Focalboard: Open-Source Project Management and Kanban Board Alternative to Trello

What is Focalboard?

Focalboard is an open-source project management platform that combines kanban boards, tables, galleries, and calendars in one application. Built by Mattermost team, Focalboard enables teams to track projects, manage tasks, collaborate on work, and visualize progress without expensive project management subscriptions. Over 100,000 teams use Focalboard to organize projects and tasks across various methodologies.

Unlike Trello ($10-25/user/month) or Asana ($13.50-30.50/user/month), Focalboard provides comprehensive project management capabilities without per-user licensing. Organizations deploy Focalboard on-premises or self-hosted, maintaining complete data ownership while enabling teams to collaborate efficiently.

Focalboard serves as the central hub for project planning, task management, and team collaboration. Projects organize work into boards, timelines, and dependencies. Teams collaborate on tasks with comments, attachments, and due dates. Managers track progress and identify bottlenecks.

Key Features and Capabilities

Multiple Views

Board View (Kanban): Cards organized into columns representing workflow stages
Table View: Spreadsheet-style view for detailed data entry and filtering
Gallery View: Visual card gallery for creative projects with image previews
Calendar View: Timeline view for deadline and date tracking
View Switching: Switch between views for different perspectives on same data
Saved Views: Save custom views with specific filters and sorting

Card and Task Management

Rich Cards: Add unlimited properties to cards for detailed task information
Card Templates: Create templates for common card types and properties
Due Dates: Set due dates and get reminders for approaching deadlines
Checklists: Add checklists within cards to break down work into subtasks
Descriptions: Rich text descriptions with formatting and code blocks
Comments: Team discussions on cards with @mentions and threaded conversations
Attachments: Upload files, documents, and images to cards

Collaboration Features

Real-Time Updates: See live updates as team members make changes
Card Assignments: Assign cards to team members with role-based access
Activity Timeline: View all changes and comments on cards
Notifications: Get notified of comments, assignments, and due dates
Permissions: Control who can edit, view, or comment on boards
Sharing: Share boards with team members or public links

Advanced Features

Templates: Pre-built templates for different project types and workflows
Relations: Link cards across boards to show dependencies
Filtering: Filter cards by properties, assignees, or due dates
Sorting: Sort cards by any property for different views
Webhooks: Send data to other applications based on events
API: Programmatic access for custom integrations

System Requirements and Technical Specifications

Server Requirements

Operating System: Linux (Ubuntu 18.04+, Debian 10+, CentOS 7+) or Docker
Runtime: Go application, precompiled binaries for all platforms
Database: PostgreSQL 10+ or SQLite for lightweight deployments
RAM: 512MB minimum for testing, 2GB+ recommended for production
Storage: 5GB+ for application and data
CPU: Single-core minimum, dual-core recommended

Client Requirements

Modern web browser: Chrome 70+, Firefox 65+, Safari 12+, Edge 79+
JavaScript enabled for interactive board and real-time updates
Minimum 1024×768 resolution

Installation and Deployment

Docker Installation

# Run Focalboard with Docker
docker run -d 
  --name focalboard 
  -p 8000:8000 
  -v focalboard_data:/data 
  mattermost/focalboard

# Access at http://localhost:8000

Linux Installation

# Download Focalboard
wget https://github.com/mattermost/focalboard/releases/download/v7.x/focalboard-server-linux-amd64.tar.gz

# Extract
tar xzf focalboard-server-linux-amd64.tar.gz
cd focalboard

# Run Focalboard
./focalboard-server

# Access at http://localhost:8000

Production Configuration

# Configure PostgreSQL for production reliability
# Set up Nginx reverse proxy with SSL/TLS

# Enable authentication and user management
# Configure backups for PostgreSQL database

Use Cases and Real-World Applications

Software Development Teams

Development teams use Focalboard for sprint planning and task management. Kanban boards visualize work in progress, pending tasks, and completed items. Developers track task assignments and identify bottlenecks affecting velocity.

Marketing and Creative Teams

Marketing teams use Focalboard to plan campaigns, manage creative assets, and track approval workflows. Calendar view shows campaign timeline and important dates. Comment threads enable approval discussions on content.

Product Management Teams

Product managers use Focalboard for product roadmap management and feature prioritization. Board view shows feature status, gallery view displays mockups and designs. Due dates track planned release dates.

Operations and Support Teams

Support teams use Focalboard to track support tickets and issue resolution. Kanban board shows open issues, in-progress resolution, and completed issues. Assignments ensure tickets are distributed fairly across team.

Advantages of Focalboard

Multiple Views: See data from different perspectives with board, table, gallery, and calendar views
Free Forever: No per-user licensing fees or seat limits
Flexible Cards: Add any property type to cards for customized workflows
Self-Hosted: Complete data control on your infrastructure
Mattermost Integration: Integrates with Mattermost for team communication
Templates: Pre-built templates for common project types
Real-Time Collaboration: See team changes immediately
No Vendor Lock-In: Own your code and processes
Lightweight: Minimal resource requirements with SQLite or PostgreSQL

Limitations and Considerations

Limited Customization: Fewer customization options compared to some alternatives
UI Design: Simpler interface compared to polished SaaS alternatives
Production Maturity: Newer project with less mature feature set than Trello
Community Size: Smaller community with fewer plugins and extensions
Support: Community support rather than dedicated enterprise support