Dokku
Open SourceA Docker-powered PaaS that helps you build and manage the lifecycle of applications.
Published 16 October 2026
Scores
Popularity3/5
The best-known name from the Heroku era and the oldest project in its subcategory, with a large star count, but it is mostly known to developers who run their own servers.
Learning Curve3/5
The git push flow is simple once a server is set up, but everything runs through the CLI and SSH, and datastores, domains, and proxies are configured with commands rather than a panel.
Flexibility4/5
Buildpacks, Dockerfiles, and images cover almost any app, and a large plugin ecosystem extends the proxy, datastores, and scheduler. The lack of Compose support means multi-service products need manual wiring.
Performance4/5
A thin layer over Docker with a 1 GB minimum footprint, so almost all of the server's resources go to the apps; headroom depends on the VPS it runs on.
Portability4/5
MIT licensed and built on standard Docker images and buildpacks, so apps move to another host or to plain Docker with little rework. Its git remotes and plugin configuration are Dokku-specific.
About Dokku
Dokku is an open-source, Docker-powered Platform-as-a-Service that runs on a single server you own. It is one of the oldest projects in the space, started in 2013 as a small Heroku-style layer over Docker, and it still follows the same model: you create an app on the server, add a git remote, and git push to build and release it.
Deployment works from three sources: Heroku-compatible buildpacks (the default, so a Node.js, Python, Ruby, PHP, or Go project usually deploys without a Dockerfile), a Dockerfile in the repository, or a prebuilt Docker image. Dokku does not read Docker Compose files, so a multi-service product is deployed as separate apps linked together. Backing services come from plugins, such as the official PostgreSQL, MySQL, MongoDB, and Redis datastore plugins, which create a database and link it to an app through an environment variable. Routing, process scaling, zero-downtime deploys, and Let's Encrypt certificates are handled by Dokku's built-in nginx proxy and plugins, with Traefik, Caddy, and HAProxy available as alternatives.
Dokku is managed entirely from the command line and over SSH, with no dashboard in the open-source release, which suits teams that script their servers and makes it a lighter fit for those who want a point-and-click panel. It installs on Ubuntu or Debian, on AMD64 or arm64, with 1 GB of memory as the minimum for the Docker scheduler, and a K3s scheduler option is available for running across several nodes.
The core is MIT licensed and free. Dokku Pro is a separate paid product that adds a web interface and a REST API on top of the same engine. Dokku is deployment software rather than a host, so it runs on a VPS from a provider like Hetzner, DigitalOcean, or Hostinger.
Key Features
- Heroku-style git push deploys to your own server
- Heroku-compatible buildpacks, Dockerfile, and Docker image deployments
- Datastore plugins for PostgreSQL, MySQL, MongoDB, Redis, and more
- Zero-downtime deploys, process scaling, and cron tasks
- Built-in nginx proxy with Let's Encrypt, plus Traefik, Caddy, and HAProxy plugins
- Scriptable CLI and a large community plugin ecosystem
- Optional K3s scheduler for multi-node clusters
- MIT licensed core with no feature gating
Pros
- Mature and stable, in continuous development since 2013
- Very small footprint: runs on a 1 GB server
- Familiar git push workflow for anyone who has used Heroku
- Everything is scriptable, which fits infrastructure-as-code habits
- Free and MIT licensed, with no cloud tier to pay for
Cons
- No web dashboard in the open-source release; Dokku Pro adds one for a one-time fee
- No Docker Compose support, so multi-service products must be split into separate apps
- Single-server by default; multi-node needs the K3s scheduler
- Fewer one-click app templates than Coolify or Dokploy
- Steeper start for people who are not comfortable with SSH and a terminal
Dokku Pricing
Open Source- · Free forever, MIT licensed
- · Command-line management over SSH
- · Unlimited apps on your own server
- · You provide and pay for the underlying VPS separately
- · Lifetime license with free upgrades
- · Web interface and REST API
- · Covers 1 production server and 2 pre-production servers
- · Email support from the maintainers
Tech Stacks with Dokku
WordPress Self-Hosted
InfrastructureThe CMS behind the open web on your own server: WordPress with its own database (MariaDB by default; MySQL equally supported) and Docker, with any plugin and any theme, and no managed-WP vendor in sight.
n8n Self-Hosted
InfrastructureSelf-host n8n on your own VPS, cloud instance, or hardware for complete data ownership and no per-execution pricing. Docker keeps the deployment reproducible on any host; PostgreSQL, SQLite, or managed Neon can store workflows and execution history, and a reverse proxy you configure or a self-hosted PaaS handles routing and TLS.
Ghost Self-Hosted
InfrastructureRun Ghost on your own server instead of paying Ghost(Pro) as your audience grows. Ghost publishes, manages members and paid subscriptions, and sends newsletters, with MySQL storing content and members and Docker keeping installs and upgrades to a few commands.
Tools Related to Dokku
Works well with Dokku(3)
Dokku installs on any Ubuntu or Debian server, and a small Hetzner VPS covers its 1 GB minimum for a few euros a month, which makes it a common home for a personal Dokku host.
DigitalOcean offers a prebuilt Dokku droplet image, so a Dokku host can be created from the marketplace without running the install script by hand.
A Hostinger VPS running Ubuntu or Debian can host Dokku on a low monthly budget, which suits indie projects that want git push deploys without a managed platform.
Alternatives to Dokku(2)
Both turn your own VPS into a Heroku-style deploy target. Dokku is a command-line tool you drive over SSH with git push, buildpacks, and datastore plugins, with no dashboard and no Compose support; Coolify adds a web dashboard and a library of 280+ one-click services.
Both run on a single VPS you control. Dokku is the older, command-line-first option built around git push and buildpacks, with no Compose support; Dokploy is a newer dashboard-driven platform that deploys Docker Compose files and uses Traefik for routing.