Layer 5 · self-hosting reality check
What it actually takes to self-host Wekan
The docs say 1 GB free for WeKan itself. The README says a production server should have at least 4 GB in total. In practice you want 4 GB total, the README's production minimum. Here is the honest version — real requirements, real monthly cost, what you will be maintaining, and the one thing that catches people out.
Usually reached from Trello alternatives, where Wekan is one of the picks.
Wondering whether you need to at all? Is Trello free? — what the free tier actually allows, and where the wall is.
| RAM — documented minimum | 1 GB free for WeKan itself. The README says a production server should have at least 4 GB in total |
|---|---|
| RAM — what it really needs | 4 GB total, the README's production minimum |
| CPU | 2 vCPU. The README sizes thousands of users at three 2-CPU front-end servers plus one database server with many CPUs |
| Disk | The database, plus attachments and avatars on the filesystem. The README warns that if you run out of disk space the MongoDB database gets corrupted, so set up low-disk alerts. |
| Monthly cost | $12–24/mo for a 5–20 user instance on a 4 GB VPS |
| Setup time | 30 minutes with Snap or docker compose |
| How you install it | Snap, which updates itself, or the repo's docker-compose.yml. The compose file now defaults to WeKan's own fork of FerretDB v1 with embedded SQLite instead of MongoDB. Separate compose files cover MongoDB 7 and FerretDB on PostgreSQL. |
| Ongoing maintenance | Constant. New versions land every few days (v10.00 on 18 July 2026, v11.00 on 17 August, v12.00 on 24 September), and only the newest is supported. The README asks for a database backup at least once a day because there is no undo. |
| Where it stops scaling | One 4 GB box serves a small team. The README's large layout is three front-end servers with two WeKan containers each and one big database server. A team of 50+ concurrent users on 8.x reported the UI hanging (#6307). |
The thing that catches people out
WeKan moves faster than a self-hoster can test. The default compose pulls wekan:latest, and on every start it downloads the newest release of WeKan's FerretDB fork. A restart can change both the app and the database layer. Regressions follow: 11.24 broke persistent logins (#6646), and one team upgrading from v6 to the latest version found several days of changes missing (#6583). Pin the image to a version tag and FERRETDB_RELEASE to a specific release, and back up daily as the README asks. Upgrade on purpose, and often, because only the newest version gets fixes.
When not to self-host Wekan
You need a board that behaves the same for months without supervision, or nobody will run daily backups. Kanboard changes slowly and Vikunja is lighter. If nobody should have to be the admin, stay on Trello.
Every guide here carries this section. A site that only ever tells you to self-host is selling something — the useful answer is sometimes no.
Other Layer 5 self-hosting guides
- Self-hosting LibreOffice2 GB with a large spreadsheet open
- Self-hosting ONLYOFFICE6 GB for the Document Server with a handful of concurrent editors
- Self-hosting Collabora Online4 GB, and roughly 1 GB per 20 concurrent documents
- Self-hosting CryptPad2 GB for a small instance
- Self-hosting Mattermost4 GB for a team of 50 with PostgreSQL on the same box
- Self-hosting Rocket.Chat6 GB with MongoDB on the same machine
Common questions
- How much RAM does Wekan actually need?
- 4 GB total, the README's production minimum in practice. The documented minimum is 1 GB free for WeKan itself. The README says a production server should have at least 4 GB in total, which is the figure at which the process starts rather than the figure at which it works under real use. 2 vCPU. The README sizes thousands of users at three 2-CPU front-end servers plus one database server with many CPUs alongside it.
- What does self-hosting Wekan cost per month?
- $12–24/mo for a 5–20 user instance on a 4 GB VPS This is commodity VPS pricing and excludes your time, which is the larger cost for most people — budget for constant. New versions land every few days (v10.00 on 18 July 2026, v11.00 on 17 August, v12.00 on 24 September), and only the newest is supported. The README asks for a database backup at least once a day because there is no undo.
- How long does it take to set up Wekan?
- 30 minutes with Snap or docker compose, via Snap, which updates itself, or the repo's docker-compose.yml. The compose file now defaults to WeKan's own fork of FerretDB v1 with embedded SQLite instead of MongoDB. Separate compose files cover MongoDB 7 and FerretDB on PostgreSQL..
- When should I NOT self-host Wekan?
- You need a board that behaves the same for months without supervision, or nobody will run daily backups. Kanboard changes slowly and Vikunja is lighter. If nobody should have to be the admin, stay on Trello.
- What is the most common mistake when self-hosting Wekan?
- WeKan moves faster than a self-hoster can test. The default compose pulls wekan:latest, and on every start it downloads the newest release of WeKan's FerretDB fork. A restart can change both the app and the database layer. Regressions follow: 11.24 broke persistent logins (#6646), and one team upgrading from v6 to the latest version found several days of changes missing (#6583). Pin the image to a version tag and FERRETDB_RELEASE to a specific release, and back up daily as the README asks. Upgrade on purpose, and often, because only the newest version gets fixes.