Coolify: Self-Hosted Deployment Platform

Coolify is an open-source, self-hostable alternative to Heroku, Netlify, and Vercel that lets you deploy applications, databases, and services on your own servers with a simple web interface. With over 50,000 GitHub stars, it has rapidly become one of the most popular tools for developers who want platform-as-a-service convenience without cloud vendor pricing. Coolify handles Git-based deployments, Docker management, SSL certificates, and monitoring.

Self-hosting Coolify means you get push-to-deploy workflows and managed databases on infrastructure you own — no per-app fees, no cold starts, and no deployment limits.

Key Features

• One-click deployment for 100+ popular applications and databases
• Git-based automatic deployments from GitHub, GitLab, and Bitbucket
• Built-in SSL certificate management with automatic Let's Encrypt provisioning
• Database management for PostgreSQL, MySQL, MongoDB, Redis, and more
• Multi-server support for deploying across multiple VPS instances
• Docker Compose and Dockerfile support for custom application stacks
• Real-time build logs, application monitoring, and resource usage tracking
• Webhook and API access for integrating with CI/CD pipelines

Why Self-Host Coolify?

Platform-as-a-service without the price. Heroku, Render, and Railway charge per dyno, per database, and per build minute. Coolify gives you the same push-to-deploy experience for the flat cost of your VPS. Deploy unlimited apps and databases without watching a billing meter.

No cold starts or sleep policies. Free and hobby tiers on cloud platforms spin down inactive apps. Self-hosted Coolify keeps your services running continuously — your apps respond instantly, even after periods of low traffic.

Full infrastructure control. You choose the server location, OS, Docker version, and networking. Coolify manages the deployment layer while you retain root access to everything underneath. Need to SSH in and debug? You can.

Multi-server orchestration. Coolify can manage deployments across multiple servers from a single dashboard. Scale horizontally by adding new VPS instances as your traffic grows, all controlled from one interface.

System Requirements

Resource	Minimum	Recommended
CPU	2 vCPUs	4+ vCPUs
RAM	2 GB	4 GB
Storage	30 GB SSD	50 GB SSD
OS	Ubuntu 22.04+	Ubuntu 24.04

Coolify itself is moderately resource-hungry because it runs Docker builds and manages multiple containers. The recommended specs leave room for both Coolify and the applications it deploys. For hosting many applications, a larger VPS or multi-server setup is advisable.

Getting Started

The fastest way to deploy Coolify on your VPS is with Docker Compose through Dokploy. Our step-by-step deployment guide walks you through the full setup, including persistent storage, environment configuration, and SSL.

Deploy Coolify with Dokploy →

Alternatives

• Dokploy — Lightweight deployment platform focused on Docker Compose and simplicity
• CapRover — PaaS built on Docker Swarm with one-click app deployment
• Dokku — Minimal PaaS implementation powered by Docker with Heroku buildpack support
• Portainer — Docker and Kubernetes management UI for container orchestration

FAQ

How does Coolify compare to Dokploy? Both are self-hosted deployment platforms, but they take different approaches. Coolify offers a broader feature set with multi-server support, one-click app templates, and built-in database management. Dokploy focuses on simplicity and Docker Compose workflows. Choose based on whether you need multi-server orchestration or prefer a leaner tool.

Can Coolify deploy any Docker application? Yes. Coolify supports deployment via Dockerfile, Docker Compose, and Nixpacks (automatic buildpack detection). If your application can run in a Docker container, Coolify can deploy it.

Does Coolify manage SSL certificates? Yes. Coolify automatically provisions and renews Let's Encrypt SSL certificates for your deployed applications. You configure your domain, and Coolify handles the rest — no manual certificate management required.

Can I use Coolify to manage multiple servers? Yes. Coolify supports multi-server deployments from a single dashboard. You add remote servers via SSH, and Coolify handles Docker setup, container management, and deployment across all connected servers.

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App data sourced from selfh.st open-source directory.