Technologies Under Evaluation¶
Technologies being researched for potential adoption. This is a bookmark/reference list.
Analytics¶
Rybbit¶
Privacy-focused web analytics, alternative to Google Analytics and Umami.
- GitHub: https://github.com/rybbit-io/rybbit
- Docs: https://rybbit.com/
- Notes: Session replay, funnels, cookieless tracking. More feature-rich than Umami. AGPL-3.0.
Authentication¶
Tinyauth¶
Simple authentication middleware for reverse proxies.
- GitHub: https://github.com/steveiliop56/tinyauth
- Docs: https://tinyauth.app/
- Notes: Supports Traefik/Nginx/Caddy. OAuth with GitHub/Google. Helm chart available. GPLv3. Simpler than Authentik but less features.
Backups¶
Postgresus¶
PostgreSQL backup tool with web UI.
- GitHub: https://github.com/RostislavDugin/postgresus
- Notes: Web dashboard, scheduled backups, supports AWS RDS/GCP/Azure. Role-based access. Apache 2.0. May overlap with CloudNativePG backup features.
Zerobyte¶
Backup automation built on Restic with web interface.
- GitHub: https://github.com/nicotsx/zerobyte
- Notes: End-to-end encryption, S3/GCS/rclone support (40+ providers), retention policies, notifications. AGPL-3.0.
Document Management¶
BentoPDF¶
Privacy-first PDF toolkit (client-side processing).
- GitHub: https://github.com/alam00000/bentopdf
- Docs: https://bentopdf.com/
- Notes: 50+ tools (merge, split, compress, convert). Runs entirely in browser, no server processing. Good Stirling PDF alternative.
BookLore¶
Self-hosted book/ebook library.
- GitHub: https://github.com/booklore-app/booklore
- Docs: https://booklore-app.github.io/booklore-docs/
- Notes: EPUB/PDF/comics reader, Kobo/KOReader sync, OPDS support, OIDC auth. Multi-user with permissions.
Papra¶
Minimalistic document archiving platform.
- GitHub: https://github.com/papra-hq/papra
- Docs: https://docs.papra.app/
- Notes: Long-term document storage, tags, email ingestion. AGPL-3.0. Simple and focused.
File Storage & Sync¶
Sync-in¶
File storage, sharing, and collaboration platform.
- GitHub: https://github.com/Sync-in/server
- Docs: https://sync-in.com/docs/
- Notes: OnlyOffice integration, WebDAV, desktop clients, granular permissions. Potential Nextcloud replacement. AGPL-3.0.
Notes & Knowledge¶
Outline¶
Modern wiki and knowledge base for teams.
- GitHub: https://github.com/outline/outline
- Docs: https://docs.getoutline.com/
- Notes: Real-time collaboration, Markdown, slash commands, embeds (Figma, Loom, etc.). Structured collections. Full-text search. SSO/OIDC support (Authentik compatible). Slack/Mattermost integrations. BSL license (free self-host). S3 for file storage. Requires PostgreSQL + Redis.
NoteDiscovery¶
Self-hosted markdown note-taking with wiki features.
- GitHub: https://github.com/gamosoft/NoteDiscovery
- Docs: https://www.notediscovery.com/
- Notes: Wikilinks, graph view, LaTeX, Mermaid diagrams. File-based (regular .md files). 8 themes. Pairs well with Obsidian.
AFFiNE¶
Open-source Notion alternative with local-first approach.
- GitHub: https://github.com/toeverything/AFFiNE
- Docs: https://docs.affine.pro/
- Notes: Docs + whiteboards + databases in one. Local-first with optional sync. AGPL-3.0. Electron app + web. Still maturing but promising.
Project Management¶
Plane¶
Modern, open-source Linear/Jira alternative.
- GitHub: https://github.com/makeplane/plane
- Docs: https://docs.plane.so/
- Notes: Issues, cycles (sprints), modules, roadmaps. Clean UI similar to Linear. GitHub/GitLab sync. OIDC/SAML support. AGPL-3.0. Docker/K8s deploy. Active development. Requires PostgreSQL + Redis + MinIO.
Planka¶
Trello-like kanban board.
- GitHub: https://github.com/plankanban/planka
- Docs: https://docs.planka.cloud/
- Notes: Real-time updates, drag-and-drop, attachments, due dates. Simple and focused. AGPL-3.0. Lightweight (just PostgreSQL). Good for small teams wanting simplicity.
