What Is Self-Hosted PaaS & App Deployment?
Mix (12 tools)
- License: 8 open source · 4 proprietary
- Hosting: 8 self-hosted · 4 SaaS · 0 both
This category is the “deploy my app to my own servers, the easy way” space – tools that take a containerized (or plain) web app and get it running on one or a few hosts with zero-downtime rolling updates, driven by SSH, a git push, or a web UI. It is the self-hosted answer to Heroku: the convenience of a PaaS without the managed-cloud bill or lock-in.
It sits deliberately between two neighbours and is distinct from both:
- Not container orchestration (
container-orch/) – these tools do not run a Kubernetes/Nomad/Swarm cluster with scheduling, self-healing, and a control plane (though some use Docker Swarm underneath). They target one or a handful of servers and stay simple on purpose. - Not CI/CD (
ci-cd/) – they are the deploy step, invoked by a pipeline or by hand; they are not the pipeline itself. - Not managed frontend hosting (
web-servers/hosting/, e.g. Netlify, Vercel) – those host static / JAMstack sites as a SaaS; here the emphasis is self-hosted, container-based application deployment.
About this data & disclaimer
The information on these pages was researched by a combination of human review and large language models. This catalogue serves as a reference for the resources, applications, devices, deployment payloads, and other components that the ResorsIT platform integrates, deploys, and manages. To suggest an addition or correction, please contact us. Prepared by Rhodium Systems Inc., author of the ResorsIT platform — a unified IT operations management platform for IT teams and MSPs that integrates a curated suite of open-source, commercial, and SaaS applications into a single system with shared identity, single sign-on, access control, and a common audit trail. This information is compiled on a best-effort basis: it may be incomplete, contain errors, and become out of date as tools, vendors, licences, and features change. Use this catalogue only as a starting point for your own research, and independently verify and review any tool carefully against your own requirements before relying on it.
Comparison
At a glance
| Tool | Self-host? | Deploy trigger | Under the hood | Web UI | License |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kamal | Yes | CLI over SSH | Docker + kamal-proxy | No | MIT |
| Dokku | Yes | git push | Docker + buildpacks/Dockerfile | Plugin | MIT |
| CapRover | Yes | UI / CLI / git | Docker Swarm | Yes | Apache-2.0 |
| Coolify | Yes | UI / git webhook | Docker / Compose | Yes | Apache-2.0 |
| Dokploy | Yes | UI / git | Docker Swarm + Traefik | Yes | Apache-2.0 |
| Piku | Yes | git push | uWSGI / nginx (+ Podman) | No | MIT |
| Capistrano | Yes | CLI over SSH | Release dirs + symlinks (no containers) | No | MIT |
| Deployer | Yes | CLI over SSH | Release dirs + symlinks (no containers) | No | MIT |
| Heroku | No (SaaS) | git push / CLI | Managed dynos | Yes | Proprietary |
| Render | No (SaaS) | git auto-deploy | Managed containers | Yes | Proprietary |
| Railway | No (SaaS) | git / CLI | Managed containers | Yes | Proprietary |
| Fly.io | No (SaaS) | flyctl / CLI | Firecracker microVMs | Yes | Proprietary |
How to choose
- Fewest moving parts, deploy from CI – Kamal (no server agent, no cluster; just SSH + Docker).
- Heroku-style
git push, minimal ops – Dokku (mature) or Piku (tiniest). - A dashboard for apps + databases + TLS on your own host – Coolify, CapRover, or Dokploy.
- Legacy, non-container SSH deploys – Capistrano (Ruby) or Deployer (PHP).
- Don’t want to self-host at all – the managed comparators (Heroku, Render, Railway, Fly.io).
Boundaries
- Need real clustering, scheduling, and self-healing across many nodes? That is
container orchestration (
container-orch/: Kubernetes, Nomad, Swarm), not this category. - Need the build/test pipeline that precedes deploy? That is CI/CD
(
ci-cd/). - Hosting static / JAMstack front ends as a service (Netlify, Vercel) lives in
web-servers/hosting/.
Tools
12 tools.
