Dokku review
A Heroku-style deployment workflow for teams managing their own Linux infrastructure.
Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
Dokku is an extensible, open-source Platform as a Service for teams that want Heroku-style application deployment on infrastructure they manage. It builds applications from Git pushes, Dockerfiles, or supported buildpacks, then runs them in containers. The free Dokku plan includes an open-source self-hosted PaaS, with command-line tools for deployment, domains, SSL, processes, logs, scheduling, storage, plugins, and resource management. It suits developers and infrastructure teams comfortable operating a Linux server rather than relying on a fully managed platform.
Pricing is split between the free Dokku plan and Dokku Pro. The core plan provides the deployment engine and supports Git, Dockerfiles, buildpacks, local Docker, Kubernetes/K3s, and Nomad through scheduler plugins. Dokku Pro costs $849 one time and adds a lifetime license, web UI, JSON REST API, team management, one production server, and two pre-production servers. That makes the free plan the clear entry point for individual or technically self-sufficient teams, while Pro is aimed at organizations that need administrative features and a defined server allowance.
Deployment coverage is broad for a self-hosted tool: Dokku offers zero-downtime deployment checks and traffic switching, application and failed-deployment logs, structured build records, captured build logs, rollback support, and plugin extensibility. Its ecosystem includes Nginx, Caddy, HAProxy, Traefik, GitHub Actions, and GitLab CI, alongside container and scheduler integrations. Choose Dokku when infrastructure control, open source, and flexible deployment targets matter. Teams seeking a fully managed service, minimal server administration, or a lower-cost paid management layer should look elsewhere.
Dokku pros and cons
- Where it wins
- Free open-source core with Git, Docker, and buildpack deployments
- Zero-downtime checks, traffic switching, logs, build records, and rollback
- Supports Docker, Kubernetes/K3s, Nomad, and plugin-based extensions
- Where it doesn't
- Requires a customer-managed Linux server and self-hosted operations
- Dokku Pro costs $849 as a one-time lifetime license
- Scheduler behavior can differ, including rollback support for K3s
Dokku fact sheet, pricing and score →
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