Postulo

Self-hosted job application manager, from the applicant's side of the table.

Every applicant tracking system is built for the company doing the hiring. Postulo is built for the person applying: your applications, your CVs, your cover letters, your data, on your server.

From the Latin postulō — "I apply for". First person, deliberately.

Status: 0.3.0. Usable and used, but not battle-tested: it has recorded real applications, by one person, for weeks rather than years. Releasing here is a deliberate act rather than something that happens on a schedule, so main may be ahead of the last tag — the changelog says by how much.

Never paywalled

No feature of Postulo is, or ever will be, behind a paywall. People looking for work are, more often than not, people who cannot afford to pay for the tools to find it. Everything this software does is available in full to everyone who runs it: no paid tier, no "pro" edition, no licence key, no feature that unlocks later. The licence guarantees that for the code; this paragraph guarantees it for the project's intentions.

If it is worth something to you

Voluntary support is this project's only income. Not its main one — its only one. There is no company behind Postulo, no funding round, no paid tier waiting to appear once enough people depend on it. One person writes it, and what it costs to keep going comes from people who decided it was worth something.

Nothing is owed. Nothing is unlocked by it, now or later — that is what the paragraph above promises and it is not negotiable. And nothing a person is shown while using Postulo to look for work will ever ask for money: no banner in the interface, no prompt, no reminder on the dashboard. The one place inside the application that mentions support at all is Server settings → Overview, the page addressed to whoever runs the instance, where it is said once and in these words. Otherwise this is where the question is put, which is why it is put plainly here.

If money is the wrong thing to give — and for a lot of people looking for work, it is — then a bug report, a translation reviewed by somebody who actually speaks the language, or telling one person who needs this that it exists are all worth as much.

FUNDING.md is the long version: what support pays for, what it will never buy, and why money does not move an issue up the list.

Secure, because of what it holds

Postulo holds the most personal documents a person has while looking for work, and it is built as if that were the only thing that mattered. A CV carries a home address, a phone number and a full employment history; a timeline says who has and has not replied. So the code and the data are kept as secure as the project knows how to make them: every record is owned and every query is scoped, files are never served without a permission check, the browser is held to a strict content security policy, nothing is fetched from the network without a deliberate decision, and the test suite includes security tests — ownership sweeps, policy checks, the things an attacker would try — that fail the build. Dependencies are checked for known vulnerabilities on every run and on a schedule, so a fresh disclosure is noticed without anyone having to remember to look. A security report is handled before any feature is; see SECURITY.md.

Built for everyone

Postulo is meant to be usable by everyone, at its fullest, including people with disabilities. Looking for work is hard enough without the tool getting in the way. So the interface is server-rendered HTML that works with scripts off, every control can be reached and operated from the keyboard, images and icons carry names or are marked as decorative, colour never carries a meaning on its own, changes on the page are announced to screen readers, and the pages are checked against the accessibility guidelines (WCAG 2.2, level AA) as part of the browser tests rather than as an afterthought. When a feature cannot be made to work for someone, that is a bug, and it is filed as one.

What it does

• Track applications end to end — from a posting you spotted to an offer, with an append-only timeline that records what actually happened and when.
• Manage CVs as structured, reusable career content: write an experience once, then compose targeted CV variants from it without copy-pasting between documents.
• Manage cover letters from reusable templates with per-application placeholders.
• Keep what you actually sent. Every document is snapshotted to PDF at send time, so six months later you know exactly which version that employer read.
• Bring your own files. Externally authored PDFs and DOCX files are stored and versioned alongside generated ones.
• Capture postings from a URL — Postulo reads the page and asks you to confirm it before recording anything. Extensible through plugins, and reachable through a small API for scripts and browser extensions.
• See what is working — how far applications get, what share are answered, how long employers take, and which sources convert. Read from the timeline, so an interview that ended in a rejection still counts as an interview.
• Take everything with you — one zip holding a readable JSON document of every record and every file, which imports back.

