Coolify

What is Coolify?

Coolify is an open-source, self-hosted platform-as-a-service that gives you a Heroku or Netlify style deploy experience (git push, automatic builds, environment management) on a server you own. It runs as a Docker application you install on any VPS, from a $5 DigitalOcean droplet to a beefy dedicated box. The pitch is straightforward: keep the developer experience of a managed platform, drop the per-app and per-seat pricing that comes with it.

Key features

• One-click deploys for common app types (Node, Docker Compose, static sites, databases) with automatic SSL via Let's Encrypt
• Built-in database provisioning (Postgres, MySQL, Redis, MongoDB) alongside your apps on the same server
• Git integration with GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, and generic webhooks for auto-deploy on push
• Resource usage dashboards and log streaming so you're not SSHing in to debug a stuck container
• Self-hosted means no vendor lock-in and no surprise bill when traffic spikes

Who it's for

Indie hackers and small teams who already have (or don't mind managing) a VPS and want to stop paying Vercel/Render/Heroku margins as usage grows. It's not the right call if you want zero server maintenance ever, or if your team has no appetite for being on call when the underlying box has an issue.

Pricing

Coolify itself is free and open-source, self-hosted on infrastructure you pay for separately. A hosted Coolify Cloud option also exists for people who want the tool without managing the Coolify server itself.