Table of contents
Dokku
Docker powered mini-Heroku in around 100 lines of Bash.
As Dokku is an open source project, you can find more
open source alternatives and stats
on LibHunt.
Ease of Use
Dokku provides simple commands and clear documentation, making it straightforward to deploy, manage, and scale applications using a process similar to Heroku.
Heroku Compatibility
Dokku uses a Heroku-like buildpack system, which allows users to deploy applications with ease if they are already familiar with Heroku.
Cost-Effective
Being an open-source project, Dokku itself is free to use, which can significantly reduce the cost of deploying applications compared to using premium services.
Customizability
As an open-source tool, Dokku allows for extensive customization according to user needs, offering flexibility in deployment settings and configurations.
Plugin System
Dokku supports a wide range of plugins, enabling users to extend its functionality easily, such as adding database support, monitoring capabilities, and more.
Dokku is a solid option for teams or developers looking for a cost-effective way to deploy and manage applications with the flexibility of a self-hosted solution. While it might not be as polished or feature-rich as commercial PaaS providers like Heroku or AWS Elastic Beanstalk, its open-source nature and community support make it a reliable choice for those who are comfortable with a bit more hands-on management.
We have collected here some useful links to help you find out if Dokku is good.
Check the traffic stats of Dokku on SimilarWeb. The key metrics to look for are: monthly visits, average visit duration, pages per visit, and traffic by country. Moreoever, check the traffic sources. For example "Direct" traffic is a good sign.
Check the "Domain Rating" of Dokku on Ahrefs. The domain rating is a measure of the strength of a website's backlink profile on a scale from 0 to 100. It shows the strength of Dokku's backlink profile compared to the other websites. In most cases a domain rating of 60+ is considered good and 70+ is considered very good.
Check the "Domain Authority" of Dokku on MOZ. A website's domain authority (DA) is a search engine ranking score that predicts how well a website will rank on search engine result pages (SERPs). It is based on a 100-point logarithmic scale, with higher scores corresponding to a greater likelihood of ranking. This is another useful metric to check if a website is good.
The latest comments about Dokku on Reddit. This can help you find out how popualr the product is and what people think about it.
Another very similar one is https://dokku.com, have been using it for years and I like that it's a very thin layer on top of Docker. So even if you uninstall it everything keeps running and you can just manage it manually. - Source: Hacker News / about 2 months ago
I have an old Mac mini in a closet that runs Ubuntu and serves as a Dokku [1] host. My side projects run for free and are accessible inside my network or if I'm on VPN. If the project gets enough love eventually it'll graduate to public hosting and the transition is easy because the app is already built with deployment in mind. I have saved so much money over the years just not having to pay $20/mo * IDEA_QTY. The... - Source: Hacker News / 2 months ago
Tools like Coolify, CapRover, and Dokku have made selfhosting accessible to developers who don't want to become system administrators. With Coolify, you can:. - Source: dev.to / 3 months ago
Android users can install https://wiederhol.com/ as a PWA (Progressive Web Application). Tech stack: Ruby on Rails, React, PostgreSQL, https://dokku.com/ for hosting on Hetzner, https://pwabuilder.com for the iOS app. PS: Wiederhol means 'repeat' (imperative verb form) in German. - Source: Hacker News / 6 months ago
I am going to continue to stan for dokku for hosting web apps, docker images included https://dokku.com/. - Source: Hacker News / 6 months ago
In this article, we will deploy a NestJS application using Dokku (https://dokku.com). - Source: dev.to / 8 months ago
# download the installation script Wget -NP . https://dokku.com/bootstrap.sh # run the installer Sudo DOKKU_TAG=v0.35.10 bash bootstrap.sh # configure your server domain Dokku domains:set-global your-domain.com # add your ssh key to the dokku user PUBLIC_KEY="your-public-key-contents-here" Echo "$PUBLIC_KEY" | dokku ssh-keys:add admin # create your first app Dokku apps:create test-app. - Source: dev.to / 11 months ago
Use GitHub Actions, GitLab CI, Dokku or any CI/CD tool you prefer. - Source: dev.to / 11 months ago
I recently acquired a decently large server (512 GB ram, 64 cores), and am looking into self-hosting some web applications -- Invidious, file server, proxy, to name a few. I was recommended Dokku[1], and after searching I also found several more similar products, like Coolify, DokDeploy, CapRover. I'm pretty new to doing this, so I would like to ask what experience you've had with these. [1]: https://dokku.com/. - Source: Hacker News / 12 months ago
Dokku is open source. Its focus lies on making deployments easy with a simple "git push". The user interface is a CLI. - Source: dev.to / about 1 year ago
> For all the people who are saying you don’t need X and Y - what is the simplest way to deploy a web app using TLS on a VPS/VM? Depends on your defintion of simplest. In terms of set-up probably someting like https://dokku.com/ . It's a simple self-hosted version of herokku, you can be up and running in literally minutes and because its compatable with herokku you can re-use lots of github action/ other build... - Source: Hacker News / about 1 year ago
