Dokku – Self-Hosted PaaS

Dokku is the smallest PaaS — a Docker-powered Heroku alternative for deploying apps via git push on your own server.

• GitHub: github.com/dokku/dokku (30 000+ ⭐)
• License: MIT
• Security: Mature project (10+ years). No malware.

Usage Examples

Create an app

dokku apps:create my-app

Deploy via git push

git remote add dokku dokku@server:my-app
git push dokku main

Set environment variables

dokku config:set my-app DATABASE_URL=postgres://...

Add SSL via Let's Encrypt

dokku letsencrypt:enable my-app

AI Agent Tips

• git push deployment — just like Heroku.
• Plugin ecosystem: databases, caching, SSL, cron, and more.
• Runs on a single $5/month VPS.
• Dockerfile, Buildpack, and Cloud Native Buildpack support.