TaskTrove

Self-hosted task manager with natural language and privacy

Modern, privacy-first task manager you host yourself. Features natural language parsing, recurring tasks, project organization, and multiple views—all stored locally in simple JSON files.

Overview

Privacy-First Task Management

TaskTrove is a self-hosted task manager designed for individuals and teams who value complete data ownership. Unlike cloud-based alternatives, every task, project, and note lives on your infrastructure with zero external tracking or data collection.

Intelligent Task Creation

Create tasks using natural language—type "tomorrow at 2pm" or "every Monday" and TaskTrove automatically parses dates and recurrence patterns. Break down complex projects with unlimited subtasks, add priorities, due dates, comments, and file attachments. Switch between List, Kanban board, and Calendar views to match your workflow.

Built for Simplicity

All data is stored in straightforward JSON files, making backups and migrations trivial. The modern interface adapts to light and dark themes, works seamlessly on mobile devices, and includes keyboard shortcuts for power users. Deploy with a single Docker command or install manually using Node.js.

Ideal for developers, privacy-conscious professionals, and teams seeking full control over their productivity data without vendor lock-in or subscription fees.

Highlights

Complete privacy with self-hosted deployment and file-based JSON storage

Natural language task parsing for dates, times, and recurring patterns

Multiple views: List, Kanban board, and Calendar for flexible workflows

Project organization with sections, color-coded labels, and unlimited subtasks

Pros

Zero data collection or external tracking ensures complete privacy
Simple JSON storage makes backups and data portability effortless
Natural language parsing speeds up task creation significantly
Docker deployment enables setup in minutes with minimal configuration

Considerations

Self-hosting requires your own infrastructure and maintenance
No built-in collaboration features for real-time team coordination
File-based storage may not scale for extremely large task databases
Lacks native mobile apps; relies on responsive web interface

Managed products teams compare with

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Todoist

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Looking for a hosted option? These are the services engineering teams benchmark against before choosing open source.

Fit guide

Great for

Privacy-conscious individuals who want full control over task data
Developers comfortable with Docker or Node.js deployments
Small teams needing shared task management on private infrastructure
Users seeking simple, portable data formats without vendor lock-in

Not ideal when

Large organizations requiring enterprise-grade access controls and audit logs
Teams needing real-time collaboration with simultaneous editing
Non-technical users who prefer managed cloud services over self-hosting
Projects requiring native mobile apps with offline-first capabilities

How teams use it

Personal Productivity Dashboard

Manage daily tasks, recurring habits, and long-term projects with natural language input and calendar views, all stored privately on your home server.

Freelance Project Tracking

Organize client work by project with color-coded labels, subtasks for deliverables, and file attachments—backed up as simple JSON files.

Team Sprint Planning

Deploy on internal infrastructure for sprint tasks, use Kanban view for workflow stages, and maintain complete data sovereignty.

Academic Research Organization

Track research tasks, paper deadlines, and recurring lab meetings with privacy-first storage that never leaves university servers.

Tech snapshot

TypeScript99%

Shell1%

JavaScript1%

CSS1%

Dockerfile1%

HTML1%

Frequently asked questions

How do I back up my TaskTrove data?

All data is stored in a single JSON file at `data/data.json`. Simply copy this file to create backups. The README provides a command to automate timestamped backups.

Can multiple users access the same TaskTrove instance?

TaskTrove can be accessed by multiple users on the same network, but it uses file-based storage without built-in user authentication or real-time collaboration features.

What natural language formats does TaskTrove understand?

TaskTrove parses common date expressions like "tomorrow at 2pm," "next Friday," and recurrence patterns such as "every Monday" or "daily, weekly, monthly" schedules.

Does TaskTrove require a database server?

No. TaskTrove uses file-based JSON storage, eliminating the need for PostgreSQL, MySQL, or other database servers. This simplifies deployment and backups.

Is there a mobile app for TaskTrove?

TaskTrove does not have native mobile apps but offers a mobile-friendly responsive web interface that works in any modern browser on phones and tablets.

Project at a glance

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Stars: 942
Watchers: 942
Forks: 18

Repo age7 months old

Last commit2 weeks ago

Self-hostingSupported

Primary languageTypeScript

Last synced yesterday