I built an open-source, self-hostable Jira alternative — here's the stack

For the last while I’ve been building Spirex — a free, open-source, self-hostable
alternative to Jira for agile engineering teams. It’s now at a point where I’d love
eyes on it.

Live demo (no signup, nothing saved): https://spirex.rit.services/demo
Source (AGPL-3.0): https://github.com/Rit-Services/Spirex
Hosted + docs: https://spirex.rit.services

Why another Jira alternative?

Most tools either lock the basics behind add-ons (time tracking, workflow editing)
or force their process on you. I wanted the workflow engineering teams actually
run — sprint boards, backlog, epics, custom columns — without the per-feature
upsell, and reporting that doesn’t dress an estimate up as a fact.

The stack

• Frontend: React + TypeScript, TipTap rich editor, dnd-kit for boards
• Backend: Node / Express + Prisma
• Data: Postgres, S3 / MinIO for files
• Deploy: Docker Compose — self-host the whole thing on your own infra
• License: AGPL-3.0 core

What it does

• Drag-and-drop sprint boards with a custom workflow editor (rename a column and it updates board, backlog and history live)
• Backlog & sprint planning with carry-over
• Epics, stories, subtasks, story points and labels
• Time tracking & honest reporting — sums time actually logged, never an estimate
• Full-fidelity Jira import — issues, comments, epic links, attachments and inline images, streamed live
• Optional AI that’s bring-your-own-key: point it at your own Anthropic key or any OpenAI-compatible model via LiteLLM. Nothing leaves your instance unless you turn it on.

Where I’d love feedback

It’s early and pre-launch. I’m especially interested in how the Jira importer holds
up on real projects, for me it worked perfectly and was able to import comments along as well. Try the demo, break
it, and tell me what’s missing.