BenchRank
#38 in Build & DeploymentUpdated 2026-08

Dokku

by Dokku · Open source, self-hosted PaaS that deploys Heroku-compatible apps over Git

35.2 — BenchRank score out of 100

Screenshots of Dokku

  • Homepage

Homepage · Dokku

Homepage of Dokku

Overview

Dokku is an open source platform-as-a-service you install on your own host. Heroku-compatible applications are pushed to it over Git, built with Heroku buildpacks and run in isolated containers on Docker, giving a single-host equivalent of Heroku. Its core is built from plugins, and further plugins can be written in any language to add features.

Best for
Developers who want Heroku-style git push deploys on a single server they own and run themselves.
Pricing
The captured page shows no prices; it offers an open source version alongside a separate Pro version without figures.
Runs on
Self-hosted

Strengths and trade-offs

Strengths

  • No vendor lock-in: runs on any hardware via Docker
  • Deploy by git push, built with Heroku buildpacks
  • Plugins can be written in any language and shared
  • Official install notes for Azure, DigitalOcean, DreamHost

Trade-offs

  • You provide and maintain the server yourself
  • Described as a single-host PaaS, not a multi-server cluster
  • Default install is a curl-and-bash bootstrap script
  • Anything beyond the open source version points to a separate Pro version

How this score is made up

Each dimension is scored out of 100 and combined into the headline score using fixed weights.

MCP support
0 out of 100
API quality
10 out of 100
Documentation
80 out of 100
Agent friendliness
39 out of 100
Changelog
100 out of 100
Marketing site structure
35 out of 100
Operational trust
0 out of 100

Measured, but not part of the score

Useful to know, but not a mark for or against the product — so these do not affect the ranking.

Openness
85 out of 100
Maintenance
100 out of 100

This doesn’t look right — report a problem with Dokku’s score

Alternatives in Build & Deployment

  • Ranked 1

    81.8 — BenchRank score out of 100

    GitLab

    GitLab · DevSecOps platform with AI agents across planning, code, CI/CD and security

    Best for: Teams that want planning, source control, CI/CD and security scanning in one platform.

  • Ranked 2

    81.6 — BenchRank score out of 100

    Encore

    Encore · Declare backend infrastructure in Go or TypeScript, deploy to your own cloud

    Best for: Teams building Go or TypeScript backends on their own AWS or GCP without a platform team

  • Ranked 3

    79.9 — BenchRank score out of 100

    Windmill

    Windmill · Code-first orchestration platform for internal software

    Best for: Engineering teams building internal apps, workflows and data pipelines in code they self-host

See all 51 alternatives to Dokku

Report a problem with this page

Report an issue with Dokku