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Self-hosted PaaS

Dokploy

Open-source, self-hostable PaaS built on Docker, Docker Compose and Swarm, with database backups, multi-server deploys and Traefik routing; a hosted control plane costs $4.50 per server.

Visit dokploy.com ↗ Alternatives Open source Open source Self-hostable EU region
Dokploy homepage
§1

Overview

Dokploy is a self-hostable platform-as-a-service. You run one install script on a VPS and get a web dashboard that deploys applications from Git or a Docker registry, builds them with Nixpacks, Heroku buildpacks or a Dockerfile, and routes traffic through Traefik with automatic certificates. Docker Compose stacks are first-class, and Docker Swarm support lets you spread workloads across several nodes.

It also manages databases (MySQL, PostgreSQL, MongoDB, MariaDB, Redis and libSQL) with scheduled backups to external storage, and offers one-click templates for tools such as Plausible, PocketBase, Cal.com and Supabase. Monitoring, logs, notifications to Slack, Discord or Telegram, an API, a CLI and an MCP connection for AI tools are included.

Self-hosting is free. Dokploy Cloud hosts the control plane for $4.50 per connected server per month on the Hobby plan, or from $15 on Startup with unlimited users and backups. The project has over 26,000 GitHub stars and more than 6 million Docker Hub downloads.

§2

Pricing and plans

Free tier · no card

Self-hosted Dokploy is free; you install it on your own VPS and pay only for the server.

At the limit Not stated The vendor does not say what happens at the limit, or we have not found it yet.

Plan Price What you get
Self-hosted $0 Install on your own VPS
Cloud Hobby $4.50/mo per server 1 user, 1 organization, 2 environments, 1 backup per database, Discord support
Cloud Startup From $15/mo 3 servers, unlimited users and backups, basic RBAC, 2FA, email and chat support
Enterprise Custom Cloud or self-hosted; SSO/SAML, SCIM, audit logs, SLA, white labeling

Cloud plans manage the Dokploy control plane; your apps still run on servers you rent. Extra servers are $4.50/month each; yearly billing saves 20%. The repository contains both an open-source license and a proprietary license file, so check which features the open-source edition covers before relying on it commercially.

Source: dokploy.com/pricing · prices as published, excluding tax.

§3

What it does

Docker Compose
Deploy multi-container stacks natively, as Compose or Swarm stacks.
Multiple build types
Nixpacks, Heroku buildpacks or a custom Dockerfile.
Database backups
Create and back up MySQL, PostgreSQL, MongoDB, MariaDB and Redis to external storage.
Multi-server and Swarm
Deploy to remote servers and scale across nodes with Docker Swarm.
Preview deployments
Deploy pull requests separately, with zero-downtime deploys.
Templates
One-click open-source apps such as Supabase, Cal.com and PocketBase.
§4

Strengths and limitations

Strengths

  • Free to self-host, with a cheap managed control plane option.
  • Strong Docker Compose and Swarm support.
  • Built-in database backups and monitoring.
  • Active project with a large user base.

Limitations

  • You operate and secure the servers yourself.
  • The Cloud Hobby plan allows only 1 user and 1 backup per database.
  • SSO, audit logs and SLAs require the Enterprise plan.
  • Licensing mixes open-source and proprietary files.
§5

Who it suits

Good for

  • Self-hosting Docker Compose apps on a VPS
  • Indie developers running several apps and databases on one server
  • Small teams that want multi-server deploys without Kubernetes

Look elsewhere if

  • Teams without server maintenance skills
  • Workloads that need managed high availability
§6

Alternatives to Dokploy

Tool From Free option Stages
$5/mo Free tier
Zeabur Deployment platform on dedicated servers
$5/mo Free tier
Cloudflare Workers (incl. Pages) Edge serverless platform
$5/mo Free tier
Railway Usage-billed PaaS
$5/mo Free tier
Coolify Self-hosted PaaS
$5/mo Free tier
Sevalla Managed PaaS
$5/mo Free tier

All app hosting and PaaS →

§7

Questions

Is Dokploy free?

Self-hosted Dokploy is free. Dokploy Cloud, which hosts the dashboard for you, starts at $4.50 per server per month.

Dokploy or Coolify?

Both are self-hosted PaaS tools; Dokploy emphasises native Docker Compose and Swarm support, while Coolify offers a larger one-click service catalog and a $5/month cloud plan for 2 servers.

Which databases can Dokploy manage?

MySQL, PostgreSQL, MongoDB, MariaDB, Redis and libSQL, with automated backups to external storage.

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