An AWS outage recently took out Trello and for an entire day, people weren't able to access their projects and tasks. The good news is you don't need a Trello account just to have a Kanban board for you or your team. Instead, you can self-host a Trello alternative on your computer or homelab and protect your work from cloud outages.
Installing Docker to get started
The app we're using is called WeKan—an open source and free version of Trello which has all of Trello's primary features. We'll deploy it on our local machine using Docker. If you've never used Docker before, don't worry, we've got you covered . But basically, it's a way to conveniently and quickly deploy apps as virtual containers. In this demo, we'll use a pre-built WeKan image to deploy a Docker container, which will make it accessible as a web app anywhere within the local network.
Start by installing Docker on your machine. Windows users can install Docker from the Microsoft Store or grab the .exe package from the official Docker website . I'm on Windows 11, so I've downloaded and installed the latest version from the Docker website.
The Docker Desktop app on Windows requires the latest version of Windows Subsystem for Linux . If you don't have the latest version of WSL, you can get it by typing the following command into the Windows Terminal .
Once the installation is complete, you may need to restart your computer. After your computer restarts, open the Docker Desktop app again. On the sidebar, you'll see different tabs. We only care about the 'Images' and 'Containers' tab for this purpose.
How to run a WeKan container in Docker
Switch to the 'Images' tab, click 'Search Images to Run,' and then search for 'mongodb.' Choose the image published by 'mcp' and click the blue 'Run' button. Doing so will copy the image onto our device so that we can run a new container (or instance) of this image. Go back to the images tab, click the play icon, then expand the Optional Settings, and give the container this name:
Then click the blue 'Run' button. Switch to the Containers tab to make sure the new 'wekan-database' container is running—as indicated by a green dot. We've now successfully started a database for the WeKan app to hook into.
Next, let's get a WeKan container up and running.
Click the big search bar on the top once again and search for 'wekan' and select the image published by the Wekan Team. Once again, click the 'Run' button to initialize a container for this image and expand Optional Settings. Give the container the name 'wekan.' Under host port, type '8080.'
For the next step, you'll need to copy your computer's IP address. Open the command-line terminal and enter the following command to find your IP address.
Then, under the Environment Variables heading, type 'ROOT_URL' and then paste in an HTTP address that contains your IP address and the port connected with a colon. For example, the root URL could look like this (keep in mind your IP address will be different.)
Now click the '+' icon to add this as a new variable.
We just need to add one more variable, and we'll be ready to deploy the Wekan container. In the next variable field, type 'MONGO_URL' and paste in the following URL in the Value box.
Then click 'Run.'
If everything goes well, the two containers should be active in the Containers tab (both running containers should be online for this to work).
How to use WeKan
Let's now launch the WeKan app in the browser. If you're using the app on the same machine as the Docker containers, enter this address in the browser address bar.
You can also access the running WeKan instance on any other device with an active internet connection and a browser. The host machine's IP address, along with the port, strung into an HTTP URL, will launch the app in a browser. It's the same URL you already pasted as the Root URL variable.
We start by signing up for a new WeKan account and then logging into Wekan with that account. You'll be greeted by a dashboard where you can add a new board. You can create as many boards as your projects require. The interface is nearly identical to Trello's, so if you're familiar with the Trello UI , WeKan should feel like home.
On a new board, you can add lists for the cards or tickets. Create as many lists as you need. Under each list, you can create cards for tasks or events. The default layout you're looking at is called 'swimlanes' and you can switch between calendar and list views too.
Click the hamburger menu on a card to reveal its context-menu. You can add deadlines, give labels, set colors, add links, or move the cards to other lists. You can also click on a card to expand it just like you can on Trello. You can add checklists, subtasks, descriptions, or attachments. You can also add other people to your boards, and those people can leave comments on the cards.
What we just walked through is a one-time setup. Once you've installed the images and set up containers, you only need to click the play icon to start both containers to get the app up and running. You can access it on any website on your network or add people to the board. Even when Trello or Asana go down, WeKan will always be available.
