# dokku/dokku

A docker-powered PaaS that helps you build and manage the lifecycle of applications

Repository: https://github.com/dokku/dokku
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/dokku
Homepage: https://dokku.com
Language: Shell
License: MIT
License Family: permissive
Topics: dokku, paas, heroku, docker, kubernetes, nomad, containers, buildpack, devops, self-hosted, selfhosted
Last push: 2026-08-26T13:53:24+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 94/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:39:23.370411+00:00)
- activity 99, release rhythm 85, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 4834, "days_push": 7, "days_rel": 21, "gap_med": 3.0, "n_releases_24m": 71}
- flags: none
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 32111, forks 2070 (observed 2026-08-28T04:11:57.443265+00:00)

## What it is
Dokku is a Docker-powered, open source Platform as a Service (PaaS) that runs on a single server, letting you deploy apps via git push using Heroku buildpacks or Dockerfiles. It is extensible through a plugin system and manages building, routing, scaling, and the full lifecycle of applications.

## Use cases
- self-host a Heroku alternative on my own server
- deploy apps with git push like Heroku
- run a lightweight PaaS on a cheap VPS
- manage app deployment, scaling, and routing from the CLI
- deploy Dockerfile-based apps without writing CI/CD
- host multiple small apps on one server with subdomains

## When to choose
- you want Heroku-style git-push deploys on your own hardware or a single cloud server
- you need a simple, low-resource PaaS without Kubernetes complexity
- you want to extend your platform with plugins for databases, TLS, and schedulers
- you prefer no vendor lock-in and full control over your deployment platform

## When to avoid
- you need multi-node orchestration, autoscaling, or a full Kubernetes feature set
- you require managed services, SLAs, or enterprise support
- your team already standardizes on Kubernetes or a large cloud PaaS
- you cannot run Ubuntu/Debian servers with root access

## Facets
- artifact type: service
- maturity: stable
- function: deployment, container-runtime, cli, plugin-system, http-server, developer-tools
- domain: self-hosted, cloud-computing, web-development, developer-tools
- platform: self-hosted, cli, cloud
- tags: paas, heroku-alternative, git-deploy, buildpacks, docker, mini-heroku, single-host, devops, containers, linux

## Member repositories
- dokku/dokku (main) score 94

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:11:57.443265+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-29T16:52:11.687269+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/dokku/dokku (fetched 2026-08-28T04:11:57.443265+00:00, sha 742bd6c3c8c1)
  - homepage: https://dokku.com (fetched 2026-08-29T07:49:09.257693+00:00, sha b50db0d90c71)
  - site_page: https://dokku.com/docs/getting-started/installation (fetched 2026-08-29T07:49:09.266708+00:00, sha 3efe98df855f)
  - site_page: https://dokku.com/docs/getting-started/install/dreamhost (fetched 2026-08-29T07:49:09.268479+00:00, sha 0dd84d6885b5)
  - site_page: https://dokku.com/docs/community/plugins (fetched 2026-08-29T07:49:09.270308+00:00, sha ba3ed26035d7)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.