Self-Hosting Platforms (PaaS)

Last reviewed Aug 26, 2026 · 451 words

This category files two different products under one label, and sorting them out is most of the buying decision. Half the shelf replaces Heroku: platforms like Coolify and Dokku that take your code or containers and handle builds, SSL, and routing on a server you own. The other half replaces Firebase: backends like PocketBase and Supabase that your applications call for auth, data, and storage. Nobody needs one of each less than they think — but you should know which aisle you are in before comparing anything.

How to choose a platform

On the Heroku-replacement side, the axes are interface and appetite. Coolify (Apache-2.0, 61,043 stars) is the full-featured web-UI option: one-command install, Git-based deploys, automatic SSL, databases managed alongside apps — and it wants a capable server, 2 GB minimum, realistically more once apps pile on. Dokku (MIT, running since 2013) is the minimalist: 1 GB, CLI-only, single-server by design, git push deploys with buildpack or Dockerfile support. If you want a dashboard, that rules out Dokku immediately; if you want something that cannot surprise you, that is Dokku's entire pitch. On the Firebase-replacement side, the axis is scale honesty: PocketBase (MIT, 60,806 stars) packs SQLite, realtime subscriptions, auth, file storage, and an admin UI into one 64 MB binary — with no horizontal scaling and a pre-1.0 version number, which is a fair trade for side projects and a bad one for the startup you hope outgrows it.

Where to start

Coolify for deploying the things you already run — it is the closest experience to having Heroku back, on hardware you control. Dokku when the server is small or you distrust moving parts; its plugin ecosystem covers Postgres, Redis, and Let's Encrypt without a UI ever entering the picture. PocketBase when what you actually need is a backend for an app you are building, not a deployment platform.

The Supabase asterisk

Supabase self-hosted is not Supabase-the-product. The hosted service's polish sits on a multi-container stack that the catalogue rates Hard at 4 GB minimum, and running the full set — Postgres, auth, realtime, storage, edge functions — is a real operations commitment. It is the strongest open-source backend platform going, but first-timers reaching for it because the hosted tier impressed them should price in the difference.

What I'd do

Coolify on a 4 GB VPS as the default first platform; it makes self-hosting feel like a product instead of a chore. Building an app rather than deploying them, I'd start with PocketBase and enjoy how far one small binary goes.