exponential

Open source Linear alternative — keyboard-first issue tracking for software teams.

A fully functional clone of Linear built with Next.js 16, TypeScript, and modern infrastructure. Fast, self-hostable, and designed for teams that live in their terminal.

About

exponential is a production-grade issue tracking and project management tool built to match Linear's speed and keyboard-first UX. Whether you're a startup building in public or an enterprise needing self-hosted infrastructure, exponential is a fully open source alternative that you can deploy, customize, and extend.

Built by ralph-to-ralph, an autonomous product cloning system, exponential represents 41 features across issues, projects, cycles, initiatives, and real-time notifications — all tested and deployed from day one.

Features

Core capabilities:

• Issues — Create, assign, prioritize, estimate, label, and organize with workflow states (Backlog, In Progress, Done, Canceled)
• Projects — Time-bound deliverables with milestones, progress tracking, and status updates
• Cycles — Automated sprints with burndown charts and auto-rollover
• Initiatives — Strategic roadmap grouping multiple projects
• Custom Views — Filter-based board, list, and timeline layouts
• Triage Queue — Intake system for incoming issues with bulk actions
• Inbox & Notifications — Real-time updates for assignments, mentions, and status changes
• Command Palette — Cmd+K for fast navigation and issue creation
• Keyboard Shortcuts — Full keyboard support throughout the app
• Authentication — Google OAuth and magic link login
• Real-time Sync — Live updates via Redis
• File Attachments — Upload and store files on AWS S3

Quick Start

Option 1: Local Development

# Clone the repository

git clone https://github.com/namuh-eng/exponential.git
cd exponential

# Install dependencies

npm install

# Start infrastructure services (PostgreSQL + Redis)

make dev-services

# Configure environment

cp .env.example .env

# Edit .env with your AWS credentials and auth settings

# Run database migrations

npm run db:push

# Start the dev server (runs on http://localhost:3000)

npm run dev

Option 2: Docker Compose (Coming Soon)

git clone https://github.com/namuh-eng/exponential.git
cd exponential

docker compose up

The app will be available at http://localhost:3000.

Option 3: Cloud Deployment (Coming Soon)

One-click deployment to Vercel or Railway coming soon.

Tech Stack

Development

Commands

# Type check and lint

make check

# Run unit tests

make test

# Run E2E tests (requires dev server running)

make test-e2e

# Run all checks

make all

# Start dev server

npm run dev

# Build for production

npm run build

# Push database schema changes

npm run db:push

Quality Standards

• TypeScript strict mode — no any types
• 100% tested — every feature has unit tests (Vitest) and E2E tests (Playwright)
• Consistent formatting — Biome handles linting and formatting
• Small commits — one feature per commit with clear messages

Project Structure

exponential/
├── src/
│   ├── app/              # Next.js App Router pages and API routes
│   ├── components/       # Reusable React components
│   ├── lib/              # Utilities, helpers, API clients
│   │   └── db/           # Drizzle ORM schema
│   └── types/            # TypeScript types
├── tests/                # Vitest unit tests
│   └── e2e/              # Playwright E2E tests
├── packages/sdk/         # TypeScript SDK
└── scripts/              # Infrastructure and deployment

Environment Setup

Prerequisites

• Node.js 20+ — install
• PostgreSQL 15+ — local or AWS RDS
• Redis 7+ — local or AWS ElastiCache
• AWS Account (optional) — for S3, SES, RDS, ElastiCache

Environment Variables

Copy .env.example to .env and configure:

# Database

DATABASE_URL=postgresql://user:password@localhost/exponential

# Redis

REDIS_URL=redis://localhost:6379

# AWS (optional, required for production)

AWS_REGION=us-east-1
AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID=your-access-key
AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY=your-secret-key

# S3 (for file uploads)

AWS_S3_BUCKET=exponential-uploads

# SES (for email)

AWS_SES_SENDER_EMAIL=noreply@exponential.com

# Authentication

AUTH_GOOGLE_ID=your-google-oauth-id
AUTH_GOOGLE_SECRET=your-google-oauth-secret
BETTER_AUTH_SECRET=your-random-secret

Infrastructure Provisioning (Production)

To provision AWS infrastructure (RDS, ElastiCache, S3, ECR, SES):

bash scripts/preflight.sh

This script will:

• Create RDS PostgreSQL instance
• Create ElastiCache Redis cluster
• Create S3 bucket for uploads
• Configure SES for email delivery
• Create ECR registry for Docker images

Built by AI

exponential was built autonomously by ralph-to-ralph, a multi-agent system that clones SaaS products end-to-end.

The system:

1. Inspects the target product (Linear) using Claude + Ever CLI
2. Builds a working clone with TDD — 41 features, 24,000+ lines of code
3. Tests every feature with Vitest + Playwright
4. Deploys to AWS with real infrastructure

The entire process runs fully autonomous with zero human intervention. This README and documentation are human-written to ensure clarity and accuracy.

Contributing

We welcome contributions! Whether it's bug fixes, new features, or improvements to documentation, all are appreciated.

Start here: CONTRIBUTING.md

License

Elastic License 2.0 — Use, modify, and self-host freely. You may not offer the software as a hosted service to third parties. See LICENSE for full terms.

Support

• Issues — Report bugs or request features on GitHub Issues
• Discussions — Ask questions on GitHub Discussions
• Documentation — [Full docs coming soon]

Built with by Jaeyun Ha at Ralphthon Seoul 2026

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