Coolify
Open-source, self-hostable PaaS for deploying apps, databases and services on your own servers.
Liked as an open-source, self-hosted replacement for Heroku, Railway, Netlify or Vercel1234 that runs Docker apps on a cheap VPS like Hetzner, where users only pay for the server.5678 The most common caveats are a more involved setup with many configuration options91011, and some users moving to alternatives such as Dokploy or Komodo.121314
Why people recommend it
Low hosting cost · 3
Running it on a cheap VPS like Hetzner means paying only for the server.
“My personal favorite. It's slightly more involved, but you can run it on any hardware like hetzner and save a boatload.”
“A cheap VPS + Coolify makes life so much better.”
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“Since Coolify is open-source and free, I only had to cover the cost of a VPS”
Hosted PaaS replacement · 3
Commenters moved to it from Heroku, Railway, Netlify, Render and Vercel.
“I’m lucky I moved away from it to host my own db with coolify”
“My personal favorite. It's slightly more involved, but you can run it on any hardware like hetzner and save a boatload.”
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“netlify, render -> coolify”
Docker deployments · 3
Used to deploy Docker apps, with the default Traefik proxy working without trouble.
“I use Coolify for docker apps usually smaller apps”
“I use Coolify for all of my deployments and it is Docker based”
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“I use coolify myself but I’ve not had trouble with the default traefik proxy so far.”
Open source · 3
Seen as free, open-source PaaS software on par with VC-backed offerings.
“open source PaaS software on-par with what VC companies offer (dokploy, coolify, or komodo)”
“Since Coolify is open-source and free, I only had to cover the cost of a VPS”
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“I know many have used Coolify with great success.”
Well liked · 2
Users report loving it and say many have used it with great success.
“i am currently using coolify, and I love it.”
“I know many have used Coolify with great success.”
Caveats and dissent
Configuration complexity · 2
The number of configuration options can feel overwhelming, and setup is more involved than hosted services.
“Coolify: Powerful, but we found the sheer number of configuration options overwhelming.”
“My personal favorite. It's slightly more involved, but you can run it on any hardware like hetzner and save a boatload.”
Users switch away · 3
Some commenters moved to Dokploy, Komodo or plain docker compose instead.
“There is also Coolify, but I have migrated away from it, not for any reason other than I prefer the interface for Dokploy.”
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“Then I moved to dokploy, then coolify, and finally”
Docker lock-in · 1
Because it is Docker based, one user feels locked out of switching to Podman.
“I use Coolify for all of my deployments and it is Docker based”
Setup hiccups · 1
One user hit a few Coolify and Docker related issues while setting it up.
“This is the setup I use for running Coolify on a Hetzner server”
Often compared with
1 moved from Dokploy to Coolify
1 moved from Coolify to Dokploy
1 moved from Railway to Coolify
1 moved from Vercel to Coolify
1 moved from Heroku to Coolify
1 moved from Coolify to Komodo
1 moved from Coolify to Docker Compose
1 moved from Kubernetes to Coolify
1 moved from Coolify to Cloudflare Workers
Who recommends it in their own words
Threads where it came up
- Security Disclosure 2 mentions
- What I self-host 2 mentions
- Ask HN: What are the best Open Source alternatives to popular SaaS? 2 mentions
- NixOS is making me less afraid 1 mention
- Ask HN: What do you run on a $5 VPS that's worth keeping online 24/7? 1 mention
- Find the flattest route between any two points in SF 1 mention
Data: coolify.json. Quotes are verbatim; the verdict and theme labels are written by a model from these comments, and every clause links to its sources.
All comments 21
“Right now I use ECS and coolify in some cases.”
“I’m lucky I moved away from it to host my own db with coolify”
“wasnt a big fan of coolify”
“There is also Coolify, but I have migrated away from it, not for any reason other than I prefer the interface for Dokploy.”
“I use Coolify for docker apps usually smaller apps”
“using Dokploy (also tried Coolify)”
We run it on a single coolify box from someone’s house. 6 core, 32GB ddr4 memory box. The actual routing query are compute intensive but only momentarily. More cores and memory means higher concurrency but we’ve never had an issue with load in the Bay Area with a few hundred users a week. We used to run it on a k8s cluster but we cut it down to save on power and infrastructure management overhead.
“I use coolify myself but I’ve not had trouble with the default traefik proxy so far.”
“I use Coolify for all of my deployments and it is Docker based”
“open source PaaS software on-par with what VC companies offer (dokploy, coolify, or komodo)”
“There are already Vercel, Railways, Coolify, Dokploy and 100 more. Glad you asked. Those are great.”
“Since Coolify is open-source and free, I only had to cover the cost of a VPS”
“Coolify: Powerful, but we found the sheer number of configuration options overwhelming.”
“This is the setup I use for running Coolify on a Hetzner server”
“I use https://github.com/coollabsio/coolify on a VPS for this.”
“My personal favorite. It's slightly more involved, but you can run it on any hardware like hetzner and save a boatload.”
“A cheap VPS + Coolify makes life so much better.”
“I know many have used Coolify with great success.”
“Then I moved to dokploy, then coolify, and finally”
“i am currently using coolify, and I love it.”
“netlify, render -> coolify”