Coolify

✓ Verified FOSSApache-2.0

Top open-source alternative to Heroku

An open-source, self-hostable PaaS alternative to Vercel, Heroku & Netlify that lets you easily deploy static sites, databases, full-stack applications and 280+ one-click services on your own servers.

Tech StackPHP, Laravel, Docker

Self-Host DifficultyEasy

License ModelApache-2.0

GitHub Repositorycoollabsio/coolify

Recommended VPS & Hardware Sizing

Estimated Hosting: $4 - $6/mo (e.g. Hetzner CX22 or DigitalOcean)

Min RAM:1 GB

Rec RAM:2 GB

Compute:1 vCPU

Disk Space:10 GB SSD

Coolify vs Heroku Comparison Matrix

Evaluation Criteria	Coolify (Open Source)	Heroku (Proprietary)
Monthly Dyno Bill	$0 / Runs on your existing VPS	$25 - $250+ per dyno
Database Addon Cost	Included free via Docker	$15 - $200 / month
Server Ownership	Deploy to Hetzner, AWS, or DigitalOcean	Heroku cloud walls

INTERACTIVE TCO MODELEstimated Rate: $129/user/mo

Financial Impact: Migrating from Heroku to Self-Hosted Coolify

Detailed Stack Calculator →

Active Team Members / Seats: 25 Users

5 Users (Early Startup)50 Users (Scaleup)200 Users (Enterprise Org)

Heroku (Cloud SaaS)Per-Seat Tax

$38,700per year ($3,225/mo)

3-Year Spend:$116,100

* Excludes enterprise SSO add-ons & usage overages

Coolify (Self-Hosted)Zero Per-Seat Fee

$120per year ($10/mo Linux VPS)

3-Year Compute:$360

* Commodity Hetzner / DigitalOcean compute instance

Cumulative 3-Year ROI+$115,740Net savings across 36 months (100% reduction)

Annual Free Cash:+$38,580/yr

Need C-Level Buy-In? Generate an instant ROI proposal memo to present to your CTO or CFO.

HEAD-TO-HEAD BATTLES // SIDE-BY-SIDE AUDIT

Compare Coolify Head-to-Head

Custom Comparison Engine →

★ PRIMARY REPLACEMENTFOSS vs SaaS

Coolifyvs

Heroku

Comprehensive benchmark comparing Coolify against proprietary Heroku licensing and features.

View Full Battle Report→

CloudPEER BENCHMARK

Coolifyvs

Dokploy

Mature Multi-Server PaaS with Nixpacks vs Modern Traefik Lightweight PaaS

Inspect Comparison→

Core Capabilities & Features

✓1-Click Deploy Node, Next.js, Python, Go

✓Automated SSL via Let's Encrypt

✓Managed Databases (Postgres, Redis, Mongo)

✓Git Push to Deploy

Self-Host Coolify with Docker Compose

Tweak configuration ports, secrets, and volumes live. Download or copy your ready-to-run container file:

1-Click Docker Compose Generator

Generate production-ready container definitions with customizable ports and volumes.

Select Open-Source Project:

CoolifyApache-2.0

An open-source & self-hostable Heroku / Netlify alternative

Difficulty: Easy62,894 ⭐

Configure Parameters

Coolify Control Port (PORT)

docker-compose.coolify.yml

version: '3.8'
services:
  coolify:
    image: ghcr.io/coollabsio/coolify:latest
    volumes:
      - /var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock
      - coolify_data:/data
    ports:
      - "${PORT:-8000}:8000"
    restart: always
volumes:
  coolify_data:

Frequently Asked Questions: Self-Hosting Coolify

How do I self-host Coolify using Docker Compose?

You can deploy Coolify (coollabsio/coolify) on any Linux server by copying the docker-compose.yml template on this page, configuring your desired host port and persistent volume directory, and running 'docker compose up -d'.

How does Coolify compare to Heroku?

Coolify is an open-source, self-hosted alternative to Heroku built with PHP, Laravel, Docker. Unlike Heroku ($7 - $250+ / dyno / month), Coolify has zero per-user licensing fees and keeps 100% of your data on your own infrastructure.

What are the minimum VPS RAM and CPU requirements for Coolify?

For production self-hosting (Easy difficulty tier), we recommend at least 2 GB RAM (minimum 1 GB), 1 vCPU, and 10 GB SSD storage, which typically costs $4 - $6/mo (e.g. Hetzner CX22 or DigitalOcean).

Is Coolify free for commercial business use under the Apache-2.0 license?

Yes. Distributed under the Apache-2.0 license, Coolify can be self-hosted internally by businesses and engineering teams of any size without per-seat royalties.

README INTEGRATION // REPO EMBED

Embed Official Coolify Badge in GitHub README

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SIMILAR REPOSITORIES // PEER COMPARISON