Principles

• Your data is yours. Full JSON + media export, always one command away.
• No telemetry. No outbound calls except URL captures you explicitly trigger.
• Private by default. Uploaded documents are never publicly served.
• Secure by obligation. Ownership-scoped queries, permission-checked files, a strict content security policy, security tests in the suite, and dependency vulnerability checks in CI. See SECURITY.md.
• Accessible to everyone. Keyboard-operable, screen-reader-announced, usable with scripts off, and checked against WCAG 2.2 AA in the browser tests.
• Boring, durable stack. Django, SQLite or PostgreSQL, server-rendered HTML.
• Modular by design. Anything that could reasonably vary — where a posting is read from, how you are told about things, how a PDF is produced — sits behind an interface that a separately installed package can implement. Postulo's own implementations are plugins that happen to ship in the box. See Writing a plugin.

Written with AI, answered for by people

Much of Postulo is written with an AI assistant, and contributions made the same way are welcome. The rule is simple: a person proposes the change, has read it, can explain it, and answers for it. The assistant is a tool; the contributor is accountable. See CONTRIBUTING.md and CLAUDE.md.

In your language

Postulo speaks every official language of the European Union, Brazilian Portuguese beside the European, and the languages of Europe beyond the Union. The interface is a setting per person; the documentation is in English, and this paragraph says what Postulo is in each language so nobody has to guess.

