DailyHub

Product Introduction

1. Definition: DailyHub is a self-hosted, single-user productivity dashboard and personal command center. Technically, it is a full-stack web application built with Next.js 15 (App Router), TypeScript, and SQLite, designed to run locally on a user's machine via Node.js or Docker.
2. Core Value Proposition: It exists to consolidate the fragmented view of a multi-project professional's day into a single, focused interface. Its core value is providing a "morning surface" that answers four key questions: what is open, what belongs where, what must happen today, and what you already finished, thereby reducing cognitive load and context switching.

Main Features

1. The Daily Dashboard: This is the primary "Today" view, acting as a command center. It works by aggregating data from the SQLite database via Prisma ORM to display a greeting, a snapshot of open/done tasks, a streak counter, today's scheduled habits, and all open work categorized by project and inbox. The interface is built with Tailwind CSS and shadcn/ui components.
2. Project-Centric Task Management: Unlike generic to-do lists, tasks in DailyHub must be associated with a project or left in the Inbox. This feature enforces intentional work categorization. Each project has a status (Active, Paused, Done), optional due dates and milestones, and a visual "stalled" banner that triggers when tasks sit idle for too long, promoting progress.
3. Habit Tracking with Weekday Scheduling: This feature allows users to define recurring checklist items (habits) with specific weekday schedules (e.g., Monday-Friday). Completion is a simple toggle for the current day only, and a 14-day consistency trail provides immediate visual feedback. The data is logged automatically for analytics without user input.
4. Automated Completion Analytics: Every task completion and habit toggle writes a timestamped log to the SQLite database. The Analytics page reads this log to generate visual reports on completions over time, project breakdowns, habit consistency rates, and weekday productivity patterns, offering data-driven insight with zero manual tracking overhead.
5. Local-First & Self-Hosted Architecture: The core technical feature is its local-by-default operation. It runs on 127.0.0.1:9999, storing all data (SQLite data.db and uploaded files) in ~/.daily-hub/. This ensures complete data privacy, eliminates subscription costs, and allows operation entirely offline.

Problems Solved

1. Pain Point: Context switching and mental overhead for professionals managing multiple concurrent projects (client work, side projects, personal goals) across different tools (Linear, Notion, habit trackers).
2. Target Audience: Indie hackers, solo founders, consultants, freelancers, and any knowledge worker who juggles client projects, product development, and personal productivity systems simultaneously. The ideal user values privacy and wants a consolidated, non-ceremonial view of their day.
3. Use Cases: A consultant starting their day needs to see all open client items, a side project milestone, and today's writing habit in one glance. An indie builder wants to track progress on their SaaS while managing bug reports, without the overhead of a multi-user project tool. A founder needs a private, persistent log of what they actually shipped for investor updates.

Unique Advantages

1. Strengths & Limitations (Pros & Cons):

   • Pros: Unmatched data privacy and ownership (local SQLite file). Zero cost after setup. Extremely fast and focused UI with no team collaboration clutter. Seamless integration of task and habit tracking with automatic analytics. Simple, opinionated workflow that reduces setup and maintenance time.
   • Cons: Strictly single-user, making it unsuitable for teams. Requires basic technical comfort to run via npx or Docker. No native mobile app; access is browser-based on the local network. Lacks complex features of full project management tools (e.g., dependencies, time tracking, advanced reporting).

2. Key Alternatives & Differentiation:

   • vs. Notion/Obsidian: DailyHub is a purpose-built execution surface, whereas Notion is a flexible database. DailyHub provides immediate, structured views and automated analytics out-of-the-box, without requiring the user to build dashboards or templates.
   • vs. Linear/Jira: These are powerful, collaborative issue trackers. DailyHub is a complementary, personal overlay. It is where you decide what to work on from Linear today. It's for prioritization and daily rhythm, not for bug triage or sprint planning with a team.
   • vs. Everyday/Streaks (Habit Apps): DailyHub integrates habit tracking directly with your professional work context, avoiding the need for a separate app. Its analytics correlate habit completion with task productivity.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

1. Is DailyHub free and open source? Yes, DailyHub is completely free and its source code is publicly available on GitHub under the MIT license. There are no subscriptions, tiers, or paid features.
2. How do I backup my DailyHub data? Since all data is stored locally in the ~/.daily-hub/ folder, backing up is as simple as copying this entire directory to another secure location. It is crucial not to store this folder in a cloud-synced location like iCloud or Dropbox, as this can corrupt the SQLite database.
3. Can I access DailyHub from my phone or another computer? When running, DailyHub is served on your local network. You can access it from other devices on the same network by using your machine's local IP address (e.g., http://192.168.1.100:9999). For remote access, you would need to deploy it to a private server and set up secure access (e.g., via a VPN or Tailscale), as outlined in the deployment documentation.
4. What is the "seed" data option for? Running npx @baselhusam/daily-hub --seed on first launch populates the application with sample projects, tasks, and habits. This is useful for new users to immediately explore the interface and functionality without starting from a blank slate.
5. Does DailyHub sync with other tools like Linear or Google Calendar? No, DailyHub is intentionally a standalone, self-contained system. It follows a local-first philosophy and does not offer direct integrations. The workflow is to use it as a daily filter and log for work that may originate in other tools.