head to head · open source
Dokploy vs Dokku
Dokploy has 38,197 GitHub stars, 3,139 forks, 668 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Dokku has 32,222 stars, 2,098 forks, 36 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Dokploy leads on adoption by 19% (38,197 vs 32,222 stars). Dokploy is written in TypeScript under a custom or non-standard licence; Dokku is written in Go under MIT. Dokploy has attracted 8% as many forks as stars, Dokku 7%. Dokploy was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 2 topic tags (devops, docker), so they are genuine substitutes rather than adjacent tools.
Two open source projects, one decision. Both are free and self-hostable — the differences are community size, license terms, language stack and release pace.
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Side by side
| Dokploy | Dokku | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 38K | ★ 32K |
| License | Custom / other | MIT |
| Written in | TypeScript | Go |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-11-02 |
| Forks | ⑂ 3.1K | ⑂ 2.1K |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick Dokploy if
- You weight community size — 38K stars and counting
- You want the Custom / other license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick Dokku if
- You want the Dokku feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches Go
- You evaluated both and Dokku fits your workflow better
About Dokploy
Join us on Discord for help, feedback, and discussions! Dokploy is a free, self hostable Platform as a Service (PaaS) that simplifies the deployment and management of applications and databases. ✨ Features Dokploy includes multiple features to make your life easier. Applications : Deploy any type of application (Node.js, PHP, Python, Go, Ruby, etc.). Databases : Create and manage databases with support for MySQL, PostgreSQL, MongoDB, MariaDB, libsql, and Redis. Backups : Automate backups for databases to an external storage destination. Docker Compose : Native support for Docker Compose to manage complex…
read the full Dokploy overview →
About Dokku
Dokku Docker powered mini Heroku. The smallest PaaS implementation you've ever seen. Sponsors Become a sponsor and get your logo on our README on GitHub with a link to your site. [Become a sponsor] Backers Support us with a monthly donation and help us continue our activities. [Become a backer] [ ](
read the full Dokku overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Dokploy or Dokku more popular?
Dokploy has 38,197 GitHub stars and Dokku has 32,222. Dokploy has the larger community by that measure.
Are Dokploy and Dokku free?
Both are open source. Dokploy has no licence declared in this registry, and Dokku is licensed under MIT. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between Dokploy and Dokku?
Dokploy is written in TypeScript and Dokku in Go. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, Dokploy or Dokku?
Choose Dokploy if you want the larger community (38,197 stars) or its Custom / other licence terms. Choose Dokku if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.