CapRover vs Dokku
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted self-hosting platforms (paas) options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
CapRover
Scalable PaaS built on Docker Swarm and Nginx
VS
Dokku
Smallest open-source PaaS implementation you can run
| Feature | CapRover | Dokku |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | ≈5-minute setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 95 · Excellent | 98 · Excellent |
| Category | Self-Hosting Platforms (PaaS) | Self-Hosting Platforms (PaaS) |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Language | TypeScript | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | docker, one-click | bare-metal, docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 15,166 | ★ 32,154 |
| First released | 2017 | 2013 |
| Replaces | Heroku | Heroku |
What are CapRover and Dokku?
CapRover
CapRover is a self-hosted platform-as-a-service that automates app deployment using Docker Swarm, Nginx, and a one-click app marketplace. It handles SSL, scaling, and load balancing out of the box.
- One-click app marketplace
- Automatic SSL via Let's Encrypt
- Docker Swarm scaling
- CLI and web dashboard
Dokku
Dokku is a lightweight platform-as-a-service that turns a single server into a Heroku-style deployment target using Git push and Docker. It supports buildpacks and a rich plugin ecosystem.
- Git push deployments
- Buildpack and Dockerfile support
- Plugin ecosystem
- Minimal resource footprint
CapRover vs Dokku: key differences
CapRover is written in TypeScript, while Dokku is built with Go. Licensing differs — Apache-2.0 for CapRover versus MIT for Dokku. Dokku is the more established project (first released 2013), while CapRover arrived in 2017. Dokku has the considerably larger community, at 32,154 GitHub stars versus 15,166.
Why pick each one
Choose CapRover if…
- One-click app marketplace
- Automatic SSL
- Beginner friendly
Watch out for
- Tied to Docker Swarm
- Basic monitoring only
Choose Dokku if…
- Heroku-style Git deploys
- Minimal resource footprint
- Rich plugin ecosystem
Watch out for
- Single-server by design
- CLI only, no dashboard
Frequently asked questions
Is CapRover or Dokku better?
Neither is universally better. Dokku has the larger community, while CapRover is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are CapRover and Dokku free and open-source?
Yes. CapRover is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Dokku under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run CapRover and Dokku with Docker?
CapRover: yes. Dokku: yes.