Dokku pioneered the do-it-yourself mini-Heroku, and it is rock-solid — if you are ready to provision, run and patch the server it lives on. DeployCloud gives you the same git-push developer experience, but fully managed on our cloud: no server to operate, automatic HTTPS, built-in preview environments, health-checked releases and one-click rollback.
July 17, 2026·3 min read
If you like Dokku's simplicity but do not want to be the sysadmin, DeployCloud will feel familiar where it counts: git push to deploy, Docker builds, buildpack auto-detection. The difference is who runs the infrastructure. With Dokku you provision the machine, install and patch the OS and Docker, wire up TLS and a proxy, and stay on call when something breaks at 3am. With DeployCloud there is nothing to run — we build, host and operate your app for you.
Dokku is administered over SSH with dokku commands on a server you operate, and much of its power lives in plugins you install and maintain. DeployCloud is administered from a web dashboard (with a CLI and REST API alongside it), and the common needs — databases, TLS, previews, rollback, logs, metrics — are built in and run for you rather than assembled and kept patched.
| DeployCloud | Dokku | |
|---|---|---|
| Hosting model | Managed cloud, nothing to run | Self-hosted, you run & patch it |
| Primary interface | Web dashboard + CLI + API | CLI over SSH |
| Git push to deploy | Yes | Yes |
| Builders | Dockerfile + Nixpacks | Buildpacks + Dockerfile |
| Preview environments | Built-in, every branch | Via plugin/manual |
| Add-ons (Postgres/Redis) | Managed, one click | Plugins you run yourself |
| Zero-downtime deploys | Built-in, health-checked | Supported (zero-downtime checks) |
| One-click rollback | Built-in UI | CLI / tags |
| Automatic HTTPS | Automatic, managed | Let's Encrypt plugin |
| Ops & maintenance | Handled for you | You provision, patch & monitor |
Dokku gives you the deploy; DeployCloud gives you the deploy plus the day-2 platform around it, all run for you:
Dokku is fantastic if you want a minimal, battle-tested core and are happy operating a server, living in the terminal and curating plugins. DeployCloud suits teams who want the same git-push workflow without running any infrastructure — a UI the whole team can use, previews and rollback ready without setup, and a REST API to script against.
The real choice is who operates the platform. Dokku hands you a minimal core to run and patch yourself; DeployCloud runs the whole batteries-included platform for you, so there is no server, OS or proxy to maintain and no on-call when it breaks.
Dokku's SSH-and-plugins model is a great fit for a solo operator who enjoys running the machine. DeployCloud's dashboard, role-appropriate workflows and audit trail of every deploy, scale and config change make it easier to hand deploy access to a whole team — no one needs shell access to a server, because there is no server for your team to manage.
No. They share the git-push, Docker-based build philosophy, but DeployCloud is a fully managed platform — we run the infrastructure for you. Beyond a dashboard, it ships preview environments, health-checked zero-downtime releases, one-click rollback, managed add-ons and a REST API as built-in features rather than plugins you install and maintain on a server you operate.
DeployCloud builds with your Dockerfile when present and otherwise uses Nixpacks to auto-detect the stack (Node, Python, Go, Ruby, PHP, Rust, Java and more). Dokku traditionally leans on Herokuish buildpacks plus Dockerfile support.
Yes — in fact there is no server for your team to SSH into. DeployCloud is driven from a web dashboard and API, so teammates can deploy, roll back and read logs without any shell access, and every action is recorded in an activity trail.
No. Dokku runs on a Linux server that you provision, patch and keep online. DeployCloud is fully managed — you connect a Git repo and push, and we build, host, scale and secure your app on our cloud. HTTPS certificates, zero-downtime deploys and Postgres backups are all handled for you, with no infrastructure to maintain.
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