It seems like a nice Kubernetes setup! But I don’t see how this is comparable to something like Heroku – the complexity is way higher from what I see. If you’re looking for something simpler, try https://dokku.com/ (the OG self-hosted Heroku) or https://lunni.dev/ (which I’ve been working on for a while, with a docker-compose based workflow instead). (I've also heard good things about coolify.io!). - Source: Hacker News / about 1 year ago
Yeah there are a bunch of selfhostable things: Caprover (https://caprover.com/) Dokku (https://github.com/dokku/dokku. - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
Considering other orchestration tools like dokku, dcos, deis, flynn, docker swarm, etc.. Kubernetes is no where near to them in terms of lines of code, on an average those tools are around 100k-200k lines of code. Source: about 3 years ago
Other interesting projects to also follow: * Caprover * Dokku. Source: about 3 years ago
If I could make a recommendation, it would be to give Dokku a try. (Disclaimer: not affiliated, but like the project so much I sponsor it. My opinions are biased towards it.). Source: about 3 years ago
My next favorite option is to host on a DigitalOcean VM. You can use Dokku to get your own mini-Heroku PaaS, or manage the VM yourself (following Microsoft's documentation). You can get a $100 60-day credit from a referral link - A good way to get started. Source: over 3 years ago
Dokku is another option if you are looking for something open source that you can run on a VM on any cloud. https://github.com/dokku/dokku. - Source: Hacker News / over 3 years ago
You can spin up Dokku which acts as as self-hosted Heroku, and you can then have as many backends running as you want on that $5/month instance, assuming they all fit in memory. Source: over 3 years ago
There's a few alternatives that you can use, Dokku has been around for quite awhile. Source: about 4 years ago
Personally my advice would be to experiment with a cheap DigitalOcean instance and then use Dokku initially. That way you'll have a machine that you can SSH in to and tinker with, but you'll also have the simplicity of a Heroku style workflow for when you "just want to get something deployed". (not to mention it's also quite a convenient/user friendly way to begin using Docker for deployments). Source: over 4 years ago
Dokku, a prominent player in the self-hosted Platform as a Service (PaaS) domain, has garnered significant attention and praise in public forums and technical discussions. Positioned as a cost-effective alternative to commercial PaaS solutions like Heroku, Dokku offers developers a scalable, adaptable platform that enables Git-based deployments and integrates seamlessly with Docker for container management.
Cost Efficiency: Dokku's appeal primarily stems from its affordability and ease of use. It is often championed as an ideal solution for developers and startups operating under stringent budget constraints, offering a Heroku-like experience without the associated costs. Users frequently share experiences of deploying Dokku on cost-effective hosting solutions like DigitalOcean and Hetzner, thereby minimizing expenses while maintaining performance.
Simplicity and Ease of Use: Many users applaud Dokku for its simplicity in deploying web applications. The platform's design philosophy emphasizes straightforward, command-line-based deployments, enabling developers to initiate applications with minimal setup time. This accessibility has made Dokku particularly attractive to individuals who seek a low-complexity solution for hosting applications without the need for extensive infrastructure management.
Heroku Compatibility: As a derivative of Heroku, Dokku offers compatibility with Heroku apps, facilitating a smoother transition for developers familiar with Heroku's workflow. This compatibility also supports the reuse of existing GitHub Actions and build scripts, streamlining the deployment process.
Docker Integration: Dokku leverages Docker to manage containerized applications, providing flexibility and reliability in deploying a wide range of web technologies. This integration allows developers to utilize Docker files and buildpacks, accommodating both simple and complex application structures.
Open-Source Community and Customizability: Being an open-source project, Dokku benefits from community contributions and an active developer base that continuously enhances the platform's capabilities. Users regularly cite the ability to modify and extend Dokku through plugins, catering to specific use cases, as a significant benefit.
While Dokku is praised for its lightweight and versatile nature, there are discussions around its limitations in specific scenarios. For instance, some users point out that alternatives like CapRover offer more modern user-friendly interfaces (GUIs) and additional functionalities such as "one-click" app deployments, which can simplify managing various services.
In terms of competition, Dokku faces comparisons with other self-hosted PaaS options like CapRover, Lunni, and Fly.io, among others. Each solution brings unique features and trade-offs, leading developers to select based on their specific needs—ranging from user interface preferences to the level of control and customization required.
Overall, Dokku remains a popular choice for developers seeking an adaptable, cost-effective, and straightforward self-hosted PaaS solution. Its community-driven approach and compatibility with Heroku-like workflows continue to make it a relevant and reliable option in the evolving landscape of IT automation and backend service platforms.
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