Item: Dokku
Rating: 9
Author: Verified User

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

I use Dokku as a platform to orchestrate the deployment of and connect services to multiple in-house applications. It is an incredibly versatile tool that doesn't require much configuration to get started with but allows countless options to address your specific needs. Its ability to restart stopped serviced and connect services like Redis to my apps is invaluable.

Pros and Cons

Dockerfile deployments are an incredibly simple and straightforward way to spin up applications.
The docker-options plugin allows endless direct configuration of options passed to different docker lifecycle stages.

Dokku might overreach on its assumptions about how you want to host your app, using its own VHOSTS plugin by default. This may be a pro or a con depending on what you want.
Proxy port configuration can be somewhat difficult, with Dokku resetting any pre-deployment configuration to "smart" defaults on the first deployment.

Return on Investment

Since there's no investment besides a little time to set up, the return has been overwhelmingly positive.
Deploying a new app is incredibly quick and easy.

Alternatives Considered

Heroku Platform

Dokku is essentially the same thing as Heroku, except maintained by you on the platform of your choice. If you have any experience using Heroku, then you will feel right at home using Dokku. Dokku is an entirely free to use PaaS, requiring only that you have a platform to deploy it on, making it far more versatile than Heroku in my opinion.

Support Rating

Dokku is incredibly well documented and also takes advantage of the documentation and community of Heroku, being essentially the same thing, but in the case that you encounter an actual bug or issue, it can take time for a fix to make it into a new version. Since you manage Dokku yourself, there is no support team to call for help.

Key Insights

Do you think Dokku delivers good value for the price?

Yes

Are you happy with Dokku's feature set?

Yes

Did Dokku live up to sales and marketing promises?

Yes

Did implementation of Dokku go as expected?

Yes

Would you buy Dokku again?

Yes

Other Software Used

NGINX, Adobe Premiere Pro, Adobe Photoshop

Likelihood to Recommend

If you have your own in-house servers or have a cloud server with the freedom to configure any PaaS that you want, then Dokku is for you. So far, I have never run into a scenario where Dokku was not able to fit my needs, after deploying many different types of applications with varying frameworks, languages, and connected services. If you already have a PaaS available, however, Dokku may not be for you.

Excellent PaaS for In-House Deployments

Overall Satisfaction with Dokku