ZenTao

ZenTao is a self‑hosted, PHP‑based project management platform that unifies product planning, agile and waterfall execution, quality assurance, documentation, and organizational workflows into a single database‑backed application. From a developer’s standpoint it functions as an extensible RESTful API gateway and a modular MVC application that can be embedded into existing infrastructures or exposed as a standalone SaaS‑style service. The core engine is written in PHP 5.6+ and follows a layered architecture: controllers dispatch to service classes, which in turn manipulate data through ORM‑style models. All business logic is encapsulated in services that expose a clean API surface for external consumers, making it straightforward to build custom dashboards or integrate with CI/CD pipelines.

Architecture

• Language & Framework – Pure PHP (5.6+), with a lightweight MVC framework inspired by ThinkPHP/CodeIgniter. The codebase is split into modules (product, project, qa, doc, bi), each with its own controllers, models, and views.
• Database – MySQL/MariaDB is the primary persistence layer; schema migrations are managed through bundled SQL scripts and a version table. The ORM is home‑grown, providing lazy loading, eager relations, and transaction support.
• Web Layer – Apache/Nginx with PHP‑FPM; the application relies on standard PHP session handling and CSRF protection.
• Background Jobs – A built‑in cron framework schedules recurring tasks (email notifications, report generation). Developers can hook into these jobs via custom modules.
• Container Support – Official Docker images are available, exposing the application as a single container with persistent volumes for /data and /config. Kubernetes manifests are also provided, enabling horizontal scaling of stateless worker pods.

Core Capabilities

• RESTful API – Every module exposes CRUD endpoints (/api/project, /api/story, /api/bug). Authentication is token‑based (JWT) and supports OAuth2 for third‑party integrations.
• Webhooks – Events such as story_created, bug_closed can be subscribed to, allowing real‑time integration with chat ops (Slack, Mattermost) or custom microservices.
• Plugin Architecture – The plugin directory hosts third‑party extensions; developers can register new menu items, controllers, and database tables by implementing a simple interface.
• Custom Fields & Workflows – Via the admin UI, users can add arbitrary attributes to stories or bugs; these fields are exposed in APIs and can be queried with dynamic filters.
• Reporting & BI – A built‑in query builder lets developers construct ad‑hoc reports; results can be exported to CSV/Excel or consumed via API for BI dashboards.

Deployment & Infrastructure

ZenTao is designed for on‑premise or cloud VMs. Minimum requirements: 2 CPU, 4 GB RAM, and 20 GB disk for a modest installation. The Docker image simplifies deployment: a single docker-compose.yml pulls the latest release, mounts /var/lib/zentao/data, and exposes port 80. For high‑availability, you can run multiple web instances behind a load balancer while sharing the same MySQL cluster. Database replication and backup scripts are bundled, enabling point‑in‑time recovery.

Integration & Extensibility

• CI/CD – REST endpoints allow triggering builds, marking stories as done, or retrieving test results.
• Custom Plugins – Developers can write PHP classes that hook into lifecycle events (onBeforeSave, onAfterDelete).
• Webhooks & Callbacks – Subscribe to events for real‑time notifications; the payload is JSON and can be consumed by any language.
• SAML/OIDC – Single‑sign‑on integration is available, easing corporate authentication.
• SDKs – While not official, community‑maintained SDKs exist for Python and Node.js, simplifying API consumption.

Developer Experience

The codebase follows PSR‑4 autoloading and is heavily commented, making navigation intuitive. Documentation resides in the /doc directory and online at https://www.zentao.pm/book/, covering API usage, plugin development, and deployment. The active GitHub community (over 200 contributors) maintains a robust issue tracker and releases new features quarterly. Licensing under AGPL/ZPL ensures that any derivative work remains open, which is attractive for enterprises needing auditability.

Use Cases

1. Enterprise Agile Platform – Teams can embed ZenTao into their intranet, using its Scrum/Kanban boards while integrating with Jenkins or GitLab CI.
2. Quality‑Assurance Hub – QA teams can link test cases to stories, auto‑generate defect reports, and publish metrics to BI dashboards.
3. Document & Asset Management – The doc module acts as a lightweight CMS, enabling developers to store design docs and API specs in a single place.
4. Custom Workflow Engine – Companies with unique processes can build plugins that enforce business rules, audit trails, and compliance checks.

Advantages

• Full Control – Self‑hosted deployment gives developers complete ownership of data and customizations.
• Open Source Flexibility – AGPL/ZPL licensing permits internal modifications without releasing proprietary code.
• Rich Feature Set – 274 modules cover the entire SDLC, reducing the need to stitch together disparate tools.
• Scalable Architecture – Stateless web layer and pluggable background jobs