Skip to main content

Documentation Index

Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://mintlify.com/Nettalco/dokploy/llms.txt

Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

Dokploy is a free, open-source Platform as a Service (PaaS) that puts you in full control of your deployment infrastructure. Whether you’re a solo developer tired of cloud-provider bills or a team that needs a private, auditable deployment platform, Dokploy runs entirely on your own VPS and manages everything from routing to SSL certificates automatically.

What is Dokploy?

Dokploy is a self-hosted alternative to managed platforms like Vercel, Netlify, and Heroku. Instead of paying per seat or per gigabyte on someone else’s infrastructure, you install Dokploy on any Linux server and use it as your own private PaaS. It handles containerisation, reverse-proxy routing, database provisioning, automated backups, and real-time monitoring — all through a clean web dashboard or a CLI/API. Because you own the server, you own the data. There are no usage caps imposed by a vendor, no surprise invoices, and no lock-in to a proprietary build system. Dokploy is licensed under the Apache 2.0 license, so you can inspect, fork, and extend it however you need.
Dokploy is actively developed. Follow the GitHub repository and join the Discord community to stay up to date with new releases.

Key Features

Applications

Deploy any application — Node.js, PHP, Python, Go, Ruby, and more — using Nixpacks, Railpack, Buildpacks, or a plain Dockerfile.

Databases

Provision and manage MySQL, PostgreSQL, MongoDB, MariaDB, libsql, and Redis instances in seconds. Each database runs in its own container with persistent volumes.

Docker Compose

Native support for Docker Compose files lets you manage multi-container applications as a single deployable unit without any adapters or glue code.

Backups

Automate database backups to any external storage destination. Schedule backups with cron expressions and restore from any saved snapshot.

Multi-Server

Deploy and manage applications on remote servers from a single Dokploy dashboard. Scale workloads across multiple nodes using Docker Swarm cluster management.

Traefik Integration

Dokploy automatically configures Traefik as a reverse proxy for every service you deploy. Custom domains, automatic SSL via Let’s Encrypt, and HTTP-to-HTTPS redirects are handled for you.

Real-time Monitoring

Watch CPU, memory, disk, and network usage for every container in real time directly from the dashboard. No need to SSH in just to check on a service.

Notifications

Get notified when deployments succeed or fail via Slack, Discord, Telegram, Email, and more. Configure notification channels per project or globally.
Dokploy also ships with one-click Templates for popular open-source apps like Plausible, PocketBase, Cal.com, and many others — so you can go from zero to a running service in under a minute.

Architecture

Dokploy is a monorepo built on a modern, approachable stack:
LayerTechnology
FrontendNext.js (React, TypeScript)
APItRPC (end-to-end type-safe RPC over HTTP)
DatabasePostgreSQL (via Drizzle ORM)
Container RuntimeDocker Engine & Docker Swarm
Reverse ProxyTraefik
Build SystemsNixpacks, Railpack, Buildpacks, Dockerfile
The Dokploy server process runs as a Next.js application with an embedded HTTP server. On startup it writes Traefik configuration files to /etc/dokploy/traefik/ and then delegates all routing decisions to Traefik, which watches that directory dynamically. This means adding a new domain or issuing a certificate requires no Traefik restart. Docker Swarm is initialised automatically during installation so that multi-node scaling is available without any extra setup steps.

Cloud vs Self-Hosted

Self-HostedDokploy Cloud
CostPay only for your VPSManaged subscription
ControlFull root accessManaged by Dokploy team
Data residencyYour server, your regionHosted by Dokploy
MaintenanceYou apply updatesAutomatic
Ideal forTeams that need full controlIndividuals who want zero ops
Self-hosted is the primary way to run Dokploy. A single curl command installs everything you need on a fresh VPS. You can update Dokploy at any time from the Settings → Update panel in the dashboard. Dokploy Cloud at app.dokploy.com is the fully managed option. It is ideal if you want the Dokploy experience without maintaining a server. All the same features are available, and your data is kept private to your account.

Community

Dokploy is built in the open and welcomes contributions from the community.
  • Discord — Ask questions, get help, and share what you’ve built: discord.gg/2tBnJ3jDJc
  • GitHub — Browse the source, open issues, and submit pull requests: github.com/dokploy/dokploy
  • Documentation — You’re reading it! Navigate the sidebar to explore features in depth.
  • Contributing — See the Contributing Guide for commit conventions, local setup instructions, and PR guidelines.

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love