalist alternative to bloated project management tools, Fizzy focuses on simplicity and speed — offering a clean visual interface for tracking issues and ideas without unnecessary features. Built with Ruby on Rails and Hotwire, it’s optimized for teams that value focus over complexity. Whether you’re a small team managing sprints or an individual organizing personal tasks, Fizzy provides a no-nonsense way to visualize workflow without distraction.
Fizzy is not just a tool; it’s a philosophy. It rejects the trend of feature bloat in project management software and instead delivers a focused, performant experience. You can run it via Docker for quick deployment or dive into the Rails codebase for deeper customization using Kamal. It’s ideal for teams that want full control over their tracking system without the overhead of enterprise platforms.
What You Get
- Simple Kanban board UI - A clean, card-based interface for dragging and dropping issues across columns (To Do, In Progress, Done) with no cluttered menus or analytics dashboards.
- Hotwire-powered real-time updates - Uses Turbo and Stimulus to enable instant board updates without page reloads, providing a native-app-like experience in the browser.
- Docker-based deployment - Pre-built Docker images allow you to run Fizzy with minimal setup using a single docker run command.
- Kamal deployment support - Full integration with Kamal (37signals’ modern Rails deployment tool) for deploying customized versions to production servers with zero-downtime updates.
- Open and modifiable codebase - Entirely built in Ruby on Rails, making it easy for developers to extend functionality or adjust workflows to match team needs.
Common Use Cases
- Building a lightweight internal task tracker - A small engineering team uses Fizzy to manage bug fixes and feature requests without introducing the complexity of Jira or Linear, keeping focus on execution.
- Personal productivity workflow - A freelance developer deploys Fizzy on a VPS to track personal projects, using its simplicity to avoid distraction from notifications and integrations.
- Problem → Solution flow: Overwhelmed by complex project tools → Fizzy’s minimalism - Teams tired of navigating dozens of dashboards and reports switch to Fizzy to reduce cognitive load and get back to doing work.
- Team workflow for non-technical stakeholders - Product managers and designers use Fizzy’s visual board to align on priorities without needing training in complex systems.
Under The Hood
The project is a feature-rich web application built on Ruby on Rails, emphasizing modularity, developer experience, and extensibility in a monolithic architecture. It leverages modern practices such as component-based UI rendering and robust testing to support a scalable and maintainable codebase.
Architecture
This application follows a structured monolithic Rails architecture with clear separation of concerns and modular organization.
- The MVC pattern is consistently applied across controllers, models, and views to ensure maintainable code flow
- Strong emphasis on functional boundaries with dedicated modules for boards, cards, and user management
- Design patterns such as strategy-based routing and component-driven rendering enhance code organization
Tech Stack
The project utilizes a mature Ruby on Rails ecosystem with extensive tooling and integration support.
- Built with Ruby 3.4.7 and Rails 8.1, incorporating modular architecture and controller-heavy organization
- Relies on key gems like bootsnap, solid_cable, and trilogy for performance, real-time updates, and database connectivity
- Employs Docker, Rake, and CI/CD practices including brakeman and bundler-audit for security and automation
- Comprehensive test suite with system tests and coverage across core modules demonstrates strong testing culture
Code Quality
Code quality is well-maintained with consistent patterns and a mature test suite in place.
- Abundant test coverage ensures reliability across user flows and edge cases
- Error handling is consistently implemented with clear propagation mechanisms across modules
- Code style and naming conventions are largely consistent, supporting long-term maintainability
- Some technical debt remains in job processing and error handling that could benefit from refactoring
What Makes It Unique
This project stands out through its innovative UI and state management patterns, alongside unique workflows for account operations.
- Component-based UI rendering and CSS layer integration with OKLCH color systems represent a modern approach to styling
- Account-level operations, export/import workflows, and join code management streamline user onboarding and admin control
- Extensive use of internal libraries and modular design enables high extensibility and developer productivity
- Emphasis on developer experience and structured modularity sets it apart from generic Rails implementations