CapRover vs Tsuru
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
Tsuru
Extensible open-source application platform
| Feature | CapRover | Tsuru |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | ≈5-minute setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 95 · Excellent | 90 · Excellent |
| Category | Self-Hosting Platforms (PaaS) | Self-Hosting Platforms (PaaS) |
| License | Apache-2.0 | BSD-3-Clause |
| Language | TypeScript | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 2,048 MB |
| Deployment | docker, one-click | kubernetes, docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 15,166 | ★ 5,312 |
| First released | 2017 | 2012 |
| Replaces | Heroku | Heroku |
What are CapRover and Tsuru?
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
Tsuru
Tsuru is an open-source platform-as-a-service that manages the full application lifecycle across Docker and Kubernetes backends. It supports buildpacks, autoscaling, and a pluggable architecture.
- Full app lifecycle management
- Buildpack support
- Pluggable provisioners
- Autoscaling
CapRover vs Tsuru: key differences
CapRover is written in TypeScript, while Tsuru is built with Go. Licensing differs — Apache-2.0 for CapRover versus BSD-3-Clause for Tsuru. CapRover is the lighter option, starting around 1,024 MB of RAM against 2,048 MB for Tsuru. Tsuru is the more established project (first released 2012), while CapRover arrived in 2017. CapRover has the considerably larger community, at 15,166 GitHub stars versus 5,312.
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 Tsuru if…
- Released under the BSD-3-Clause license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Kubernetes-ready with Helm charts available
- Mature project with 5.3k GitHub stars
Frequently asked questions
Is CapRover or Tsuru better?
CapRover is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Tsuru if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are CapRover and Tsuru free and open-source?
Yes. CapRover is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Tsuru under BSD-3-Clause. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run CapRover and Tsuru with Docker?
CapRover: yes. Tsuru: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, CapRover or Tsuru?
CapRover has the smaller minimum footprint at 1,024 MB of RAM, compared to about 2,048 MB for Tsuru. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.