Self-host OpenProject

updated Sep 2026deployed by usprices checked · Jul 2026Install verified on Ubuntu 26.04 · Sep 2026 · how we test

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Open-source project management software for product, project, and portfolio management. The self-hosted GPL-3.0 Community Edition ships work packages (tasks/subtasks/features/milestones), Gantt charts, agile/kanban boards, Scrum backlogs, time tracking, and a project wiki — TOTP/WebAuthn two-factor authentication is included free; LDAP group sync, SSO, resource management, and custom branding are Enterprise-only add-ons layered on top and aren't part of the free build.

Key facts

CategoryProject Management

LicenseGPL-3.0

StackRuby, TypeScript, PostgreSQL

Min RAM4096 MB

Official imageyes

Measured idle RAM569 MB

Difficulty

Sourcegithub.com/opf/openproject

Websiteopenproject.org

Our recommendation

Pick OpenProject when you want Gantt charts, agile/kanban boards, Scrum backlogs, and a project wiki with genuine enterprise-PM depth — and you're fine running the free Community Edition rather than paying for SSO and portfolio management. If your team is small and those admin features don't matter, Vikunja or Taiga get you productive on far less RAM and setup effort.

Follow the OpenProject deploy guide →

What you need

Any VPS with at least 4096 MB of RAM
A domain you control — most self-hosted setups need HTTPS in front of them
About the better part of a day

Where to host itaffiliate disclosure

Hetzner Cloudrun it on

From $23.59/mo · 2 vCPU / 4 GB / 80 GB · EU + US

Get Hetzner Cloud

Kamaterafree trial

From $4/mo · 1 vCPU / 1 GB / 20 GB · US + EU + Asia

Start free on Kamatera →

DigitalOceanalso works on

From $6/mo · 1 vCPU / 1 GB / 25 GB · US + EU + Asia

Deploy on DigitalOcean →

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Install

Run these commands on your server:

# OpenProject — official docker-compose install (Community Edition, slim images)
git clone https://github.com/opf/openproject-docker-compose.git --depth=1 --branch=stable/17 openproject
cd openproject
cp .env.example .env
sudo mkdir -p /var/openproject/assets && sudo chown 1000:1000 -R /var/openproject/assets
SECRET_KEY_BASE=$(openssl rand -hex 64) OPENPROJECT_HTTPS=false docker compose up -d --build --pull always
#  →  http://SERVER_IP:8080  (login: admin / admin — change immediately; remove OPENPROJECT_HTTPS=false once behind a TLS proxy)

deploy guideHow to Deploy OpenProject on a VPS vps picksBest VPS for self-hostingbenchmarked quarterly · re-priced monthly

What you take on

OpenProject's Community Edition is the real product, not a crippled trial — but a few pieces are Enterprise-only:

non-negotiableSSO, LDAP group sync, resource/portfolio management, and custom branding are Enterprise-only paid add-ons layered on top of the free Community Edition — they aren't part of the self-hosted build. TOTP/WebAuthn two-factor authentication, though, is included free; don't assume 2FA is gated too.

non-negotiableIt's the heaviest app in this cluster to run. Ruby, TypeScript, and PostgreSQL together need a documented 4 GB RAM floor at difficulty 4 — budget more than a weekend afternoon for the first install.

non-negotiableThe default install ships insecure. The official Docker Compose setup logs in as admin/admin and runs with HTTPS disabled out of the box — change the password immediately and remove that flag once you're behind a TLS proxy.