Dokku vs TrailBase
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted self-hosting platforms (paas) options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
Dokku
Smallest open-source PaaS implementation you can run
VS
TrailBase
Open, sub-millisecond, single-executable FireBase alternative with
| Feature | Dokku | TrailBase |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Self-Hosting Platforms (PaaS) | Self-Hosting Platforms (PaaS) |
| License | MIT | OSL-3.0 |
| Language | Shell | Rust |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, docker | docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 32,099 | ★ 5,499 |
| First released | 2013 | 2026 |
| Replaces | Heroku | — |
Why pick each one
Choose Dokku if…
- Released under the MIT license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Mature project with 32.1k GitHub stars
- Written in Shell
Choose TrailBase if…
- Released under the OSL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Mature project with 5.5k GitHub stars
- Written in Rust
Frequently asked questions
Is Dokku or TrailBase better?
Neither is universally better. Dokku has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Dokku and TrailBase free and open-source?
Yes. Dokku is licensed under MIT and TrailBase under OSL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Dokku and TrailBase with Docker?
Dokku: yes. TrailBase: yes.