Vikunja¶
Task management with multiple views.
- GitHub: https://github.com/go-vikunja/vikunja
- Docs: https://vikunja.io/docs/
- Notes: Lists, kanban, gantt, calendar views. CalDAV support. OIDC auth. Single Go binary + SQLite/PostgreSQL. AGPL-3.0. Lightweight and performant.
Tillywork¶
Open-source command center combining project management, sprints, and CRM.
- GitHub: https://github.com/tillywork/tillywork
- Docs: https://tillywork.com/
- Notes: Linear-like UI for fast issue creation. Projects, sprints (with burndown charts), kanban pipelines. Cards with relations (blocks/is blocked by). API-first design - can integrate with Forgejo via webhooks. MIT license, unlimited seats. TypeScript/GraphQL backend, Material UI. Requires PostgreSQL.
Huly¶
All-in-one project management platform (Linear + Jira + Slack + Notion alternative).
- GitHub: https://github.com/hcengineering/platform
- Self-host: https://github.com/hcengineering/huly-selfhost
- Docs: https://docs.huly.io/
- Notes: Issues, sprints, kanban, roadmaps, time-blocking. Built-in chat and video calls (LiveKit). Notion-like documents/wiki. CRM, HRM, ATS modules. OIDC/SSO support. EPL-2.0 license. Requires CockroachDB + MongoDB + Elasticsearch + Redpanda + MinIO. Overkill for small teams (<20 employees) - better suited for larger organizations needing all-in-one solution. Tested Dec 2025.
Developer Platform / IDP¶
Kubero¶
Heroku-like PaaS for Kubernetes with addon system.
- GitHub: https://github.com/kubero-dev/kubero
- Docs: https://www.kubero.dev/docs/
- Notes: Git push to deploy, 4 pipelines (review/test/staging/prod), 160+ app templates, one-click addons (PostgreSQL, Redis, MongoDB, MySQL, Elasticsearch). Review apps for PRs. Buildpacks or Dockerfile. OIDC support. Simple UI. AGPL-3.0. Kubernetes-native (stores config in CRDs, not Git). No external DB needed. Good for small teams wanting Heroku experience on K8s.
- Status: ⚠️ Not chosen (Dec 2025) - CRD-based (not Git-centric), addons are Kubero-managed (not CNPG), separate from existing backup strategy. Doesn't fit GitOps philosophy.
Qovery¶
Internal Developer Platform with full preview environment support.
- GitHub: https://github.com/Qovery/engine (engine is open source)
- Docs: https://www.qovery.com/docs/
- Notes: Runs on your AWS/GCP/Azure. Full preview environments including database clones. Supports managed DBs (RDS) or container DBs. Git-based deployments. BYOK (bring your own K8s). Has Replibyte for DB seeding and Torii for developer portal. Free tier available. Proprietary (open-source engine). Good for teams on major cloud providers.
Coolify¶
Self-hosted Heroku/Vercel/Netlify alternative.
- GitHub: https://github.com/coollabsio/coolify
- Docs: https://coolify.io/docs
- Notes: One-click database provisioning (PostgreSQL, MySQL, Redis, MongoDB). Git integration (GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket). Docker-based (not K8s native). Very active development, large community. Free and open source. Simple and polished UI. Great for small teams. Not ideal if already invested in K8s.
Backstage¶
Spotify's developer portal and service catalog.
- GitHub: https://github.com/backstage/backstage
- Docs: https://backstage.io/docs
- Notes: Service catalog, software templates, TechDocs. Plugin ecosystem (Kubernetes, ArgoCD, etc.). OIDC/SAML. Apache 2.0. Powerful but complex to set up and maintain. Best for larger organizations (50+ engineers). Requires PostgreSQL.
Devtron¶
Kubernetes-native DevSecOps platform.
- GitHub: https://github.com/devtron-labs/devtron
- Docs: https://docs.devtron.ai/
- Notes: Full CI/CD with UI, GitOps (uses ArgoCD), security scanning, RBAC. Form-based UI abstracts K8s/Helm complexity. Configs stored in Git (true GitOps). Environment promotion (dev→staging→prod). OIDC support. Apache 2.0. Can integrate with existing CNPG for databases via custom Helm charts. More feature-complete than Kubero but heavier.
