Dokku Review: The smallest PaaS implementation you've ever seen

Dokku

The smallest PaaS implementation you've ever seen

Developer Tools CI/CD & DevOps Web Hosting dokku.com

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Founded

N/A

Starting Price

Free

About Dokku

Dokku is a lightweight, open-source Platform as a Service that enables developers to deploy and manage applications on their own servers, functioning as a self-hosted alternative to Heroku. Built on Docker and powered by Heroku-compatible buildpacks, Dokku allows developers to deploy applications with a simple Git push, automatically detecting application language and building containerized applications without manual Docker configuration. Running on a single server with minimal resource requirements (1GB RAM minimum), Dokku is an extremely cost-effective solution for developers who want full control over their deployment infrastructure. It supports all languages via Heroku buildpacks including Node.js, Python, Ruby, PHP, Java, and Go. Dokku includes built-in SSL certificate management with Let's Encrypt integration, Nginx reverse proxy, database plugins for PostgreSQL, MySQL, MongoDB, and Redis, and an extensible plugin system. The Dokku Pro option adds a web-based UI, REST API, and support for multiple servers.

Pros & Cons

Pros

Extremely cost-effective — free software, pay only for hosting infrastructure
Full control and ownership with no vendor lock-in
Heroku-compatible — existing Heroku apps run with minimal changes
Simple and familiar Git push deployment workflow
Active open-source community with extensive plugin ecosystem

Cons

Key Features

Git-Based Deployment

Push code directly to deploy via git push using Heroku-compatible workflow

Docker-Powered

Containerized application isolation and orchestration without requiring Docker expertise

Automatic Buildpack Detection

Auto-detects application language and builds accordingly

Database Plugins

Official plugins for PostgreSQL, MySQL, MongoDB, Redis, Elasticsearch, and more

SSL/TLS Certificates

Built-in Let's Encrypt integration for automated HTTPS

Extensible Plugin System

Customizable through community and official plugins

Nginx Reverse Proxy

Built-in reverse proxy and load balancing for web applications

Environment Variables

Pricing

Featured In

Best Self-Hosted PaaS Platforms for Indie Developers (2026)

7 Best Open-Source Deployment & Container Management Platforms (2026)

Best for CLI-comfortable developers who want Heroku's git-push simplicity with minimal resource overhead on a single VPS

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