Build a Desktop Kanban App with Tauri and Nuxt

Looking for a weekend project that combines a modern web framework with a slick desktop build? This one’s for you. Kanri is a fast, local-first Kanban board application built with Nuxt for the frontend and Tauri to package it as a lightweight desktop app. It’s a great example of how the line between web and desktop apps continues to blur, using tools that many of us already work with every day.

It’s not just another todo app—it’s a focused, open-source take on personal project management that runs entirely on your machine. No accounts, no subscriptions, just a clean board for your tasks.

What It Does

Kanri is a local Kanban application. You create boards, add lists (like "To Do", "Doing", "Done"), and drag tasks between them. All your data is stored locally on your computer. The stack is straightforward: Nuxt 3 handles the reactive UI and frontend logic, while Tauri wraps everything into a secure, performant desktop binary for Windows, macOS, or Linux. It’s essentially a web app that feels native.

Why It’s Cool

The tech stack here is the main attraction. Using Tauri means the final application bundle is incredibly small—much smaller than similar Electron-based apps—because it leverages your system’s own webview instead of shipping an entire browser. For developers, it’s a fantastic, practical reference for how to structure a real app with Nuxt 3 (using Composition API, Pinia for state, and Tailwind CSS for styling) and then seamlessly build it for desktop with Tauri.

It’s also deliberately simple. There’s no backend to set up, no cloud sync (though you could add it), which makes it perfect for private, offline task management. The UI is clean and responsive, and the drag-and-drop is smooth. You can browse the code to see how things like persistent local storage and window management are handled in a Tauri environment.

How to Try It

You have a couple of options. The quickest is to download the latest pre-built release for your operating system directly from the GitHub Releases page.

If you want to tinker or run the development version, you’ll need Node.js, pnpm, and the Rust toolchain (for Tauri). Clone the repo and follow the setup instructions in the README.

git clone https://github.com/kanriapp/kanri.git
cd kanri
pnpm install
pnpm tauri dev

Running pnpm tauri dev will spin up the Nuxt dev server and launch the Tauri app window. It’s a smooth dev experience.

Final Thoughts

Kanri is a solid template for any developer wanting to explore modern desktop app development. Whether you need a personal productivity tool or are just curious about combining Nuxt and Tauri, this repo provides a fully-functional starting point. You could extend it with features like markdown notes in cards, theming, or even integrate a sync engine. It proves you can build a focused, useful desktop application with the web skills you already have.

Check out the repository, star it if you find it useful, and maybe even open a PR if you have ideas for improvement.

@githubprojects