KanBased is a minimal kanban board application designed for speed and efficiency. Built from frustration with bloated and complex project management tools, it focuses on what matters most: fast, keyboard-driven task management with instant synchronization across all devices.

No loading spinners. No refresh buttons. No waiting. Just pure productivity.

Key Features

• Instant Sync - Changes propagate in real-time across all devices using Zero sync engine
• Keyboard Shortcuts - Navigate and manage tasks without touching your mouse, includes CMD+K search
• Rich Markdown - Create detailed task descriptions with ProseMirror-powered markdown editing
• Team Collaboration - Invite team members and work together seamlessly with role-based access
• Minimal Interface - Clean, distraction-free design that keeps you focused on your work
• Open Source - MIT licensed and self-hostable for complete control over your data

Why KanBased?

Save 30+ seconds per task - No more waiting for pages to load or data to refresh. Every action is instant.

Stay in flow state - Keyboard shortcuts keep your hands on the keys and your mind focused on what matters.

Never lose work - Real-time sync means changes are saved and shared instantly across all devices.

Zero vendor lock-in - Free forever, open source, and self-hostable when you need it.

Tech Stack

Frontend

• React SPA with TanStack Router for client-side routing
• TypeScript for type safety
• ProseMirror for rich text editing

Backend

• Hono web framework on Node.js
• Drizzle ORM with PostgreSQL database
• Better Auth for authentication
• Zero sync engine for real-time synchronization
• S3-compatible storage for file handling
• Resend for email services

Project Structure

The application is organized as a monorepo with three main components:

├── frontend/         # React SPA client application
├── backend/          # API server, sync engine, and database
└── landing-page/     # Static marketing site

Design Philosophy

KanBased was built with a specific philosophy in mind:

• Simplicity over features - Focus on core kanban functionality done extremely well
• Speed over complexity - Every interaction should feel instant
• Keyboard-first - Power users shouldn’t need to reach for their mouse
• Open source - Complete transparency and community ownership

Self-Hosting

Being open source, KanBased can be fully self-hosted on your own infrastructure. This gives you:

• Complete data ownership and privacy
• Ability to customize and extend functionality
• Support for larger teams and usage patterns
• Integration with your existing infrastructure

License

MIT License - Free for personal and commercial use