Request Tracker (RT)
RT (Request Tracker) is a mature, enterprise-grade open source issue and ticket tracking system used by thousands of organizations. It features email integration, custom workflows, and strong access control. Unlike SaaS tools, RT gives you full data ownership and unlimited customization, though its Perl-based setup requires sysadmin skills.
Smart Download
Visit Project Homepage
No installer available yet — head to the source repository
Battle-tested open source ticketing system with deep customization, but requires Perl expertise.
Core Features
- Email-driven ticket creation and updates with inbound/outbound support
- Custom queues, statuses, fields, and workflows to match your process
- Powerful search, reporting, and SLA automation
- Multiple database backends (MySQL, PostgreSQL, Oracle, SQLite) for scalability
- Extensible via plugins, REST API, and LDAP/Active Directory integration
What It Can't Do
- •① Dependency installation can be tricky for beginners; Perl modules may require system libraries (e.g., graphviz, chromium). ② Default install path /opt/rt6 may conflict with SELinux; adjust contexts or disable SELinux. ③ Upgrade between major versions (e.g., 4.4→5.0) requires reading the UPGRADING docs carefully. ④ Must configure SSL for production; otherwise login cookies won't work. ⑤ SQLite is for testing only, no upgrade path to production databases.
Use Cases
- IT helpdesk for incident and request management
- Project task tracking and status reporting
- Customer support ticket handling across teams
- Internal workflow automation (approvals, onboarding, etc.)
Detailed Introduction
RT (Request Tracker) is an open source, enterprise-grade issue and ticket tracking system used by thousands of organizations worldwide. It helps teams keep track of what needs to be done, who is working on which tasks, what's already been completed, and when tasks were (or weren't) finished. RT is written in Perl, backed by a SQL database (MySQL, MariaDB, PostgreSQL, Oracle), and runs on Apache or nginx with FastCGI/mod_perl. It features email integration, full-text search, custom workflows, dashboards, and SLA management. RT is freely available under GPL v2, with commercial support and hosting available from Best Practical. Unlike proprietary tools like Jira or Zendesk, RT is fully self-hosted and infinitely customizable, though its setup requires Perl sysadmin knowledge.
Tags
Getting Started
Download installer
Click the button above to download the installer for your system
Install the software
Double-click the downloaded installer and follow the prompts
Step 1: Ensure Perl 5.26.3+, a supported SQL database (MySQL 8+/PostgreSQL 13+), and a web server (Apache/nginx) are installed.
Step 2: Download the latest tarball from GitHub Releases, extract it, run ./configure --help, then ./configure with your options.
Step 3: Run make testdeps to check for missing dependencies, then make fixdeps to install Perl modules automatically.
- Step 1: Ensure Perl 5.26.3+, a supported SQL database (MySQL 8+/PostgreSQL 13+), and a web server (Apache/nginx) are installed.
- Step 2: Download the latest tarball from GitHub Releases, extract it, run ./configure --help, then ./configure with your options.
- Step 3: Run make testdeps to check for missing dependencies, then make fixdeps to install Perl modules automatically.
Checksum not available
This project has not published a SHA-256 checksum on its GitHub Release page
SHA256 Checksum
No checksum available
Download directly from GitHub Releases and verify file integrity yourself
All SHA-256 checksums on this platform are extracted from the project's official GitHub Release page, without any modification. You can independently verify them on the GitHub Releases page.
Open Source Transparency
View GitHub SourceUninstall Info
Stop RT services, delete the installation directory (e.g., /opt/rt6), drop the RT database and user, and remove web server configuration. Always backup configs and data first.
No Extra Dependencies
Ready to use after download. No additional runtime required.
Similar Projects
AppFlowy
Open source alternative to Notion with AI-powered workspace, full data control, and cross-platform native experience.
memos
Open-source, self-hosted note-taking tool for quick capture. Markdown-native, lightweight, and fully yours.
marktext
A simple and elegant open-source markdown editor focused on speed and usability, with real-time preview, multiple themes, and cross-platform support.