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Guide · Open source

How to use WeKan: install, set up and import boards

Updated · written with AI from the project's own documentation and checked against our catalogue data

WeKan is a free, MIT-licensed kanban board application built with Meteor. Tasks appear as cards that you move across columns to show their status, and you can host it on your own computer or server. This guide shows you how to start it with Docker, choose a database, import existing boards and find the main features.

WeKanwekan/wekan · ★ 21.1k · MIT

Quick start

  1. 1Check Docker. Make sure Docker is installed, since it is the prerequisite for the Docker image route in the README.
  2. 2Pull the image. Run docker pull ghcr.io/wekan/wekan:latest to fetch the WeKan image from the GitHub Container Registry.
  3. 3Get the compose file. Clone the repository with git clone https://github.com/wekan/wekan to get the docker-compose.yml file.
  4. 4Choose a database. Use the default FerretDB v1 with SQLite for a setup without a database server, or pick another option from the supported list.
  5. 5Create your first board. Open WeKan, add a board, and start adding lists and cards, or import an existing export through Add Board and Import.

What do you need before you install WeKan?

The source lists Docker as the prerequisite for the Docker image route, which is the route covered here. WeKan is also offered as a Windows, Mac or Linux bundle .zip, a Linux Snap, a Linux AppImage, and for Kubernetes, all listed on the official install page at wekan.fi/install.

  • Docker, for the Docker image route
  • Git, if you want the docker-compose.yml file from the repository

How do you get the WeKan Docker image?

The README gives two commands. The first pulls the image from the GitHub Container Registry. The second clones the repository, which contains the docker-compose.yml file. Images are also published on Docker Hub and Quay.io under the names shown in the README.

The image tags listed in the README are ghcr.io/wekan/wekan:latest, wekanteam/wekan:latest and quay.io/wekan/wekan:latest.

docker pull ghcr.io/wekan/wekan:latest git clone https://github.com/wekan/wekan

Which database should you choose?

The default setup uses FerretDB v1 with SQLite on every platform listed in the README, including the bundle, Docker, Snap and Kubernetes. The README says no database server is needed in this setup, which makes it the simplest choice for a personal board.

The README also lists FerretDB v1 with PostgreSQL as working. MySQL, MariaDB and SAP HANA are described as experimental with FerretDB. MongoDB 6, 7, 8 and 9 are supported, but the README notes that MongoDB refuses to start on Linux kernels 6.19 to 7.0.13, which FerretDB is not affected by. The source says all supported databases answer the same 110-query conformance catalogue in the same way.

  • SQLite with FerretDB v1: default, no database server
  • PostgreSQL with FerretDB v1: listed as working
  • MySQL, MariaDB, SAP HANA with FerretDB v1: experimental
  • MongoDB 6, 7, 8, 9: supported

How do you create and organise boards?

WeKan shows boards with Swimlanes and Lists views, and cards can be dragged and reordered, including multi-selection. The All Boards page lets you group boards into Workspaces and (sub)workspaces, and archive them.

Board settings let you change the colour theme and background image, set date formats, and show or hide parts of the board view. The source also lists a Table, Calendar, Timeline, Gantt and Scrum views, along with several burndown, flow and forecast reports.

  • Swimlanes and Lists board views
  • Drag and drop reorder with multi-selection
  • Board theme, background image and date settings
  • Rules, similar to Trello Butler, for automating actions
  • Table, Calendar, Timeline and Gantt views
  • Scrum views such as Product Backlog, Sprints and Velocity

How do you import boards from another tool?

Use Add Board, then Import. The README lists many formats, including WeKan JSON or .zip, CSV, TSV, Excel, Markdown, OPML, Org mode and todo.txt. It also lists imports from Trello, Jira, Asana, Todoist, Notion, Kanboard, Nextcloud Deck, GitHub, GitLab, Gitea and Forgejo, among others.

You can import several export files or a .zip of them at once, with each file becoming its own board. The source also says one board per project can split an export of a whole app into a board for each project.

  • Import many boards at once from several files or one .zip
  • Split a whole-app export into one board per project
  • Import and export IFTTT rules from n8n, Node-RED and Trello Butler

What does the Admin Panel and security reporting cover?

The Admin Panel holds settings for version, visibility, whitelabelling, announcements, accessibility, custom translation strings, PWA and global webhooks. Under People, the README lists Email, Notifications, Domains, Organizations, Teams, Roles and Shared Templates, plus login options including SAML, LDAP, OAuth2 and passwordless login.

Attachments can be stored in MongoDB GridFS, the filesystem, S3/MinIO, Azure Blob or Google Cloud, and the README mentions scheduled and continuous backups. The Problems area includes a Security report that the README describes as a built-in SIEM-like view of attempted attacks.

  • Login via SAML, LDAP, OAuth2 or passwordless login
  • Attachment storage: GridFS, filesystem, S3/MinIO, Azure Blob, Google Cloud
  • Scheduled and continuous realtime backups
  • Security report and performance reports under Problems

Where do you get help and how is the project licensed?

Public support is through GitHub issues only. Private, pre-paid commercial support is available separately at wekan.fi/commercial-support. Translation contributions go to imports/i18n/data/en.i18n.json for English, and other languages are managed on Transifex.

WeKan is MIT licensed and the README states that it has no telemetry.

  • Public support: GitHub issues
  • Paid private support: wekan.fi/commercial-support
  • Translations: imports/i18n/data/en.i18n.json, plus Transifex for other languages

What people use it for

  • Keeping a personal to-do list on a self-hosted server
  • Planning a trip or project with a few friends on a shared board
  • Running a small team's real-time kanban board with data kept in-house
  • Moving boards over from Trello, Jira, Asana or Notion using the import formats

Frequently asked questions

Is WeKan free?

WeKan is free software licensed under the MIT license, according to the README. You can install it yourself on your own computer or server. Paid, private, pre-paid support is offered separately.

What do I need to run WeKan with Docker?

The README lists Docker as the prerequisite for the Docker image route. You pull the image with docker pull ghcr.io/wekan/wekan:latest and can clone the repository to get docker-compose.yml.

Does WeKan need a database server?

No, according to the README. The default setup uses FerretDB v1 with SQLite on every platform listed, so no separate database server is needed. PostgreSQL is also listed as working, and MongoDB 6 to 9 is supported.

Can I import my boards from Trello?

Yes. The README lists Trello among the import formats, along with Jira, Asana, Todoist, Notion, Kanboard and others. You can import several export files or a .zip at once.

Where can I get support for WeKan?

Public support is through GitHub issues only. Private, pre-paid support is available at wekan.fi/commercial-support. The README does not describe any support response times.

How does WeKan compare to Trello, Focalboard, Planka and Kanboard?

The source lists these as comparable projects but does not compare them in detail. WeKan's main points from the README are that it is self-hosted, MIT licensed, has no telemetry, and can import from Trello and Focalboard among many others.

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Our verdict

WeKan suits people who want a self-hosted kanban board, want to keep their data, or are moving boards from Trello, Jira or similar tools, and who are comfortable installing with Docker. Pick a hosted service instead if you want zero setup or guaranteed support response times, since public support is only through GitHub issues.

Install options & downloads