Deploy and Host Donetick with One Click on Railway

Donetick is an open-source, self-hosted to-do and task management application built for people who want to focus on finishing tasks instead of managing complex systems. It is intentionally minimal, fast, and distraction-free, making it perfect for personal productivity, daily task tracking, and lightweight team workflows. Unlike heavy project management tools, Donetick does not try to do everything. It focuses on one core goal: help you consistently complete tasks. You get a clean interface, simple task creation, recurring tasks, and clear completion tracking, without bloated features or SaaS lock-in. Because Donetick is fully self-hosted, your tasks, habits, and productivity data stay entirely under your control. With Railway, deploying Donetick is reduced to a single click, making self-hosting accessible even if you’ve never managed a server before.

About Hosting Donetick on Railway (Self Hosting Donetick on Railway)

Self hosting Donetick means your task data is stored on infrastructure you control, not on third-party productivity platforms. There are no subscriptions, no per-user limits, and no surprise pricing changes.

Traditionally, self hosting even a simple to-do app would require:

• Setting up a server
• Configuring runtime dependencies
• Ensuring data persistence
  With Railway, all of this complexity is removed. Railway runs Donetick in a managed container environment. It handles service restarts, networking, environment variables, and persistent storage automatically. You simply deploy, open the URL, and start using Donetick immediately.

Why Deploy Donetick on Railway

Deploying Donetick on Railway is ideal for users who want a private, self-hosted to-do app without DevOps work.

Railway gives you:

• One-click deployment
• Automatic restarts
• Secure environment variables
• Persistent storage
• Simple scaling

Railway vs DigitalOcean

On DigitalOcean, you would need to create a droplet, install the runtime, configure ports, and manage updates yourself. Railway simplifies this entire flow into a one-click Donetick deployment.

Railway vs Linode

Linode provides raw servers, which means OS maintenance, runtime configuration, and manual monitoring. Railway abstracts these tasks and gives you a ready-to-use Donetick instance instantly.

Railway vs Vultr

Vultr offers flexibility, but setup and maintenance are manual. With Railway, Donetick is production-ready from the first deploy with minimal configuration.

Railway vs AWS Lightsail

AWS Lightsail introduces networking complexity and configuration overhead. Railway focuses on simplicity and speed, making it perfect for lightweight apps like Donetick.

Railway vs Hetzner

Hetzner delivers strong performance at low cost but assumes sysadmin expertise. Railway prioritizes ease of use and fast deployment for modern productivity tools.

Common Use Cases

Donetick is designed for simplicity, which makes it flexible across many scenarios. Individuals use it as a personal to-do list or daily task tracker. Developers rely on it for lightweight planning without switching context. Freelancers use it to track client tasks and deliverables. Small teams adopt Donetick for shared task boards and internal workflows. Many users also use it for habit tracking through recurring tasks.

Dependencies for Donetick Hosted on Railway

Deployment Dependencies

Donetick is intentionally lightweight and does not require heavy infrastructure. It uses a simple backend and a lightweight database to store tasks, completion states, and user data.

When deployed on Railway, all dependencies are preconfigured. Persistent storage ensures your tasks remain safe across restarts, and ports are managed automatically. You do not need to manually configure servers or databases.

How Does Donetick Compare to Other To-Do Apps

Compared to Todoist, Donetick offers full self-hosting and complete data ownership. Compared to Notion, Donetick is purpose-built for task completion rather than general documentation. Unlike Microsoft To Do or Google Tasks, Donetick does not lock you into an ecosystem or cloud account. It stays simple, private, and under your control.

How to Use Donetick

After deploying Donetick on Railway, you open the provided URL and start creating tasks immediately. Tasks can be marked as complete, scheduled, or set to recur. The interface is intentionally clean so you spend less time organizing and more time finishing work. Over time, Donetick becomes a reliable system for daily execution rather than long-term project planning.

