Skip to main content

Set Up Environment

This guide explains how to set up a local development environment for Planka using either a traditional Node.js setup or Docker-based approach.

Cloning the Repository​

Start by cloning the Planka repository and installing dependencies:

git clone https://github.com/plankanban/planka.git
cd planka
npm install

Traditional Development Setup​

Setting Up the Database​

You can use a local PostgreSQL database or start the provided development database using Docker:

docker-compose -f docker-compose-db.yml up

Configuring Environment Variables​

Create a .env file in the server/ directory based on the sample:

cp server/.env.sample server/.env

Edit server/.env:

  • Set DATABASE_URL to your local or Docker database instance.
  • Optionally configure DEFAULT_ADMIN_* variables to define an initial admin user.

Initializing the Database​

Run the following command to initialize the database:

npm run server:db:init

Starting the Development Server​

To launch both the frontend and backend in development mode:

npm start

Docker-Based Development Setup​

This setup uses Docker Compose to run all services (client, server, database, proxy) and auto-reloads on file changes.

Start the Full Stack Dev Environment​

docker-compose -f docker-compose-dev.yml up

This will build and start all required services in development mode.

Environment Variables​

Make sure the following environment variables are defined (can be passed via .env or Compose config):

NODE_ENV=development
DEFAULT_ADMIN_EMAIL=demo@demo.demo
DEFAULT_ADMIN_PASSWORD=demo
DEFAULT_ADMIN_NAME=Demo Demo
DEFAULT_ADMIN_USERNAME=demo

Access Planka​

Once started, access Planka in your browser at http://localhost:3000

If ports conflict with existing services, modify docker-compose-dev.yml to use alternative ports.