Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Heroku VS Docker Compose

Compare Heroku VS Docker Compose and see what are their differences

Heroku logo Heroku

Agile deployment platform for Ruby, Node.js, Clojure, Java, Python, and Scala. Setup takes only minutes and deploys are instant through git. Leave tedious server maintenance to Heroku and focus on your code.

Docker Compose logo Docker Compose

Define and run multi-container applications with Docker
  • Heroku Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-05
  • Docker Compose Landing page
    Landing page //
    2024-05-23

Heroku features and specs

  • Ease of Use
    Heroku offers an extremely user-friendly interface and a high level of abstraction, making it easy for developers to deploy, manage, and scale applications without worrying about the underlying infrastructure.
  • Quick Deployment
    One of Herokuโ€™s strongest points is the ability to deploy applications quickly using Git. Developers can push their code to Heroku with a simple command, streamlining the entire process.
  • Scalability
    Heroku provides effortless scaling options by allowing developers to add more dynos (containers) with a single command to handle increased traffic and workload.
  • Add-Ons Ecosystem
    Heroku offers a rich ecosystem of add-ons, such as databases, caching, monitoring, and more, which can be easily integrated into applications to extend their functionality.
  • Automatic Updates
    Heroku automatically handles operating system and server updates, allowing developers to focus solely on their application code rather than maintenance tasks.
  • Free Tier
    Heroku offers a free tier with sufficient resources to host small projects and learn the platform without incurring costs, making it accessible for beginners and small-scale applications.

Possible disadvantages of Heroku

  • Cost
    While Heroku offers a free tier, the costs can quickly add up for larger applications and professional use. Paid plans and additional dynos or add-ons can become expensive.
  • Performance
    Herokuโ€™s performance can sometimes be suboptimal compared to other cloud providers, particularly when running high-performance or resource-intensive applications.
  • Limited Control
    Heroku abstracts away a lot of infrastructure management, which can be a downside for developers who need fine-grained control over their environments and configurations.
  • Dyno Sleeping
    Applications running on Herokuโ€™s free tier experience 'dyno sleeping,' where the application goes to sleep after 30 minutes of inactivity, causing a delay when it wakes up after receiving a new request.
  • Vendor Lock-In
    Relying heavily on Herokuโ€™s ecosystem and platform-specific features can lead to vendor lock-in, making it challenging to migrate to another platform if needed.
  • Add-On Costs
    The costs for add-ons can also become significant, as many useful features and integrations require paid add-ons, increasing the overall expense.

Docker Compose features and specs

  • Simplified Multi-Container Deployment
    Docker Compose allows users to define and manage multi-container applications with a single YAML file, making it easy to deploy complex applications.
  • Infrastructure as Code
    Compose files are version-controlled, enabling teams to use best practices in infrastructure as code, repeatable builds, and consistent development environments.
  • Portability
    Applications defined with Docker Compose can be shared easily and deployed in any environment that supports Docker, enhancing development and operational consistency.
  • Ease of Use
    With simple CLI commands, developers can start, stop, and manage containers, reducing the complexity of container orchestration.
  • Environment Variables
    Docker Compose supports the use of environment variables, making it easier to configure applications and manage different environments (e.g., development, testing, production).
  • Isolation
    Compose creates isolated environments for different applications, preventing conflicts and allowing for more straightforward dependency management.

Possible disadvantages of Docker Compose

  • Not Suitable for Large-Scale Production
    Docker Compose is not designed for managing large-scale, production-grade applications. For more robust orchestration and scaling, systems like Kubernetes are typically used.
  • Single Host Limitation
    Docker Compose is intended for single-host deployments, which limits its use in distributed and multi-host environments.
  • Networking Complexity
    Networking between containers can become complex, especially as the number of services grows, which may require additional configuration and management.
  • Learning Curve
    While Docker Compose simplifies many tasks, there is still a learning curve associated with understanding Docker concepts, Compose syntax, and best practices.
  • Limited Built-in Monitoring
    Docker Compose has limited built-in monitoring and logging capabilities, necessitating the use of additional tools for comprehensive monitoring.
  • Resource Management
    Docker Compose does not provide advanced resource management features, which can lead to suboptimal resource usage and potential inefficiencies.

Analysis of Heroku

Overall verdict

  • Heroku is a solid choice for developers seeking a straightforward, cloud-based solution for deploying and managing applications. However, it may not be the most cost-effective option for large-scale or data-intensive applications.

Why this product is good

  • Heroku is a popular platform as a service (PaaS) due to its ease of use, fast deployment process, and robust support for multiple programming languages. It allows developers to focus on building applications without worrying about the underlying infrastructure. Heroku offers scaling capabilities, a wide variety of add-ons, and a strong developer community.

Recommended for

    Heroku is recommended for startups, small to medium-sized applications, hobby projects, and developers who value ease of use and quick deployment cycles. It is particularly suited for those who are developing web applications in languages such as Ruby, Node.js, Python, and others supported by the platform.

