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.