What is Dokku?
Docker-powered Heroku-style PaaS that runs web apps and databases on a server you rent or own.
Who is Dokku best for?
Dokku is best for developers and small teams who want Heroku-style git push deploys on a server they rent or own.
Leaving Heroku
Heroku-compatible apps build with the same buildpacks and run in isolated containers on your own machine.
Side projects on a small server
It needs only 1GB of memory with the Docker scheduler, so an inexpensive VM can run it.
Teams that like the command line
Apps, domains, environment variables and scaling are all handled with dokku commands over SSH, and plugins add databases.
Growing past one server
A K3s scheduler spreads apps across several nodes when one machine is no longer enough.
How much does Dokku cost?
Dokku is free and open source under the MIT licence, so you pay only for the server; Dokku Pro, an optional add-on with a web dashboard and API, is sold as a one-time lifetime licence.
- One install script for Ubuntu or Debian
- Git push deploys with buildpacks or a Dockerfile
- Plugins for Postgres, Redis and more
Dokku has no hosted plan; you pay your own server provider. Dokku Pro adds a web dashboard, a JSON API, HTTP(S) git push, team management and email support, sold as a one-time lifetime licence for one production and two pre-production servers. Full pricing on github.com. We checked these prices on .
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Is Dokku open source?
Yes. Dokku's code is public under the MIT licence, so you can run it on your own server.
On GitHub
32,227stars
+43 (+0.1%) in the last 30 days
- Last commit
- 13 Nov
- Repository age
- 13 years
- Latest release
- 30 Oct
- Licence
- MIT
- Self-hosted
- Yes
- Repository
- dokku/dokku
What are the best Dokku alternatives?
Dokku is an open source alternative to Railway. Coolify does the same job and is open source too.
RailwayFreemiumRuns services, workers and databases from a repo or Docker image, billed by the second for what runs.
CoolifyOpen SourcePush-to-deploy for apps, databases and 360+ one-click services on any machine reached over SSH.
ZaneOpsOpen SourceSelf-hosted platform for deploying apps, databases and static sites, with preview environments.
devpushOpen SourceDeploys Docker Compose apps from GitHub to your own Linux servers on every git push.
Questions about Dokku
What is Dokku?
Docker-powered Heroku-style PaaS that runs web apps and databases on a server you rent or own.
Who is Dokku for?
Dokku is best for developers and small teams who want Heroku-style git push deploys on a server they rent or own.
Is Dokku free?
Yes. Dokku has a free Self-hosted plan: one install script for Ubuntu or Debian.
Is Dokku open source?
Yes. Dokku's code is public under the MIT licence, so you can run it on your own server.
What are the best Dokku alternatives?
The closest alternatives on Recaply are Railway, Coolify, ZaneOps and devpush.
Where can I try Dokku?
On its official website, dokku.com.
What can Dokku build?
Dokku picks a builder for each app: Heroku buildpacks through Herokuish, Cloud Native Buildpacks, a Dockerfile, Nixpacks, Railpack or a Lambda builder. You can override the choice per app or add a custom builder.
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