Dobase - Your workspace, your server

Summary

Dobase is an open-source, self-hosted workspace that bundles email, kanban boards, docs, chat, tasks, file storage, calendar, and video conferencing into a single Rails app backed by SQLite in one Docker container. It uses the ONCE deployment model (from 37signals) or Kamal for zero-downtime deploys, and runs on anything from a VPS to a Raspberry Pi.

Key Insight

• The architecture is radically simple: one Rails app, one SQLite database, one Docker container. No microservices, no external dependencies beyond optional LiveKit for video. This makes backup trivial (copy one file) and reduces operational overhead to near zero.
• Deploys via ONCE (37signals’ pay-once model) or Kamal, positioning it as a post-SaaS tool - you buy it once instead of paying monthly per seat.
• Per-tool, per-instance permissions rather than global roles. Each tool (board, doc, chat) can be shared with different collaborators independently - more granular than most all-in-one platforms.
• Real-time updates via ActionCable (WebSockets) with activity dots - no polling. CalDAV-compatible calendar means it works with existing calendar clients.
• PWA support means mobile access without app store distribution.
• The “install only what you need” modular approach avoids the bloat problem that kills most all-in-one self-hosted suites (looking at Nextcloud).