- Status: ❌ Rejected (Dec 2025) - Tested in production. ArgoCD ClusterRoleBinding conflicts with existing ArgoCD installation. Complex SSO/Dex setup. Heavy dependencies (PostgreSQL, many CRDs). Not designed for environments with pre-existing ArgoCD.
Sablier¶
Zero-scale/scale-to-zero for containers.
- GitHub: https://github.com/sablier-labs/sablier
- Docs: https://sablier.dev/
- Notes: Start containers on-demand, scale to zero when idle. Integrates with Traefik/Nginx/Caddy. Good for dev environments and cost savings. Apache 2.0.
Database Tools for Preview Environments¶
DBLab (PostgresAI)¶
Instant PostgreSQL thin clones for development and testing.
- GitHub: https://github.com/postgres-ai/database-lab-engine
- Docs: https://postgres.ai/docs/
- Notes: Copy-on-write database cloning. 1TB database clones in ~10 seconds. Multiple clones share storage (~90% cost savings). Perfect for preview environments needing production-scale data. API for CI/CD integration. Can complement CNPG for ephemeral environments. Open source (Apache 2.0).
Replibyte (Qovery)¶
Database seeding and anonymization tool.
- GitHub: https://github.com/Qovery/Replibyte
- Docs: https://www.replibyte.com/docs/
- Notes: Seed databases from production with data anonymization. Written in Rust. Supports PostgreSQL, MySQL, MongoDB. Good for creating realistic test data without exposing PII. MIT license.
Container Registry¶
Harbor¶
Enterprise container registry with security scanning.
- GitHub: https://github.com/goharbor/harbor
- Docs: https://goharbor.io/docs
- Notes: Vulnerability scanning (Trivy), RBAC, replication, Helm chart repository. OIDC support. Apache 2.0. Industry standard for enterprise. Note: Forgejo already has built-in container registry which may be sufficient for small teams.
Tunnels & Networking¶
Pangolin¶
Self-hosted reverse proxy with WireGuard tunnels.
- GitHub: https://github.com/fosrl/pangolin
- Docs: https://pangolin.net/
- Notes: Alternative to Cloudflare Tunnels. Identity-aware, supports OAuth2/OIDC (Authentik, Keycloak). TCP/UDP tunnels. AGPL-3.0 / Commercial. UI-based config (less GitOps friendly than Terraform+Cloudflare).
Evaluation Status¶
| Technology | Category | Priority | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rybbit | Analytics | Medium | To evaluate |
| Tinyauth | Auth | Low | To evaluate |
| Postgresus | Backup | Low | CloudNativePG may suffice |
| Zerobyte | Backup | Medium | To evaluate |
| BentoPDF | Docs | Low | Nice to have |
| BookLore | Docs | Low | Nice to have |
| Papra | Docs | Medium | To evaluate |
| Sync-in | Storage | High | Nextcloud replacement candidate |
| Outline | Notes | High | Wiki for meetings/collab docs |
| NoteDiscovery | Notes | Medium | To evaluate |
| AFFiNE | Notes | Low | Notion alternative, still maturing |
| Plane | Project Mgmt | High | Linear alternative for task tracking |
| Planka | Project Mgmt | Medium | Simple kanban option |
| Vikunja | Project Mgmt | Medium | Lightweight task management |
| Tillywork | Project Mgmt | High | Linear-like UI, sprints + CRM, Forgejo API integration |
| Huly | Project Mgmt | Low | All-in-one but overkill for small teams (<20), complex infra |
| Kubero | IDP | - | ⚠️ Not chosen - CRD-based, not Git-centric |
| Devtron | IDP | - | ❌ Rejected - ArgoCD conflicts, complex setup |
| minnova-app | IDP | High | ✅ Chosen - Custom Helm chart + ArgoCD ApplicationSet |
| Qovery | IDP | Medium | Full preview envs with DB clones, but proprietary |
| Coolify | IDP | Low | Great UX but Docker-based (not K8s native) |
| Backstage | IDP | Low | Too complex for small teams (<50 engineers) |
| Sablier | IDP | Low | Scale-to-zero, nice for dev envs |
| DBLab | Database | Medium | Instant DB clones for preview envs, complements CNPG |
| Replibyte | Database | Low | DB seeding with anonymization |
| Harbor | Registry | Low | Forgejo registry may suffice |
| Pangolin | Network | Low | Cloudflare Terraform works well |
Related Documentation¶
- Internal Developer Platform - Minnova's chosen IDP approach using ArgoCD ApplicationSets