Capistrano
Ruby-world remote server automation and deployment tool that ships application code over SSH using release directories and a symlinked current release.
License: MIT (OSS) · Kind: cli · Deploy: direct · SSO: none
ResorsIT usage: Deployment Payload
Access & Identity: Local host account · Key-based access
CapRover
CapRover is a self-hosted, UI-driven PaaS on Docker Swarm that deploys apps and databases with nginx, Let’s Encrypt TLS, one-click apps, and a CLI.
License: Apache-2.0 (OSS) · Kind: web · Deploy: docker, direct · SSO: none
ResorsIT usage: Web App without SSO
Access & Identity: Forward-auth · Vaulted credential
Coolify
Coolify is a self-hostable, UI-driven PaaS – an open-source Heroku/Netlify/Vercel alternative that deploys apps, databases, and 280+ one-click services from git or Docker Compose.
License: Apache-2.0 (OSS) · Kind: web · Deploy: docker, direct · SSO: none
ResorsIT usage: Web App without SSO
Access & Identity: Forward-auth · Vaulted credential
Deployer
PHP-world deployment tool that performs zero-downtime atomic deploys over SSH using release directories and a symlinked current release, with framework recipes and rollbacks.
License: MIT (OSS) · Kind: cli · Deploy: direct · SSO: none
ResorsIT usage: Deployment Payload
Access & Identity: Local host account · Key-based access
Dokku
Dokku is the original Docker-based mini-Heroku: a self-hosted PaaS that deploys apps via git push using buildpacks, Dockerfiles, or Nixpacks.
License: MIT (OSS) · Kind: cli · Deploy: direct, docker · SSO: none
ResorsIT usage: Deployment Payload
Access & Identity: Local host account · Key-based access
Dokploy
Dokploy is a newer self-hostable, UI-driven PaaS built on Docker Swarm and Traefik that deploys apps, databases, and Compose stacks across one or many servers.
License: Apache-2.0 (OSS) · Kind: web · Deploy: docker, direct · SSO: none
ResorsIT usage: Web App without SSO
Access & Identity: Forward-auth · Vaulted credential
Fly.io
Fly.io deploys Docker containers as Firecracker microVMs close to users in global regions, driven by the flyctl CLI, with volumes and managed Postgres.
License: Proprietary (proprietary) · Kind: web · Deploy: saas · SSO: SAML
ResorsIT usage: Web App with SSO
Access & Identity: Single sign-on
Heroku
Heroku is the original managed PaaS (Salesforce-owned): git-push deploys onto dynos, built with buildpacks and extended by an add-on marketplace.
License: Proprietary (proprietary) · Kind: web · Deploy: saas · SSO: SAML
ResorsIT usage: Web App with SSO
Access & Identity: Single sign-on
Kamal
Kamal deploys Dockerized web apps to any host over SSH with zero downtime, using kamal-proxy to swap traffic and needing no server agent.
License: MIT (OSS) · Kind: cli · Deploy: direct · SSO: none
ResorsIT usage: Deployment Payload
Access & Identity: Local host account · Key-based access
Piku
Piku is the tiniest PaaS you have ever seen: git push deploy on small hosts and Raspberry Pi, running apps under uWSGI and nginx with an optional Podman backend.
License: MIT (OSS) · Kind: cli · Deploy: direct · SSO: none
ResorsIT usage: Deployment Payload
Access & Identity: Local host account · Key-based access
Railway
Railway is a fast-DX managed PaaS: git or CLI deploys, one-click databases, a template marketplace, and per-second usage-based pricing.
License: Proprietary (proprietary) · Kind: web · Deploy: saas · SSO: SAML
ResorsIT usage: Web App with SSO
Access & Identity: Single sign-on
Render
Render is a modern managed PaaS positioned as a Heroku successor: auto-deploy from git into managed containers, static sites, cron jobs, and managed Postgres/Redis.
License: Proprietary (proprietary) · Kind: web · Deploy: saas · SSO: SAML
ResorsIT usage: Web App with SSO
Access & Identity: Single sign-on
