Dokku Deployment - RippleCore Documentation

Overview

Dokku is a Docker-powered PaaS that implements Heroku’s buildpack approach on your own server. It’s the most mature open-source PaaS, first released in 2013.

Best for: Teams wanting Heroku-like git-push deployments with proven stability and extensive plugin ecosystem.

Why Dokku?

Git-Push Deploys

git push dokku main to deploy

Mature & Stable

10+ years of development, battle-tested

Heroku Compatible

Uses Heroku buildpacks and Procfiles

Plugin Ecosystem

100+ official plugins for every need

Comparison with Other Methods

Feature	Dokku	Dokploy	Coolify	CapRover
Maturity	★★★★★ (2013)	★★★☆☆ (2023)	★★★★☆ (2021)	★★★★☆ (2018)
Git Push	✅ Native	❌ No	✅ Yes	✅ Yes
Web UI	⚠️ Plugin	✅ Yes	✅ Yes	✅ Yes
Buildpacks	✅ Heroku	❌ No	✅ Nixpacks	✅ Yes
Plugins	✅ 100+	❌ Limited	⚠️ Some	⚠️ Some
SSL	✅ Let’s Encrypt	✅ Built-in	✅ Built-in	✅ Built-in
Learning Curve	Medium	Low	Low	Low
Resource Usage	Low	Medium	Medium-High	Medium
Community	Very Large	Growing	Large	Medium

Verdict: Dokku is the most proven and stable option, but lacks native web UI (plugin available).

Prerequisites

Hetzner CPX32 (4 vCPU, 8GB RAM)
Ubuntu 24.04 or 22.04 LTS
Domain with DNS access
Comfortable with terminal/SSH

Installation

Step 1: Install Dokku

# SSH into VPS
ssh root@46.224.2.100

# Download and run installer
wget -NP . https://dokku.com/install/v0.34.3/bootstrap.sh
sudo DOKKU_TAG=v0.34.3 bash bootstrap.sh

# Installation takes ~5 minutes

Step 2: Initial Setup

Visit http://46.224.2.100 in browser to complete setup:

Add SSH Public Key - Paste your ~/.ssh/id_rsa.pub
Hostname - Enter your domain: dokku.yourdomain.com
Virtualhost Naming - Enable (allows app.yourdomain.com)

Or via command line:

# Add your SSH key
cat ~/.ssh/id_rsa.pub | dokku ssh-keys:add admin

# Set global domain
dokku domains:set-global yourdomain.com

# Enable vhost-based routing
dokku domains:enable

Step 3: Install Essential Plugins

# PostgreSQL plugin
dokku plugin:install https://github.com/dokku/dokku-postgres.git postgres

# Redis plugin
dokku plugin:install https://github.com/dokku/dokku-redis.git redis

# Let's Encrypt SSL
dokku plugin:install https://github.com/dokku/dokku-letsencrypt.git

# Optional: Web UI
dokku plugin:install https://github.com/dokku/dokku-graphite.git

Create RippleCore Apps

1. Create PostgreSQL Database

# Create database
dokku postgres:create ripplecore-db

# Verify
dokku postgres:info ripplecore-db

2. Create Redis Cache

# Create Redis
dokku redis:create ripplecore-cache

# Verify
dokku redis:info ripplecore-cache

3. Create Main App

# Create app
dokku apps:create app

# Set domain
dokku domains:set app app.yourdomain.com

# Link to PostgreSQL
dokku postgres:link ripplecore-db app

# Link to Redis
dokku redis:link ripplecore-cache app

# Set environment variables
dokku config:set app \
  BETTER_AUTH_SECRET="your_secret_32_chars" \
  BETTER_AUTH_URL="https://app.yourdomain.com" \
  BETTER_AUTH_TRUST_HOST="true" \
  NEXT_PUBLIC_APP_URL="https://app.yourdomain.com" \
  NEXT_PUBLIC_WEB_URL="https://yourdomain.com" \
  NODE_ENV="production"

# Enable SSL
dokku letsencrypt:enable app

4. Create API App

dokku apps:create api
dokku domains:set api api.yourdomain.com
dokku postgres:link ripplecore-db api
dokku redis:link ripplecore-cache api
dokku config:set api NODE_ENV="production"
dokku letsencrypt:enable api

5. Create Web App

dokku apps:create web
dokku domains:set web yourdomain.com www.yourdomain.com
dokku config:set web \
  NEXT_PUBLIC_APP_URL="https://app.yourdomain.com" \
  NEXT_PUBLIC_WEB_URL="https://yourdomain.com" \
  NODE_ENV="production"
dokku letsencrypt:enable web

Deploy with Git

Local Setup

# Add Dokku remote to your repo
cd /path/to/ripplecore-forge

git remote add dokku-app dokku@your-vps-ip:app
git remote add dokku-api dokku@your-vps-ip:api
git remote add dokku-web dokku@your-vps-ip:web

Configure for Monorepo

Since RippleCore is a monorepo, configure Dokku to build specific apps: Option 1: Dockerfile-based (Recommended) Create .dokku directory in monorepo root:

mkdir -p .dokku/app .dokku/api .dokku/web

.dokku/app/Dockerfile:

FROM node:20-alpine
WORKDIR /app
COPY . .
RUN corepack enable pnpm
RUN pnpm install --frozen-lockfile
RUN pnpm --filter @repo/app build
WORKDIR /app/apps/app
CMD ["pnpm", "start"]