Analysis of Docker Compose

Overall verdict

  • Yes, Docker Compose is a highly regarded tool in the containerization ecosystem. It provides a straightforward approach to orchestrating containers by creating a consistent local development environment that mirrors production settings.

Why this product is good

  • Docker Compose is considered good because it simplifies the management and deployment of multi-container Docker applications. It allows developers to define and run multi-container environments using a simple YAML file, increasing productivity and facilitating version control. This is especially useful for development, testing, and staging environments.

Recommended for

  • Developers looking to manage multi-container Docker applications effortlessly.
  • Teams needing to ensure consistent development and testing environments.
  • Projects that benefit from automated container orchestration without complex setups.
  • Organizations that use Docker containers in their workflow and need a simple tool to orchestrate them.

Heroku videos

What is Heroku | Ask a Dev Episode 14

More videos:

Docker Compose videos

Docker Compose | Containerizing MEAN Stack Application | DevOps Tutorial | Edureka

More videos:

  • Demo - What is Docker Compose? (with demo)

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Heroku and Docker Compose)
Cloud Computing
89 89%
11% 11
Developer Tools
70 70%
30% 30
Cloud Hosting
100 100%
0% 0
DevOps Tools
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Heroku and Docker Compose

Heroku Reviews

  1. Useful Cloud Platform

    Great service to build, run and manage applications entirely in the cloud!

    ๐Ÿ Competitors: Amazon AWS, Dokku on Digital Ocean, Firebase
    ๐Ÿ‘ Pros:    Easy user interface|Good customer service|Multi-language cloud application platform
    ๐Ÿ‘Ž Cons:    Limitation with some addons|Low network performance
  2. jamestelford
    ยท Full Stack Developer at OutDev ยท
    ๐Ÿ Competitors: Docker, Amazon AWS
    ๐Ÿ‘ Pros:    Powerful development environments|Great value for the money|Great customer support|Paas

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Herokuโ€™s focus on simplicity and developer experience makes it a perfect fit for those who want to focus on building their apps, not babysitting servers. Startups and small businesses, in particular, can benefit from Herokuโ€™s ability to accelerate development and deployment, allowing them to get their ideas to market faster.
Source: genezio.com
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Koyeb is a decent alternative to Heroku that you can consider for hosting or deploying your web apps and APIs. It has all the features of Heroku that you will need for your projects. So far, I have not encountered an importer tool for migrating Heroku deployments but I am sure doing that manually will not be that hard. Just like Heroku it offers you an intuitive web UI as...
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Heroku is another alternative to Netlify that doesnโ€™t only host static websites but has the ability to host dynamic websites. This PaaS platform was launched in 2007 and conferred highly scalable features to deploy, host and launch applications.

Docker Compose Reviews

We have no reviews of Docker Compose yet.
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Social recommendations and mentions

Heroku might be a bit more popular than Docker Compose. We know about 73 links to it since March 2021 and only 50 links to Docker Compose. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Heroku mentions (73)

View more

Docker Compose mentions (50)

  • How to prompt Gemini CLI to improve your Dockerfile
    Now that you have an "improved" Dockerfile and Docker Compose, you'll want to make sure they actually work. Ask Gemini CLI to run the Dockerfile and analyze the logs. You should also take a look at the performance yourself, to double-check what Gemini says. - Source: dev.to / 10 days ago
  • Why did I build a transparent, account-free, open-source URL shortener?
    I've always found Docker Compose to be a lifesaver for quickly setting up the services an application needs. For Trails, I used a simple docker-compose.yml file to spin up our PostgreSQL database. This keeps the setup process clean and consistent. - Source: dev.to / about 2 months ago
  • Getting Started with Snowflake Openflow on Your Local Machine
    Docker Compose Reference - Container orchestration. - Source: dev.to / about 2 months ago
  • Compiling Docker in RISC-V
    Buildkit and docker compose are fundamental for any setup, so must be setup, good thing is that are already compiled for riscv, so just need to be copied into proper dir. Note that documentation suggest a lot of possible local/global paths, /usr/libexec/docker/cli-plugins worked for me, but feel free to setup other dirs if you need. - Source: dev.to / about 2 months ago
  • Does it Make Sense to Run WordPress in Docker?
    You can also use Docker Compose to simplify the process:. - Source: dev.to / 3 months ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Heroku and Docker Compose, you can also consider the following products

DigitalOcean - Simplifying cloud hosting. Deploy an SSD cloud server in 55 seconds.

Kubernetes - Kubernetes is an open source orchestration system for Docker containers

Linode - We make it simple to develop, deploy, and scale cloud infrastructure at the best price-to-performance ratio in the market.

Rancher - Open Source Platform for Running a Private Container Service

Amazon AWS - Amazon Web Services offers reliable, scalable, and inexpensive cloud computing services. Free to join, pay only for what you use.

Docker Swarm - Native clustering for Docker. Turn a pool of Docker hosts into a single, virtual host.