Install WeKan on Windows with Docker

Introduction to Self-Hosting a Trello Alternative

An AWS outage recently caused significant disruptions for users of Trello, making it impossible for people to access their projects and tasks for an entire day. Fortunately, there's no need to rely solely on Trello for managing your tasks. You can self-host a Trello alternative on your computer or homelab, ensuring that your work remains accessible even during cloud outages.

One such alternative is WeKan, an open-source and free version of Trello that offers all the primary features of the original service. In this guide, we'll walk you through the process of deploying WeKan on your local machine using Docker, allowing you to access it as a web app within your local network.

Installing Docker to Get Started

Before we begin, you'll need to install Docker on your machine. Docker is a platform that allows you to deploy applications as virtual containers, making it easier and more efficient to manage software environments. For Windows users, Docker can be installed from the Microsoft Store or downloaded directly from the official Docker website.

Once you've downloaded and installed the latest version of Docker, you may need to ensure that you have the latest version of the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL). If not, you can update WSL by running the following command in the Windows Terminal:

wsl --update

After the installation is complete, you may need to restart your computer. Once your system reboots, open the Docker Desktop application again. On the sidebar, you'll see different tabs, but for this purpose, we only need to focus on the 'Images' and 'Containers' tabs.

How to Run a WeKan Container in Docker

To get started with WeKan, we'll first need to set up a database container. Switch to the 'Images' tab and click 'Search Images to Run.' Search for 'mongodb' and select the image published by 'mcp.' Click the blue 'Run' button to copy the image onto your device and create a new container. Go back to the images tab, click the play icon, expand the Optional Settings, and give the container the name:

wekan-database

Click the blue 'Run' button again. Switch to the Containers tab to confirm that the new 'wekan-database' container is running, indicated by a green dot. We've now successfully started a database for the WeKan app to connect to.

Next, let's set up the WeKan container itself. Click the big search bar at the top and search for 'wekan,' then select the image published by the Wekan Team. Click the 'Run' button to initialize a container for this image and expand the Optional Settings. Give the container the name 'wekan' and 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:

ipconfig

Under the Environment Variables heading, type 'ROOT_URL' and paste in an HTTP address that includes 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):

http://192.162.1.1:8080

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:

mongodb://wekan-database:27017/wekan

Then click 'Run.' If everything goes well, both containers should be active in the Containers tab, with both running containers online for the app to function properly.

How to Use WeKan

Now that the containers are running, let's launch the WeKan app in your browser. If you're using the app on the same machine as the Docker containers, enter this address in the browser address bar:

http://localhost:8080

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:

http://192.172.0.1:8080

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.