• български — Postulo е самостоятелно хостван мениджър на кандидатури за работа: вашите кандидатури, CV-та и мотивационни писма, на вашия сървър, без платени функции.
• bosanski — Postulo je samostalno hostovani upravitelj prijava za posao: vaše prijave, CV-jevi i motivaciona pisma na vašem serveru, bez plaćenih funkcija.
• català — Postulo és un gestor de candidatures autoallotjat: les vostres candidatures, CV i cartes de presentació al vostre servidor, sense funcions de pagament.
• čeština — Postulo je samostatně hostovaný správce žádostí o práci: vaše žádosti, CV a motivační dopisy na vašem serveru, bez placených funkcí.
• Cymraeg — Rheolwr ceisiadau am swydd hunangynhaliol yw Postulo: eich ceisiadau, eich CVau a'ch llythyrau eglurhaol ar eich gweinydd eich hun, heb unrhyw nodweddion taledig.
• dansk — Postulo er en selvhostet håndtering af jobansøgninger: dine ansøgninger, CV'er og ansøgningsbreve på din egen server, uden betalte funktioner.
• Deutsch — Postulo ist ein selbst gehosteter Bewerbungsmanager: Ihre Bewerbungen, Lebensläufe und Anschreiben auf Ihrem eigenen Server, ohne kostenpflichtige Funktionen.
• Ελληνικά — Το Postulo είναι ένας αυτοφιλοξενούμενος διαχειριστής αιτήσεων εργασίας: οι αιτήσεις, τα βιογραφικά και οι συνοδευτικές επιστολές σας, στον διακομιστή σας, χωρίς επί πληρωμή λειτουργίες.
• español — Postulo es un gestor de candidaturas de empleo autoalojado: tus candidaturas, CV y cartas de presentación en tu propio servidor, sin funciones de pago.
• eesti — Postulo on ise majutatav töökandideerimiste haldur: teie kandideerimised, CV-d ja motivatsioonikirjad teie enda serveris, ilma tasuliste funktsioonideta.
• euskara — Postulo norberak ostatatutako lan-eskaeren kudeatzailea da: zure eskaerak, CVak eta aurkezpen-gutunak zure zerbitzarian, ordainpeko funtziorik gabe.
• suomi — Postulo on itse ylläpidettävä työhakemusten hallinta: hakemuksesi, CV:si ja saatekirjeesi omalla palvelimellasi, ilman maksullisia ominaisuuksia.
• français — Postulo est un gestionnaire de candidatures auto-hébergé : vos candidatures, vos CV et vos lettres de motivation sur votre propre serveur, sans fonctionnalité payante.
• Gaeilge — Bainisteoir iarratas poist féinóstáilte is ea Postulo: d'iarratais, do CVanna agus do litreacha cumhdaigh ar do fhreastalaí féin, gan aon ghné íoctha.
• galego — Postulo é un xestor de candidaturas de emprego auto-hospedado: as túas candidaturas, CV e cartas de presentación no teu propio servidor, sen funcións de pago.
• hrvatski — Postulo je samostalno hostani upravitelj prijava za posao: vaše prijave, životopisi i motivacijska pisma na vašem poslužitelju, bez plaćenih značajki.
• magyar — A Postulo saját szerveren futtatható álláspályázat-kezelő: a jelentkezéseid, önéletrajzaid és motivációs leveleid a saját szervereden, fizetős funkciók nélkül.
• հայերեն — Postulo-ն ինքնահյուրընկալվող աշխատանքի դիմումների կառավարիչ է՝ ձեր դիմումները, CV-ները և մոտիվացիոն նամակները ձեր սերվերի վրա, առանց վճարովի հնարավորությունների։
• íslenska — Postulo er sjálfhýstur umsóknastjóri: umsóknirnar þínar, ferilskrárnar þínar og kynningarbréfin þín á þínum eigin þjóni, án greiddra eiginleika.
• italiano — Postulo è un gestore di candidature self-hosted: le tue candidature, i tuoi CV e le tue lettere di presentazione sul tuo server, senza funzioni a pagamento.
• ქართული — Postulo არის თვითჰოსტირებული განაცხადების მმართველი: თქვენი განაცხადები, CV-ები და სამოტივაციო წერილები თქვენს სერვერზე, ფასიანი ფუნქციების გარეშე.
• Lëtzebuergesch — Postulo ass e selwer gehostene Bewerbungsmanager: Är Kandidaturen, CVen a Motivatiounsbréiwer op Ärem eegene Server, ouni bezuelte Funktiounen.
• lietuvių — Postulo — savarankiškai talpinama darbo paraiškų tvarkyklė: jūsų paraiškos, CV ir motyvaciniai laiškai jūsų serveryje, be mokamų funkcijų.
• latviešu — Postulo ir pašhostēts darba pieteikumu pārvaldnieks: jūsu pieteikumi, CV un motivācijas vēstules jūsu serverī, bez maksas funkcijām.
• македонски — Postulo е самостојно хостиран управувач на пријави за работа: вашите пријави, CV-а и мотивациски писма на вашиот сервер, без платени функции.
• Malti — Postulo huwa maniġer ta' applikazzjonijiet għax-xogħol self-hosted: l-applikazzjonijiet, is-CVs u l-ittri ta' motivazzjoni tiegħek fuq is-server tiegħek, mingħajr funzjonijiet bi ħlas.
• norsk bokmål — Postulo er en selvhostet søknadsbehandler: søknadene dine, CV-ene dine og søknadsbrevene dine på din egen server, uten betalte funksjoner.
• Nederlands — Postulo is een zelfgehoste sollicitatiemanager: uw sollicitaties, cv's en brieven op uw eigen server, zonder betaalde functies.
• polski — Postulo to samodzielnie hostowany menedżer aplikacji o pracę: twoje aplikacje, CV i listy motywacyjne na twoim serwerze, bez płatnych funkcji.
• português — O Postulo é um gestor de candidaturas auto-hospedado: as suas candidaturas, CV e cartas de apresentação no seu próprio servidor, sem funcionalidades pagas.
• română — Postulo este un manager de candidaturi găzduit pe propriul server: candidaturile, CV-urile și scrisorile tale de intenție pe serverul tău, fără funcții plătite.
• slovenčina — Postulo je samostatne hostovaný správca žiadostí o prácu: vaše žiadosti, CV a motivačné listy na vašom serveri, bez platených funkcií.
• slovenščina — Postulo je samostojno gostovan upravljalnik prijav za zaposlitev: vaše prijave, življenjepisi in motivacijska pisma na vašem strežniku, brez plačljivih funkcij.
• shqip — Postulo është një menaxher aplikimesh pune i vetëstrehuar: aplikimet, CV-të dhe letrat tuaja motivuese në serverin tuaj, pa veçori me pagesë.
• српски — Postulo је самостално хостован управљач пријава за посао: ваше пријаве, CV-јеви и мотивациона писма на вашем серверу, без плаћених функција.
• svenska — Postulo är en självhostad hanterare för jobbansökningar: dina ansökningar, CV:n och personliga brev på din egen server, utan betalfunktioner.
• Türkçe — Postulo, kendi sunucunuzda barındırılan bir iş başvurusu yöneticisidir: başvurularınız, CV'leriniz ve ön yazılarınız kendi sunucunuzda, ücretli özellikler olmadan.
• українська — Postulo — це самостійно розміщений менеджер заявок на роботу: ваші заявки, резюме та супровідні листи на вашому сервері, без платних функцій.

