Dokploy

Dokploy on RepoCloud

Dokploy is free, open-source software that you host yourself, an alternative to Heroku, Vercel and Netlify built on Docker and Traefik. On RepoCloud you install it on your own VPS with AI Deploy: a plain Ubuntu 24.04 server is created and the DevOps AI Agent installs Dokploy on it while you follow the chat. The server has root access, SSH, a browser-based serial console, and the manage page.

• Built on Docker

  Deploy from a Git repository, a Docker image, or a Docker Compose file from one dashboard

• Several Build Types

  Nixpacks (the default), Railpack, Heroku or Paketo buildpacks, static files, or your own Dockerfile

• Traefik Routing

  Traefik routes your domains to your applications and requests Let’s Encrypt certificates once a domain’s DNS record points at the server

• Databases in a Few Clicks

  PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB, MongoDB, and Redis next to your applications

• Full Root Access

  SSH into your server, use the browser-based serial console, and manage everything at the OS level

• Replicas and Health Checks

  Per-application replicas, health checks, restart policy, update and rollback settings (Advanced tab)

Installing Dokploy with AI Deploy

RepoCloud has no ready-made Dokploy template. Dokploy is installed on a blank Ubuntu server by the DevOps AI Agent, from Dokploy’s public repository.

Prerequisites

• A RepoCloud account with a balance above $3
• A server with at least 2 GB of RAM and 30 GB of disk, which is what Dokploy’s documentation asks for. Tier 2 (2 GB of RAM, 30 GB SSD) is the smallest VPS tier and meets it. Builds run on the same server and use its memory, so applications and builds need headroom: choose a larger tier for bigger projects

Steps

1. Open AI Deploy

   Go to repocloud.io/ai-deploy.

2. Paste the Repository

   Enter Dokploy’s repository, https://github.com/Dokploy/dokploy, and a project name for your own reference.

3. Choose a Tier

   Select Tier 2 or a larger tier. A server can later move to a tier whose disk is the same size or larger, and a resize can be refused.

4. Add Instructions (Optional)

   Custom instructions tell the agent what you expect. Example: “Install Dokploy with its official install script. When you are done, tell me the address of the dashboard and the ports Dokploy uses.”

5. Deploy and Follow the Chat

   Click Deploy. A dedicated IPv4 address is included with every VPS at no extra charge. The chat opens once the server is ready, and AI-assisted deployment typically takes 5–15 minutes. The agent reports the dashboard’s address and any logins it created.

First-Time Setup

1. Open the Dashboard

   Open the address the agent reported. Dokploy’s panel listens on port 3000, so before a domain is set up its documentation’s address is http://<your-ip>:3000; Dokploy’s documentation notes that a firewall must allow traffic on that port.

2. Create the Administrator

   On a plain Dokploy installation the first visit opens the initial setup page, where you create the administrator account. If the agent already created an account, use the login it reported.

3. Configure Your Domain (Optional)

   To put the Dokploy panel on your own domain, point the domain’s DNS record at the server and set the domain under Settings > Web Server in Dokploy, as its documentation describes.

Deploying Applications

From a Git Repository

1. Create a Project

   In the Dokploy dashboard, click Create Project and give it a name (e.g., “demo-project”).

2. Add an Application

   Inside the project, create a new service of type Application and name it (e.g., “my-app”).

3. Configure the Source

   Under the General tab, choose your provider (GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, Gitea, or Git for any repository URL). Enter the repository URL and branch.

4. Select Build Type

   Choose a build method:

   • Nixpacks (default) — builds without a Dockerfile
   • Railpack — a newer build type, the successor of Nixpacks
   • Heroku Buildpacks — compatible with Heroku buildpack configurations
   • Paketo Buildpacks — cloud-native buildpacks
   • Static — serves static files; use port 80 when you create the domain
   • Dockerfile — use a Dockerfile from your repo

5. Deploy

   Click Deploy. Watch the build progress in the Deployments tab (it lists the last 10 deployments, and only queued deployments can be cancelled) and runtime output in Logs.

From a Docker Image

1. Create a Service

   Inside the project, create a new service of type Application.

2. Set the Docker Image

   Under General, select Docker as the provider type and enter the image name (e.g., nginx:latest or ghcr.io/your-org/your-image:v1.2).

3. Configure and Deploy

   Set environment variables, port mappings, and volumes as needed. A published port must not clash with another service on the server. Click Deploy.

Docker Compose Stacks

Dokploy deploys Docker Compose stacks from a Git repository or a pasted compose file:

1. Create a Compose Service

   Inside the project, create a new service of type Compose and keep the compose type Docker Compose.

