---
title: "Deploy Focalboard | Open Source Trello, Notion, and Asana Alternative"
description: "Self Host Focalboard. Kanban boards, table views, calendar, gallery & more"
category: "Other"
url: https://railway.com/deploy/focalboard
---

# Deploy Focalboard | Open Source Trello, Notion, and Asana Alternative

Self Host Focalboard. Kanban boards, table views, calendar, gallery & more

**[Deploy Focalboard | Open Source Trello, Notion, and Asana Alternative on Railway](https://railway.com/template/focalboard)**

- **Creator:** Heimdall
- **Category:** Other
- **Total deploys:** 4

## Template content

### Focalboard https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/gh/homarr-labs/dashboard-icons/svg/focalboard.svg

- **Image:** mattermost/focalboard
- **Start command:** `/bin/sh -c 'printf "{\"serverRoot\":\"https://%s\",\"port\":8000,\"dbtype\":\"postgres\",\"dbconfig\":\"%s?sslmode=disable&connect_timeout=10\",\"useSSL\":false,\"webpath\":\"./pack\",\"filespath\":\"./data/files\",\"telemetry\":false,\"session_expire_time\":2592000,\"session_refresh_time\":18000,\"localOnly\":false,\"enableLocalMode\":false,\"enablePublicSharedBoards\":false}" "$RAILWAY_PUBLIC_DOMAIN" "$DB_CONNECTION_STRING" > /opt/focalboard/config.json && cat /opt/focalboard/config.json && /opt/focalboard/bin/focalboard-server'`
- **Public domain:** Yes

### Postgres https://devicons.railway.app/i/postgresql.svg

- **Image:** ghcr.io/railwayapp-templates/postgres-ssl:18

## Documentation

![Focalboard logo](https://www.focalboard.com/img/views/boardview.png)

# Deploy and Host Focalboard on Railway

[![Deploy on Railway](https://railway.com/button.svg)](https://railway.com/deploy/focalboard?referralCode=QXdhdr)

Deploy Focalboard on Railway to get a self-hosted, open-source project management tool with Kanban boards, table views, gallery layouts, and calendar views. Self-host Focalboard as an alternative to Trello, Notion, and Asana — with full control over your data and zero subscription fees.

This Railway template deploys Focalboard with a PostgreSQL database for production-grade persistence. The template pre-configures the database connection, persistent storage for file uploads, and a public domain with HTTPS — ready to use in under two minutes.

## Getting Started with Focalboard on Railway

After deployment completes, open your Focalboard URL (e.g. `https://focalboard-production-xxxx.up.railway.app`). You'll see the Focalboard login page. Click **Sign up** to create your first account — the first registered user becomes the admin. Once logged in, create a new board by clicking the **+** button in the sidebar. Choose from built-in templates like Project Tasks, Meeting Notes, Personal Goals, or Content Calendar — or start with an empty board. Add cards, assign properties, switch between Kanban, Table, Gallery, and Calendar views to organize your work.

![Focalboard dashboard screenshot](https://res.cloudinary.com/asset-cloudinary/image/upload/v1776873873/a03862cb-566f-4bfa-87de-020320c17170.png)

## About Hosting Focalboard

Focalboard is an open-source, multilingual project management tool built by Mattermost. It provides a clean, focused interface for organizing work across individuals and teams — without the feature bloat of enterprise platforms.

Key features of self-hosted Focalboard:

- **Multiple views** — Kanban boards, tables, galleries, and calendars from the same data
- **Custom properties** — add dates, dropdowns, checkboxes, URLs, and more to any card
- **Filters and sorting** — slice boards by any property combination
- **Board templates** — built-in templates for common workflows (project tasks, roadmaps, sprint planning)
- **Multi-user collaboration** — share boards with team members, set permissions per board
- **File attachments** — attach files directly to cards, stored on your own infrastructure
- **Multilingual** — supports 20+ languages out of the box

Focalboard uses a Go backend with a React/TypeScript frontend. This template connects it to PostgreSQL for reliable, production-grade data storage instead of the default SQLite.

## Why Deploy Focalboard on Railway

- One-click deploy with PostgreSQL pre-configured
- Persistent volume for file uploads and attachments
- HTTPS enabled by default with Railway's edge proxy
- No vendor lock-in — export boards as CSV or archive
- Zero licensing cost — 100% open source under MIT/AGPL

## Common Use Cases for Self-Hosted Focalboard

- **Sprint planning and task tracking** — replace Trello or Jira for small-to-medium engineering teams
- **Personal productivity** — manage goals, habits, and to-do lists with Kanban and calendar views
- **Content calendars** — track blog posts, social media, and marketing campaigns across team members
- **Project roadmaps** — visualize milestones and deliverables in table or gallery view

## Dependencies for Focalboard on Railway

This template deploys two services:

- **Focalboard** — `mattermost/focalboard` — the project management application (Go + React)
- **Postgres** — `ghcr.io/railwayapp-templates/postgres-ssl:18` — Railway-managed PostgreSQL database

