Dokku
Self-hosted Heroku-style PaaS. Git push to deploy, buildpacks, and one-command app management. Runs on any VPS - great for small teams who want control without Kubernetes.
Dokku is a self-hosted platform-as-a-service that gives you Heroku-style deployments on your own infrastructure. It supports git push deployments, buildpacks, Docker containers, and simple command-line app management.
I use Dokku on DigitalOcean Droplets for applications where I want the convenience of PaaS deployments with full control over the server. You get features like automatic SSL via Let's Encrypt, zero-downtime deploys, and plugin support for databases, caching, and more.
It's a good fit for small teams and solo developers who don't need the complexity of Kubernetes but want something more structured than manual server management. A single VPS running Dokku can comfortably host multiple applications with proper isolation and resource management.
Other Hosting tools
DigitalOcean
Cloud hosting for VPS, managed databases, and app platforms. Simple pricing, good docs, and Droplets that scale. I use it for side projects and self-hosted services.
Vercel
Frontend and serverless hosting optimised for Next.js. Zero-config deploys, edge functions, and preview URLs per branch. My go-to for static sites and JAMstack apps.