Self-Hosted PaaS: Coolify vs. Dokku vs. CapRover

A self-hosted PaaS is open-source software that turns a server you rent into your own small Heroku: you push code or point it at a repository, and it builds containers, routes traffic, issues TLS certificates and restarts crashed apps. The three established options are Coolify, Dokku and CapRover. Coolify has the most complete web dashboard, Dokku is the leanest command-line tool, and CapRover combines a web interface with Docker Swarm. All three save platform fees and let you choose where your data lives, in exchange for operating the server yourself.

If you are still deciding between hosted and self-hosted, read what a PaaS is and the Heroku alternatives comparison first.

The three tools at a glance

As of October 2026, based on the projects’ own documentation and repositories. Features change with releases; the project documentation is authoritative.

	Coolify	Dokku	CapRover
Interface	Web dashboard, plus API	Command line over SSH	Web dashboard plus CLI
Build methods	Dockerfile, Docker Compose, buildpack-style builds	Buildpacks, Dockerfile	Dockerfile, captain-definition file
Underlying tech	Docker, reverse proxy	Docker, nginx	Docker Swarm, nginx
Multiple servers	Yes, managed over SSH	Mainly single host	Yes, via Swarm cluster
One-click services	Large catalogue	Plugins (databases, certificates)	One-click app catalogue
Source	github.com/coollabsio/coolify	github.com/dokku/dokku	github.com/caprover/caprover

Coolify

Coolify is the most feature-rich of the three. After installation everything runs through a browser dashboard: you connect a Git repository, choose how it should be built, add a PostgreSQL or Redis instance, set environment variables and attach a domain. Certificates are requested automatically. Coolify can also deploy Docker Compose stacks and offers a long list of ready-made services, from analytics tools to databases.

A single Coolify instance can manage further servers over SSH, so you can keep the dashboard on one machine and run apps on others. The project’s documentation lists minimum requirements of two CPU cores, 2 GB of RAM and 10 GB of free storage for the server running Coolify; real apps need more on top. Our step-by-step guide, running Coolify on a VPS, walks through installation and the first deployment.

Good for: teams that want a graphical interface, agencies hosting many small client projects, anyone who wants databases and apps in one view.

Dokku

Dokku describes itself as a Docker-powered mini-Heroku. It has no web interface: you create apps and attach services with commands on the server, then deploy with git push. Buildpack support means many Heroku apps run with minimal changes, and plugins add PostgreSQL, Redis, Let’s Encrypt certificates and more.

Because it does less, Dokku is small, predictable and well suited to automation. It is designed primarily for a single host.

Good for: developers comfortable with SSH, migrations of existing Heroku apps, setups managed with scripts or configuration management.

CapRover

CapRover provides a web dashboard and a CLI on top of Docker Swarm. Apps are deployed from a Dockerfile or a small captain-definition file, and a catalogue of one-click apps covers common databases and tools. Because it uses Swarm, adding worker nodes to form a cluster is part of the design.

Good for: teams that want a UI and a straightforward path to several nodes without moving to Kubernetes.

What you take over

Self-hosting removes the platform fee, not the work. Plan for:

• Operating system updates and security patches on every server.
• Updates of the PaaS itself, ideally after reading the release notes.
• Backups off the machine, for databases and persistent volumes, with a tested restore.
• Monitoring and alerts, at least for disk space, memory and certificate expiry.
• Access control: SSH keys, firewall, and who may log into the dashboard.

If nobody on the team wants to own these tasks, a hosted platform is the better choice.

Costs and location

The main cost is the server. A single virtual server in a German, Finnish or French data centre can host several small apps, and you choose the provider and location yourself. Our VPS comparison for developers covers suitable servers. To weigh server costs against platform fees and your own time, use the PaaS cost calculator.

Which one to choose

• Coolify if you want the closest experience to a hosted platform, with a dashboard and many services.
• Dokku if you prefer git push, buildpacks and a minimal footprint.
• CapRover if you want a UI and a simple route to a multi-node cluster.

All three run containers, so moving between them, or later to a managed platform or Kubernetes, is realistic. More on that path in container deployment for small teams.