### Environment Variables Reference for Focalboard

| Variable | Service | Description |
|---|---|---|
| `PORT` | Focalboard | HTTP server port (`8000`) |
| `RAILWAY_RUN_UID` | Focalboard | Run as root for volume permissions (`0`) |
| `DB_CONNECTION_STRING` | Focalboard | PostgreSQL URL from `${{Postgres.DATABASE_URL}}` |
| `POSTGRES_DB` | Postgres | Database name |
| `POSTGRES_USER` | Postgres | Database user |
| `POSTGRES_PASSWORD` | Postgres | Database password |

### Deployment Dependencies

- **Runtime**: Go 1.18+ / Node.js 16+ (pre-built in Docker image)
- **Docker Hub**: [mattermost/focalboard](https://hub.docker.com/r/mattermost/focalboard)
- **GitHub**: [mattermost-community/focalboard](https://github.com/mattermost-community/focalboard)
- **Docs**: [focalboard.com](https://www.focalboard.com/)

## Hardware Requirements for Self-Hosting Focalboard

| Resource | Minimum | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| CPU | 1 vCPU | 2 vCPU |
| RAM | 256 MB | 512 MB |
| Storage | 1 GB | 5 GB+ (depends on attachments) |
| Runtime | Docker | Docker + PostgreSQL |

Focalboard is lightweight — the Go binary and React frontend use minimal resources. Storage grows primarily with file attachments.

## Self-Hosting Focalboard with Docker

Run Focalboard locally with Docker and PostgreSQL:

```
docker network create focalboard-net

docker run -d --name focalboard-db \
  --network focalboard-net \
  -e POSTGRES_DB=focalboard \
  -e POSTGRES_USER=focalboard \
  -e POSTGRES_PASSWORD=secretpassword \
  -v pgdata:/var/lib/postgresql/data \
  postgres:16

docker run -d --name focalboard \
  --network focalboard-net \
  -p 8000:8000 \
  -v fbdata:/opt/focalboard/data \
  mattermost/focalboard
```

For production, use a `docker-compose.yml` with PostgreSQL configuration:

```
version: "3.8"
services:
  focalboard:
    image: mattermost/focalboard
    ports:
      - "8000:8000"
    volumes:
      - fbdata:/opt/focalboard/data
      - ./config.json:/opt/focalboard/config.json
    depends_on:
      - db
  db:
    image: postgres:16
    environment:
      POSTGRES_DB: focalboard
      POSTGRES_USER: focalboard
      POSTGRES_PASSWORD: secretpassword
    volumes:
      - pgdata:/var/lib/postgresql/data
volumes:
  fbdata:
  pgdata:
```

## Is Focalboard Free to Self-Host?

Focalboard is 100% free and open source, licensed under MIT (Personal Edition) and AGPL (Team/Enterprise features integrated into Mattermost). There are no subscription fees, per-user charges, or premium tiers. The only cost when deploying on Railway is the infrastructure usage — typically under $5/month for small teams. The project was originally built by Mattermost and is now maintained by the open-source community.

## Focalboard vs Trello for Self-Hosted Project Management

| Feature | Focalboard | Trello |
|---|---|---|
| Self-hosted | Yes | No |
| Open source | Yes (MIT) | No |
| Kanban boards | Yes | Yes |
| Table view | Yes | Limited (Power-Up) |
| Calendar view | Yes | Limited (Power-Up) |
| Gallery view | Yes | No |
| Custom properties | Yes (unlimited) | Limited (free tier) |
| Automations | No | Yes (Butler) |
| Mobile app | No | Yes |
| Price | Free | Free tier + paid plans |

Focalboard wins on data ownership, custom properties, and multiple views out of the box. Trello wins on mobile support, integrations ecosystem, and automation.

## FAQ

**What is Focalboard and why should you self-host it?**
Focalboard is an open-source project management tool by Mattermost that provides Kanban, table, gallery, and calendar views. Self-hosting gives you full data ownership, no per-user fees, and the ability to run it on your own infrastructure without vendor lock-in.

**What does this Railway template deploy for Focalboard?**
This template deploys two services: the Focalboard application server (`mattermost/focalboard`) and a PostgreSQL database. It pre-configures the database connection, persistent storage volume, and a public HTTPS domain.

**Why does the Focalboard Railway template include PostgreSQL?**
Focalboard defaults to SQLite for single-user setups, but SQLite doesn't handle concurrent writes well. PostgreSQL provides reliable multi-user access, proper ACID transactions, and better performance for teams — essential for a production deployment.

**How do I enable or disable public board sharing in self-hosted Focalboard?**
Board sharing is controlled by the `enablePublicSharedBoards` setting in `config.json`. This Railway template sets it to `false` by default for security. To enable it, update the startCommand to set `enablePublicSharedBoards` to `true` and redeploy.

**Is Focalboard still maintained and safe to deploy?**
Mattermost stopped actively maintaining Focalboard in September 2023, but the Docker image (`mattermost/focalboard`) still works and the codebase is stable. The community continues to maintain forks. For production use, pin to a specific image tag (e.g. `mattermost/focalboard:7.10.0`) rather than `latest`.

**Can I migrate my Trello boards to self-hosted Focalboard?**
Yes — Focalboard supports importing from Trello, Asana, and Notion. Use the import feature in the sidebar menu to upload a Trello JSON export and convert your boards.


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