Kaneo is a minimalist, open-source project management platform designed for teams tired of bloated tools like Jira or Linear. It provides just enough structure — board and list views, task assignments, labels, and due dates — without overwhelming users with unnecessary features. Built for developers and product teams who value speed, clarity, and control, Kaneo eliminates dashboard noise to keep focus on execution.
Technically, Kaneo is a full-stack TypeScript application using Hono for the API, React for the frontend, and PostgreSQL for data storage. It supports deployment via Docker Compose, the drim CLI for one-click setups, and Kubernetes via Helm. All data is owned by the user, with native GitHub issue syncing and optional self-hosted object storage for uploads.
What You Get
- Board and List View Sync - Tasks maintain consistent state across board and list views, with real-time sync of assignees, priorities, labels, and due dates for seamless planning and execution.
- Native GitHub Integration - Automatically sync GitHub issues to Kaneo projects, preserving labels, assignees, and status to align product planning with development workflows.
- Self-Hosted by Default - Deploy on your own infrastructure using Docker Compose, drim CLI, or Kubernetes — no vendor lock-in, full control over data and authentication.
- Minimalist Task Management - Focus on core elements: assignees, due dates, labels, and priorities — no custom fields, workflows, or complex hierarchies that add friction.
- Privacy-First Design - No telemetry, no analytics tracking, and transparent architecture to ensure user data remains private and unmonitored.
- One-Click Deployment with drim - Install and configure Kaneo with a single command:
curl -fsSL https://assets.kaneo.app/install.sh | sh && drim setup — including HTTPS, database, and services.
Common Use Cases
- Running a small product team - A startup uses Kaneo to track feature requests and bug fixes synced from GitHub, keeping engineers focused without switching between tools.
- Managing open-source project backlogs - Maintainers use Kaneo to organize issues from GitHub repos with labels and priorities, avoiding external SaaS platforms.
- Internal IT or ops teams - Teams manage incident tickets and infrastructure tasks with simple boards, ensuring transparency without requiring complex permission systems.
- Freelancers and solopreneurs - Individuals track client tasks and deadlines in a clean interface, self-hosted to protect client data and avoid subscription costs.
Under The Hood
Architecture
- Monorepo structure with Turbo enabling isolated development of web and API layers, ensuring clean separation of concerns
- Hono-based HTTP layer with Prisma and Drizzle ORM managing database interactions through generated types and migrations
- Functional dependency injection via Effect.io replacing traditional class-based patterns, enhancing testability and modularity
- Event-driven communication using custom publish-subscribe components to decouple domain logic from UI concerns
- Dockerized multi-service deployment with health checks and dependency ordering to maintain environment consistency across all stages
- Comprehensive tooling stack including Biome, Husky, and Commitlint enforcing code quality and commit standards at the monorepo level
Tech Stack
- Hono as the primary HTTP server with OpenAPI integration and Node.js adapter
- Drizzle ORM with Drizzle Kit for type-safe PostgreSQL migrations and schema evolution, paired with pg as the database client
- Next.js and Vue.js coexisting in a monorepo with shared tooling and build orchestration via Turbo
- PostgreSQL 16-alpine managed via Docker Compose with persistent volumes and health checks
- Biome for code formatting and linting, integrated with pre-commit hooks and conventional commit validation
- Multi-service Docker deployment using GHCR for production images, with AWS SDK for S3 and Better-Auth for authentication
Code Quality
- Extensive test coverage spanning unit, integration, and end-to-end scenarios with Vitest, including mocked external services
- Strong type safety and modular structure with dedicated test files for utilities, plugins, and API endpoints
- Robust error handling with appropriate HTTP status codes and descriptive messages for edge cases
- Consistent naming conventions and logical directory organization that mirror domain boundaries
- Comprehensive integration tests validating real-world workflows such as authentication flows and API response integrity
- Effective use of test helpers and mocks to isolate components while preserving realistic behavior
What Makes It Unique
- Native bidirectional synchronization between Gitea issue tracking and internal task systems without external webhooks or APIs
- Granular team and workspace permissions embedded in the data model with automatic cascade relationships for multi-tenant collaboration
- Dynamic session and account schemas with active context tracking (organization/team) eliminating reliance on client-side state
- API key generation UI with visual feedback and disabled completion until copy confirmation to prevent accidental exposure
- Custom gradient-based section separators built without external design systems or image assets
- Drizzle ORM with explicit index declarations and computed timestamp updates enabling performant, fully controlled schema evolution