Self-host Dokku

updated Jul 2026deployed & timed by usprices checked · Aug 2026Install verified on Ubuntu 26.04 · Jul 2026 · how we test

A lightweight, extensible, open-source PaaS built on Docker — a single-server Heroku alternative that turns a `git push` into a running app via Herokuish buildpacks.

Heroku / yr$300

Self-hosted / yr~$55

You keep$245/yr

Pocket the difference — spin it up on a cheap VPS in minutes.Start free on Kamatera →

Key facts

CategoryPlatform-as-a-Service

LicenseMIT

StackShell, Herokuish

Min RAM1024 MB

Dockeryes

Difficulty

Our recommendation

Choose Dokku when you want the smallest possible Heroku: a git-push deploy engine that runs happily on a 1 GB box, driven entirely from the command line and a plugin system. It's the leanest self-hosted PaaS by far — if you want a dashboard, previews, or multi-server, Coolify or Dokploy are the heavier but friendlier picks.

What you need

Any VPS with at least 1024 MB of RAM
A domain you control — most self-hosted setups need HTTPS in front of them
Under an hour if you've used Docker before

Install

Run these commands on your server:

# Dokku — official version-pinned bootstrap installer
wget -NP . https://raw.githubusercontent.com/dokku/dokku/v0.38.22/bootstrap.sh
sudo DOKKU_TAG=v0.38.22 bash bootstrap.sh

vps picksBest VPS for self-hostingbenchmarked quarterly · re-priced monthly

What you take on

Dokku trades polish for minimalism, and that trade shows up in day-to-day operation:

non-negotiableIt's CLI-first. There's no web dashboard by default — everything is dokku commands over SSH, which is fast once learned and opaque until then.

non-negotiableDatabases are plugins. Postgres, Redis, and friends come from official plugins you install and link yourself — powerful, but more assembly than a managed add-on.

non-negotiableIt's single-server by design. Dokku runs your apps on the one host — plan capacity for that box, and back up its app and database volumes off-machine.

An alternative to

Heroku →Vercel →

Head-to-head

PaaSAug 2026

Dokku

CapRover

Heroku on one box: the CLI purist vs. the dashboard.

Read the verdict →

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