taiga.io Setup Pitfalls

Since Trello decided to f*ck its business class users by raising the price dramatically, we are apparently forced to evaluate alternatives. As Taiga was mentioned as compatible with GitLab (and we start to love our GitLab more and more), I set out to install a demo instance for us. Docker should make that straightforward.

Hylke Visser is providing neat Docker images for Taiga.io, along with the required docker-compose.yml. A few things can still go wrong.

As a general tip: Set DEBUG to "True" (including the quotes) on the backend container, so HTTP responses become much more meaningful.

Not being able to register

Taiga throws a HTTP 500 when trying to register.

This was caused by not setting up a proper SMTP server. Note that at least Google’s Cloud blocks regular SMTP ports, so when you use something like SendGrid, use Port 2525 or whatever your service offers.

Not setting the proper port caused a timeout and a HTTP 504 response.

Not being able to create projects

When trying to create a new project, no template can be chosen. Submitting the form afterwards gives a HTTP 500.

This was caused by the Docker image not properly setting up the initial data. superalex describes the solution.

1. docker exec -it taiga_taigaback_1 bash into the running backend container.

2. Execute the commands mentioned in the GitHub issue:

   # cd /usr/local/taiga/taiga-back/
   # python manage.py migrate --noinput
   # python manage.py loaddata initial_user
   # python manage.py loaddata initial_project_templates
   # python manage.py loaddata initial_role
   # python manage.py collectstatic --noinput

   The migrate command wasn’t needed in my case, but it didn’t hurt either.

This should leave you with a properly functioning Taiga.io. When creating a new project, you should be able to switch between Kanban and Scrum.