How to Self Host Donetick on Other VPS

To self host Donetick manually, you typically clone the repository and run it using Docker or the supported runtime. You must configure storage, ports, and restarts yourself. While this offers flexibility, it also adds maintenance overhead. Railway automates all of these steps and removes the operational burden.

Features of Donetick

Donetick provides a clean and fast task interface focused on completion. It supports recurring tasks, task history, and simple user workflows. The application is lightweight, resource-efficient, and easy to maintain. Because it is open source, Donetick can be customized to fit personal or team needs.

Official Pricing of Donetick

Donetick is completely free and open source.
There are no paid plans, licenses, or feature restrictions.

You only pay for the infrastructure used to host it.

Self Hosting Donetick vs Paid To-Do Apps

Self hosting Donetick gives you full data ownership, no subscriptions, and unlimited usage. Paid to-do apps offer convenience but often charge per user and limit customization. Donetick provides a long-term, privacy-friendly alternative.

Monthly Cost of Self Hosting Donetick on Railway

For most users, hosting Donetick on Railway costs $0–$5 per month, depending on usage and storage. This makes it one of the cheapest ways to run a private productivity app.

FAQs

What is Donetick?

Donetick is an open-source, self-hosted to-do and task management application designed to help individuals and small teams stay focused on completing tasks. It emphasizes simplicity, speed, and clarity, making it easy to track daily work without distractions or unnecessary features.

Is Donetick open source?

Yes. Donetick is fully open source. You can review the source code, modify it to suit your workflow, and deploy it anywhere. There are no licenses, subscriptions, or feature restrictions tied to the software itself.

How do I self host Donetick?

You can self host Donetick in two main ways. The easiest option is deploying it with one click on Railway, where infrastructure and configuration are handled automatically. Alternatively, you can manually deploy Donetick on your own VPS using Docker or the supported runtime.

Does Donetick require a database?

Yes. Donetick uses a lightweight database to store tasks, completion history, and user data. When deployed on Railway, the database and persistent storage are automatically configured for you.

Is Donetick suitable for personal use?

Absolutely. Donetick is ideal for personal task management, daily to-do lists, habit tracking, and routine planning. Its minimal interface helps you focus on execution rather than organizing complex systems.

Can Donetick be used by teams?

Yes. Donetick supports multi-user setups and shared task environments. It works best for small teams or internal workflows that value simplicity over heavy project management features.

Does Donetick support recurring tasks?

Yes. Donetick supports recurring tasks, which makes it perfect for daily habits, weekly reviews, regular maintenance tasks, or ongoing responsibilities.

Can I access Donetick on mobile devices?

Yes. Donetick runs as a web application and works well on mobile browsers. You can bookmark it or add it to your home screen for a near-native app experience without installing anything.

Does Donetick support notifications or reminders?

Donetick focuses on simplicity and task completion. Notification support depends on the version and configuration, but many users pair Donetick with their own reminder workflows or external tools if needed.

Can I customize Donetick?

Yes. Since Donetick is open source, you can customize its appearance, behavior, or features by modifying the code. Some configuration options can also be controlled through environment variables depending on your deployment setup.

Is Donetick suitable for production use?

Yes. Donetick is stable, lightweight, and reliable for personal and small-team production use. Its low resource requirements make it easy to run continuously without performance issues.

How much does it cost to host Donetick on Railway?

For most users, hosting Donetick on Railway costs between $0–$5 per month, depending on storage usage and traffic. There are no per-user fees, making costs predictable.

Is my data safe when self hosting Donetick?

Yes. When you self host Donetick, your data stays on infrastructure you control. With Railway, persistent storage and managed restarts help keep your data safe and available.

Can I migrate Donetick later?

Yes. Donetick has no vendor lock-in. You can export your data and move it to another VPS or cloud provider at any time without changing how you use the app.

Who should use Donetick?

Donetick is ideal for developers, freelancers, students, and small teams who want a simple, private, self-hosted alternative to commercial to-do apps without unnecessary complexity or subscriptions.

Click below to Deploy Donetick on Railway and start finishing tasks with clarity and focus.