Quick Start Guide

Kaneo is an open source project management platform focused on simplicity and efficiency. This comprehensive guide will help you get up and running quickly with a production-ready setup.

🌟 Try Kaneo Cloud: Don't want to self-host? Get started instantly with our free cloud version - no installation required and always free!

Why Choose Kaneo?

🚀 Fast Setup: Get running in under 5 minutes with Docker Compose
🔒 Self-Hosted: Your data stays on your infrastructure
🛠️ Customizable: Open source and built for extensibility
📊 PostgreSQL: Reliable database with proper data integrity
🔧 Production Ready: Built with Docker, Kubernetes, and modern DevOps practices

Docker Compose Installation

The easiest way to get started with Kaneo is using Docker Compose. This setup includes PostgreSQL for reliable data storage:

Create your Docker Compose configuration

Create a compose.yml file with the following content:

services:
  postgres:
    image: postgres:16-alpine
    environment:
      POSTGRES_DB: kaneo
      POSTGRES_USER: kaneo_user
      POSTGRES_PASSWORD: kaneo_password
    volumes:
      - postgres_data:/var/lib/postgresql/data
    restart: unless-stopped
 
  backend:
    image: ghcr.io/usekaneo/api:latest
    environment:
      JWT_ACCESS: "your_secure_jwt_token"
      DATABASE_URL: "postgresql://kaneo_user:kaneo_password@postgres:5432/kaneo"
    ports:
      - 1337:1337
    depends_on:
      - postgres
    restart: unless-stopped
 
  frontend:
    image: ghcr.io/usekaneo/web:latest
    environment:
      KANEO_API_URL: "http://localhost:1337"
    ports:
      - 5173:5173
    depends_on:
      - backend
    restart: unless-stopped
 
volumes:
  postgres_data:

Start the services

Run the following command to start all services:

docker compose up -d

This will download the images and start the containers in the background.

Access your Kaneo instance

Open http://localhost:5173 in your browser.

Create your first project

Create your first project and start managing your tasks! 🎉

You'll be able to:

Create projects and organize tasks
Assign team members and set priorities
Track progress with kanban boards
Collaborate with your team in real-time

Environment Variables Reference

Variable	Description	Required	Default
`KANEO_API_URL`	The URL where the API is accessible	Yes	-
`JWT_ACCESS`	Secret key for generating JWT tokens	Yes	-
`DATABASE_URL`	PostgreSQL connection string	Yes	-
`DISABLE_REGISTRATION`	Enable/disable new user registration	No	`false`

Kaneo uses PostgreSQL for reliable data storage with proper relational integrity. The Docker Compose setup above handles this automatically, but if you're running Kaneo outside of Docker, you'll need to:

Manual PostgreSQL Setup

Install PostgreSQL (version 12 or higher)
# Ubuntu/Debian sudo apt install postgresql postgresql-contrib # macOS with Homebrew brew install postgresql
Create a database and user:
CREATE DATABASE kaneo; CREATE USER kaneo_user WITH PASSWORD 'your_password'; GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON DATABASE kaneo TO kaneo_user;
Set the DATABASE_URL environment variable:
export DATABASE_URL="postgresql://kaneo_user:your_password@localhost:5432/kaneo"

Security Considerations

For production deployments, make sure to:

Change default passwords: Use strong, unique passwords for JWT_ACCESS and database credentials
Use HTTPS: Deploy behind a reverse proxy with SSL/TLS certificates
Regular backups: Set up automated database backups
Update regularly: Keep your Kaneo installation up to date

Migration from SQLite

If you're upgrading from a previous version that used SQLite, you'll need to migrate your data to PostgreSQL. We recommend:

Export your data from the old SQLite database
Set up PostgreSQL using the new Docker Compose configuration
Import your data into the new PostgreSQL database

Next Steps

Now that you have Kaneo running, explore these features and deployment options:

GitHub Integration - Automatically create GitHub issues when tasks are created
Deploy with Nginx - Set up a reverse proxy with SSL
Deploy with Traefik - Modern reverse proxy with automatic HTTPS
Kubernetes Deployment - Scalable container orchestration
Terminology - Learn about Kaneo's core concepts and features

Getting Help

GitHub Issues - Report bugs or request features
Discord Community - Get help from the community
Documentation - Browse the complete documentation