Redmine

Redmine
Name	Redmine
Developer	Jean-Philippe Lang
Released	2006
Programming language	Ruby
Operating system	Cross-platform
License	GNU General Public License v2

Redmine is an open-source, web-based project management and issue-tracking application. It provides integrated tools for project planning, bug tracking, and collaboration, and is widely used in software development, information technology, and research organizations. The application emphasizes extensibility, modularity, and support for multiple version control systems and databases.

Overview

Redmine was created to serve teams requiring flexible project management and issue tracking; it supports multiple projects, role-based access, and customizable workflows. The platform integrates with version control systems and continuous integration servers, enabling traceability between code and issues. It is commonly deployed in environments using platforms such as Linux, Windows, and macOS and in organizations that manage corporate workflows with tools from Atlassian, GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, and Jenkins.

Features

Redmine provides core capabilities such as issue tracking, Gantt charts, calendars, time tracking, and wiki pages for documentation; these features align with practices used by teams working with Agile software development, Scrum (software development), Kanban and Extreme Programming. It supports role-based permissions and fine-grained access control similar to systems used by Microsoft enterprise customers and Oracle customers. Redmine integrates with version control systems like Subversion, Git, Mercurial, and CVS and can link commits to tracker issues as in workflows used with Trac (software), Phabricator, and Bugzilla. Internationalization capabilities have enabled adoption in locales where institutions such as European Commission, United Nations, and World Health Organization operate multilingual projects.

Architecture and Technology

Redmine is implemented in Ruby (programming language) using the Ruby on Rails framework and follows the Model-View-Controller pattern common to web applications developed by communities around Basecamp (company), 37signals, and contributors to RubyGems. It supports databases such as MySQL, PostgreSQL, and SQLite and can be deployed with web servers like Apache HTTP Server, Nginx, and application servers that support Rack middleware. Authentication and integration mechanisms allow single sign-on with identity providers including LDAP, Active Directory, and OAuth implementations used by Google, Microsoft Azure, and Facebook (company). Plugins extend functionality in a manner similar to extension ecosystems for Jenkins (software), WordPress, and Drupal.

History and Development

Redmine was initiated by Jean-Philippe Lang in 2006 and has evolved through contributions from a global community of developers and organizations. Its development history intersects with the emergence of modern distributed version control popularized by Linus Torvalds, GitHub, and GitLab. Over time, Redmine's roadmap and feature set have been influenced by trends set by projects such as Trac (software), MantisBT, and JIRA from Atlassian. Community governance, contributions, and forks have followed patterns similar to large open-source projects like Linux kernel and Apache HTTP Server with activity coordinated on platforms reflecting the practices of SourceForge and GitHub.

Adoption and Use Cases

Redmine is used by small teams, large enterprises, academic institutions, and government agencies for software development tracking, service management, and research coordination. Examples of analogous adoption include organizations using NASA project tracking practices, European Space Agency mission coordination, and enterprise teams at IBM and Siemens for engineering workflows. Use cases span bug tracking for projects managed with Eclipse Foundation tooling, feature planning for mobile applications in ecosystems like Apple Inc. and Google LLC, and contract management in consultancy firms similar to Accenture and Deloitte.

Security and Release Management

Redmine's security posture depends on timely updates to its Ruby, Rails, and dependency stack and on secure deployment practices used by operators of OpenSSL, Let's Encrypt, and container platforms such as Docker (software) and Kubernetes. Administrators apply security advisories and follow processes akin to CVE handling and coordinated disclosure practiced by organizations like MITRE and OWASP. Release management in Redmine deployments is often integrated with continuous integration pipelines implemented with Jenkins (software), GitLab CI/CD, or Travis CI, and follows versioning conventions comparable to Semantic Versioning and release workflows used by projects such as Debian and Fedora Project.

Category:Project management software