ClearFlask

ClearFlask is an open-source feedback management and product roadmap platform for collecting, analyzing, and acting on customer feedback. It is designed to run self-hosted and as a managed cloud offering and is positioned as an alternative to hosted feedback tools.

Key Features

• Feedback boards with voting, subscriptions and comment threads to capture customer ideas
• Public roadmaps and announcements to share progress with users and track status
• AI-assisted feedback analysis and search to surface insights across customer input
• Multiple selectable backends: MySQL/MariaDB (search/filtering), Elasticsearch/OpenSearch (advanced search), S3/MinIO for object storage, and optional DynamoDB-compatible stores
• Two-component architecture: a Java/Tomcat API server and a Node.js/TypeScript frontend/SSR layer
• Deployment options for development and production: Docker Compose, Kubernetes Helm charts, and AWS-friendly configuration
• Built-in features for certificate management, SSO/connect tokens, and integration points for SMTP/SES for outgoing email
• Helm charts and Kubernetes-ready configuration with autoscaling, health checks, and persistent volumes

Use Cases

• Centralize customer feedback, enable voting, and identify the most requested features
• Publish a public roadmap and announcements to keep customers informed and reduce inbound status requests
• Convert high-value feedback into actionable tasks in product planning and prioritization workflows

Limitations and Considerations

• Production deployments require multiple infrastructure components (databases, object store, optional search service) and nontrivial configuration
• Using Elasticsearch/OpenSearch adds operational and resource overhead compared with a MySQL-only setup
• The server component is Java/Tomcat-based and requires JVM management; the frontend requires Node/TypeScript tooling for custom builds

ClearFlask is a full-featured option for teams that need control over feedback data and public roadmaps. It is suited for organizations prepared to manage backend services and deployment orchestration for production use.