Kanban Board

Free Online Kanban Board Maker

A kanban board shows work items as cards in columns that represent stages, such as to do, in progress and done. Mermaid's kanban diagram draws a board from indented text, which makes it useful for status snapshots in documents rather than live tracking.

Columns are the top-level lines and cards are indented under them. Add an assignee, ticket or priority to any card.

Last updated: · Mermaid v11

Try it live

Live · editablediagram.mmd
Example kanban board rendered by FlowViz
Edit the code — the diagram follows

When to use kanban board

Status in a README or wiki

Show what is planned, in progress and done for a small project where a full tracker would be overkill.

Sprint and release notes

Capture the board at the end of a sprint as text, so the snapshot is kept with the notes and can be compared with the next one.

Planning drafts

Sketch how work splits into columns before creating tickets, then copy the cards into your tracker once the plan is agreed.

Key syntax

kanbanDeclare the board
todo[To do]A column: id and title, not indented
t1[Card text]A card, indented under its column
@{ assigned: 'sam' }Card metadata: assigned, ticket, priority
Full Kanban Board syntax reference → More Mermaid examples →

How to create a kanban board with Mermaid

1

Open the FlowViz editor and type kanban on the first line.

2

Add columns as top-level lines: todo[To do].

3

Indent cards under each column: t1[Card text].

4

Optionally add @{ assigned: 'name', priority: 'High' } after a card.

5

Move a card by moving its line to another column.

6

Export as SVG or PNG, or copy a share link.

Frequently asked questions

How do I move a card to another column?

Cut its line and paste it under another column. Columns render left to right in the order you write them.

Can cards show an assignee or priority?

Yes. Add metadata after the card: @{ assigned: 'sam', ticket: FV-131, priority: 'High' }. Priority can be Very High, High, Low or Very Low.

Is this a replacement for Jira or Trello?

No. It is a static picture of a board, written as text. It suits a status snapshot in a doc, a README or a planning note, not day-to-day task tracking.

Is the FlowViz kanban maker free?

Yes. It is free with no account, and you can export SVG or PNG or share the board as a link.

Start diagramming now

No signup. No install. Just open the editor and start writing.