Documentation

• The wiki — installing, configuring and using Postulo. Its pages are their own repository, postulo.wiki.
• Implementation plan — architecture, data model, and milestones
• Writing a plugin — the plugin contract, and every name a plugin may import

Running it

git clone https://source.tiagoagueda.com/postulo/postulo.git
cd postulo
cp .env.example .env          # set POSTULO_SECRET_KEY and POSTULO_ALLOWED_HOSTS
docker compose -f docker/compose.yml up -d
docker compose -f docker/compose.yml exec postulo python manage.py createsuperuser

Then put a reverse proxy in front of it for TLS. See Installing Postulo for the full instructions, including installing without a container.

Development

Requires Python 3.12+ and uv.

uv sync                      # install dependencies
cp .env.example .env         # configure (a dev SECRET_KEY is generated if unset)
uv run manage.py migrate
uv run manage.py createsuperuser
uv run manage.py runserver

PDF export uses WeasyPrint, which is installed with Postulo. On Linux it needs Pango:

sudo apt install libpango-1.0-0 libpangoft2-1.0-0 libharfbuzz-subset0     # Debian and Ubuntu

Those libraries are awkward to obtain on Windows, so a fallback renderer exists there:

uv sync --extra chromium
uv run playwright install chromium

Postulo uses whichever works, preferring WeasyPrint. Export is optional: tracking applications and writing letters need no renderer at all.

Node is not required to run Postulo: the compiled stylesheet is committed. It is only needed to change the CSS, or to add a Tailwind class a template did not use before, in which case:

npm install
npm run watch:css            # or `npm run build:css` for a one-off

To see it with data rather than an empty screen, fill an account with a fictional search — thirty applications over six months, with documents:

uv run manage.py seed_demo you@example.org

Tests and linting:

uv run pytest
uv run ruff check .
uv run ruff format .

Licence

Copyright (C) 2026 Tiago Agueda. AGPL-3.0-or-later. If you run a modified Postulo as a network service, your users are entitled to its source.

Some of what ships in the repository is somebody else's work under a licence of its own: the Lucide icons, the flag-icons country flags, Tailwind CSS and basecoat-css compiled into the stylesheet, htmx and zxcvbn served as scripts. All of it is copied into the repository, so nothing is fetched from anybody else's server at runtime, and each carries its notice beside it. THIRD-PARTY.md is the register.

The name and the logo are not covered by that licence. TRADEMARKS.md says what you may do without asking — which is nearly everything, including naming a plugin postulo-something and calling your instance whatever you like — and the one case where a fork should use another name. It also names the marks belonging to other people that appear here, and none of their owners is involved with this project.

Where this lives

Developed on Forgejo and mirrored to GitHub. Issues and pull requests belong on the Forgejo repository; the GitHub copy is a read-only mirror.