Self-host WeKan

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

We earn commissions when you shop through the links below. Full disclosure →

Open-source kanban board with swimlanes, lists, cards, checklists, labels, due dates, attachments and board templates, built on Meteor. The default Docker setup stores data through FerretDB (a MongoDB-compatible layer) on SQLite, with MongoDB and PostgreSQL-backed variants also provided.

Key facts

CategoryProject Management

LicenseMIT

StackJavaScript, Meteor, FerretDB, SQLite

Min RAM2048 MB

Official imageyes

Measured idle RAM939 MB

Difficulty

Sourcegithub.com/wekan/wekan

Websitewekan.fi

What you need

Any VPS with at least 2048 MB of RAM
A domain you control — most self-hosted setups need HTTPS in front of them
Under an hour if you've used Docker before

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 →

Paid link — we earn a commission if you shop through it.

Install

Run these commands on your server:

# WeKan — the official default docker-compose.yml (WeKan + FerretDB on SQLite), pinned to a release
mkdir -p wekan && cd wekan
curl -fsSL -o docker-compose.yml https://raw.githubusercontent.com/wekan/wekan/v12.09/docker-compose.yml
# Pin the image, point ROOT_URL at your server (use your domain once you add HTTPS), and comment out upstream's placeholder MAIL_URL — WeKan crash-loops on it until you set a real SMTP URL
sed -i 's|ghcr.io/wekan/wekan:latest|ghcr.io/wekan/wekan:v12.09|; s|ROOT_URL=http://localhost |ROOT_URL=http://SERVER_IP |; s|^\(\s*\)- MAIL_URL=smtp://<mail_url>|\1#- MAIL_URL=smtp://<mail_url>|' docker-compose.yml
docker compose up -d   #  →  http://SERVER_IP:80  (register the first account — it becomes the admin)
# the compose file downloads the newest FerretDB release on first start unless FERRETDB_RELEASE is set: pin it for repeatable installs