Introducing Multiboard – an open‑source kanban platform for modern teams

Modern teams thrive on clarity and collaboration, and kanban boards are a proven way to visualize work in progress. Multiboard takes that familiar model and opens it up – literally – by letting you self‑host an entire kanban platform under an open‑source licence. It’s designed for teams who value simplicity and control and want a tool that adapts to their workflow instead of forcing them into a rigid system.

Why open‑source kanban?

Multiboard’s creator argues that traditional project‑management platforms often lock teams into subscriptions and put their data on someone else’s servers. In contrast, Multiboard is released under the MIT licence, so you can run it on your own infrastructure and modify it however you like. The README lists several reasons why an open‑source kanban tool makes sense:

• Complete control of your data and deployment. You own your information and can customize the platform without restrictions. You’re free to deploy it anywhere.

• Cost‑effective scalability. Multiboard eliminates per‑user fees; you can add as many users and boards as you need.

• Privacy first. Sensitive project data stays on your servers, which is important for teams with compliance requirements.

• Extensible and community‑driven. Because the code is open, you can extend functionality and benefit from community contributions.

• Enterprise readiness. Self‑hosting allows businesses to meet security and compliance policies.

What does Multiboard offer?

The landing page at multiboard.dev describes it as “open‑source kanban boards for modern teams” and highlights intuitive task management and real‑time collaboration. Digging into the README reveals an impressive feature set:

Intuitive kanban boards

Multiboard supports drag‑and‑drop task management and unlimited columns. The boards look and feel like popular tools but you’re not limited by proprietary licensing or closed‑source code.

Team collaboration

Real‑time updates and comments mean your team stays aligned and productive. The platform also provides multi‑organization support so you can manage several teams from the same instance. Smart notifications keep everyone up to date.

Rich task information

Tasks can include rich text descriptions using Markdown, and you can upload attachments directly to a card. There’s also a built‑in rich text editor for editing descriptions.

Secure authentication and privacy

Multiboard uses enterprise‑grade authentication with flexible options. Because it’s self‑hosted, teams can ensure that sensitive data remains private.

Fast and responsive

The marketing site emphasises that Multiboard is “built for speed with modern web technologies”. The frontend is mobile responsive, delivering a consistent experience across devices.

Auto‑generated APIs and extensibility

Under the hood, Multiboard leverages a TypeScript stack with tools like ZenStack and Prisma. These generate a type‑safe REST API and React Query hooks automatically. Developers can integrate the backend into other systems or build custom features on top of it.

One‑click deployment

For those who don’t want to manage their own servers, a “Deploy to Vercel” button lets you spin up the platform on Vercel’s infrastructure in seconds. Self‑hosting is just as straightforward thanks to a clear quick‑start guide.

Built with modern technologies

Multiboard isn’t just a kanban board; it’s also a showcase of modern TypeScript tooling. The stack includes:

Component Purpose better‑auth and better‑auth‑ui Authentication and authorization, with plug‑and‑play UI components shadcn/ui A library of accessible, beautifully designed UI components Prisma A PostgreSQL ORM and database toolkit for managing data ZenStack A TypeScript toolkit that enhances Prisma with authorization and auto‑generated APIs TanStack Query Powerful data‑fetching and state management Scalar Automated API documentation generation AutoForm Generates forms from Zod schemas Minimal Tiptap A clean rich text editor nuqs Type‑safe search‑parameter state management Vercel Blob Scalable file and image storage Resend Email delivery platform for invites and notifications DiceUI Kanban A customizable kanban component library

These components are carefully selected for reliability, performance and developer experience. Because Multiboard is open source, you can swap out any part of the stack to fit your own infrastructure or preferences.

Getting started

You can run Multiboard locally in just a few steps. The project requires Node.js 18 or later, a PostgreSQL database and a package manager such as npm or yarn. Clone the repository, install dependencies and set up your environment:

bash
Copy code
1# Clone and install
2git clone https://github.com/olliethedev/multiboard.git
3cd multiboard
4npm install
5
6# Set environment variables (database URL, authentication secrets, email service keys, etc.)
7# See the README for full details
8
9# Generate the database client and APIs
10npm run zenstack:generate
11
12# Push the schema to your database
13npm run prisma:push
14
15# Start the development server
16npm run dev

With the server running, navigate to http://localhost:3000 to see your kanban boards. If you prefer not to self‑host, you can deploy to Vercel with a single click and enter your environment variables.

Conclusion

Multiboard brings the flexibility and control of open‑source software to kanban project management. Its focus on modern web technologies, privacy and extensibility makes it a compelling alternative to proprietary tools. Whether you’re a developer looking to build on top of it or a team that needs a customizable, private project‑management solution, Multiboard is worth exploring.

Ready to streamline your workflow? Try Multiboard at multiboard.dev, or star the project on GitHub to support its development.