2. Add Your Compose File

   Paste your docker-compose.yml content or link a Git repository that contains one (the compose path field points at the file).

3. Configure Domains

   Add a domain to the service that needs it. Dokploy writes Traefik labels for the routing. A domain change takes effect only after a redeploy, and the HTTPS redirect is not added automatically for Compose domains.

4. Deploy the Stack

   Click Deploy. All services in the Compose file are built and started together. Variables set in Dokploy’s environment editor are written to a .env file and reach a container only through env_file or ${VAR} in your compose file.

Managing Databases

Dokploy provisions databases as dedicated services:

1. Create a Database Service

   Inside the project, create a new service of type Database and choose PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB, MongoDB, or Redis.

2. Create and Deploy

   Set the database name and credentials and create it, then deploy it from its own page. Its credentials and connection URL appear there.

3. Connect Your App

   Use the Internal Connection URL (Internal Host and Internal Port) from the database’s Connection page. By default every application of the server shares one network, so it works from any application, not only from the same project.

Dokploy provides for each database:

• Connection credentials and URLs (internal; external only if you publish a port, which makes the database reachable from the internet)
• Logs
• Monitoring graphs for memory, CPU, disk, and network, updated only while the page is open
• Scheduled backups to an S3 destination you provide
• Volumes under Advanced

Custom Domains and SSL

Dokploy manages domains and SSL through its built-in Traefik reverse proxy:

For applications deployed inside Dokploy:

1. Point the domain’s DNS A record at your VPS IPv4 address
2. Open the application in the Dokploy dashboard and go to the Domains tab
3. Click Add Domain and enter the Host (e.g., app.yourdomain.com) and the Container Port
4. Turn HTTPS on and choose Let’s Encrypt as the certificate
5. Traefik requests the certificate once the DNS record points at the server

With no domain of your own, a generated traefik.me domain works over HTTP only.

If a certificate fails to issue, check that the DNS record points at the server, that ports 80 and 443 reach it, and read Traefik’s output with docker logs dokploy-traefik.

Managing the Server

Your server has its own manage page in the RepoCloud dashboard: its address and SSH command, power controls, the browser console, SSH keys, resizing, snapshots, usage charts and the option to delete it. Managing VPS Apps describes each part, and Resume Chat on the same page reopens the chat with the DevOps AI Agent. Take a snapshot before you make risky changes, so you can roll back.

Advanced Usage

Container Orchestration

Each application’s Advanced tab has settings for replicas, health checks, restart policy, and update and rollback behaviour. Dokploy runs them with Docker’s own service orchestration, and on a RepoCloud server everything runs on the one server. This gives you:

• Replicas — run several copies of one application on this server. All replicas share the one server, so they do not protect against the server itself failing
• Update settings — parallelism, delay, order, and failure action control how containers are replaced. Zero downtime needs a health check plus start-first order, as in Dokploy’s own guide
• Health checks — automatic restart of unhealthy containers, set in the application’s Advanced tab
• Service discovery — applications share one network by default and reach each other by the app name Dokploy shows (usually the project, the service, and a hash) or, for a database, its Internal Host

Networks

Applications share one network by default. A Compose stack can be deployed on its own isolated network with Isolated Deployments.

Persistent Storage

Dokploy lets you add mounts (volume, bind, or file) to an application. Data in them survives restarts and redeploys:

• Bind mounts can be configured for services that need specific host paths
• Data in a volume or bind mount is on the server’s disk and survives redeploys; files in a container’s own file system do not
• A database’s volumes are shown under its Advanced tab; check them before relying on persistence

Terminal Access

Dokploy gives a terminal inside each application, Compose service, and database container. The VPS itself is reached over SSH or the RepoCloud console:

• Container terminal — attach to the container of an application, a Compose service, or a database from the Dokploy dashboard
• Server access — the VPS operating system is reached over SSH or the RepoCloud browser console

Troubleshooting

Use Cases

Dokploy is ideal for:

• Teams that think in containers and Compose files
• Developers who want Git-based deploys (Dokploy calls itself an alternative to Heroku, Vercel and Netlify) with root access to the server
• Engineers who want replicas, health checks, and rollbacks per application on a single server
• Agencies deploying several client apps on one server, each with its own domain (applications share one network unless a Compose stack uses Isolated Deployments)

Next Steps

• Install Dokploy

  Start an AI Deploy with Dokploy’s repository

• Dokploy Documentation (opens in a new tab)

  Read the official Dokploy documentation

• Coolify

  Explore Coolify as an alternative full-stack PaaS

• VPS Apps Overview

  Learn about VPS Apps and the RepoCloud manage page