Option 2: Buildpack with app.json Create app.json in each app directory:

{
  "name": "ripplecore-app",
  "description": "RippleCore Main Application",
  "buildpacks": [
    {
      "url": "heroku/nodejs"
    }
  ]
}

Deploy

# Deploy main app
git push dokku-app main:main

# Deploy API
git push dokku-api main:main

# Deploy web
git push dokku-web main:main

Dokku will:

Detect buildpack or use Dockerfile
Build the application
Run database migrations (if configured)
Deploy with zero-downtime
Generate SSL certificate

Run Migrations

One-time Migration

# SSH into VPS
ssh root@your-vps-ip

# Run migration via dokku run
dokku run app "cd packages/database && pnpm db:push"

Auto-migrate on Deploy

Add to Procfile:

release: cd packages/database && pnpm db:push
web: cd apps/app && pnpm start

Dokku will run release command before each deployment.

Management Commands

App Management

# View all apps
dokku apps:list

# View app logs
dokku logs app -t

# Restart app
dokku ps:restart app

# Scale app (multiple containers)
dokku ps:scale app web=2

# Enter app container
dokku enter app

# Run one-off command
dokku run app node --version

Database Management

# Backup PostgreSQL
dokku postgres:export ripplecore-db > backup.sql

# Restore from backup
dokku postgres:import ripplecore-db < backup.sql

# Connect to database
dokku postgres:connect ripplecore-db

# View database info
dokku postgres:info ripplecore-db

SSL Management

# Enable auto-renewal
dokku letsencrypt:cron-job --add

# Force renewal
dokku letsencrypt:renew app

# View certificate info
dokku letsencrypt:list

Monitoring

# View resource usage
dokku ps:report app

# View all config
dokku config app

# View domains
dokku domains:report app

# Check app status
dokku ps:inspect app

Advanced Configuration

Zero-Downtime Deployments

Enable health checks in app.json:

{
  "healthchecks": {
    "web": [
      {
        "type": "startup",
        "name": "web check",
        "path": "/api/health",
        "attempts": 3
      }
    ]
  }
}

Custom Domains

# Add additional domains
dokku domains:add app app2.yourdomain.com

# Remove domain
dokku domains:remove app old.yourdomain.com

Environment Variables

# Set multiple vars at once
dokku config:set app \
  VAR1="value1" \
  VAR2="value2"

# Set from file
dokku config:set --no-restart app $(cat .env)

# View all config
dokku config app

Persistent Storage

# Create storage directory
mkdir -p /var/lib/dokku/data/storage/app-uploads

# Mount to app
dokku storage:mount app /var/lib/dokku/data/storage/app-uploads:/app/uploads

# Verify
dokku storage:list app

Plugins Ecosystem

Essential Plugins

# Automated backups
dokku plugin:install https://github.com/dokku/dokku-postgres.git

# Monitoring (metrics)
dokku plugin:install https://github.com/dokku-community/dokku-prometheus-pushgateway.git

# HTTP redirects
dokku plugin:install https://github.com/dokku/dokku-redirect.git

# Maintenance mode
dokku plugin:install https://github.com/dokku/dokku-maintenance.git

Useful Plugins

dokku-graphite - Web UI dashboard
dokku-event-listener - Event notifications
dokku-http-auth - Basic auth for apps
dokku-scheduler-k3s - K3s scheduler (alternative to Docker)

View all: https://dokku.com/docs/community/plugins/

Migration from Dokploy

1. Export Data

# From Dokploy VPS
docker exec ripplecore-postgres pg_dump -U ripplecore > backup.sql

2. Install Dokku

Follow installation steps above on new or same VPS.

3. Import Data

# On Dokku VPS
dokku postgres:create ripplecore-db
cat backup.sql | dokku postgres:import ripplecore-db

4. Deploy Apps

# Add Dokku remotes
git remote add dokku-app dokku@your-vps:app

# Deploy
git push dokku-app main:main

5. Update DNS

Point A records to Dokku VPS IP. Migration time: 3-4 hours

Troubleshooting

Build Failures

Issue: Buildpack detection failingFix:

Specify Dockerfile: Create .dokku/Dockerfile
Check buildpack: dokku buildpacks:list app
Set buildpack manually:
```
dokku buildpacks:set app heroku/nodejs
```

Database Connection

Issue: App can’t connect to databaseFix:

Verify link: dokku postgres:list
Re-link: dokku postgres:link ripplecore-db app
Check env: dokku config app | grep DATABASE

SSL Certificate Issues

Issue: Let’s Encrypt failingFix:

Check DNS: dig app.yourdomain.com
Verify port 80 open: ufw status
Check logs: dokku letsencrypt:list
Force renewal: dokku letsencrypt:renew app

Deployment Hangs

Issue: git push hangs during deploymentFix:

Check VPS resources: htop
View logs: dokku logs app
Increase timeout: dokku config:set app DOKKU_WAIT_TO_RETIRE=60

Automated Backups

Database Backup Script

# Create backup script
cat > /usr/local/bin/dokku-backup.sh << 'EOF'
#!/bin/bash
BACKUP_DIR="/var/backups/dokku"
DATE=$(date +%Y%m%d-%H%M)

mkdir -p $BACKUP_DIR

# Backup PostgreSQL
dokku postgres:export ripplecore-db > $BACKUP_DIR/postgres-$DATE.sql
gzip $BACKUP_DIR/postgres-$DATE.sql

# Backup Redis (optional)
dokku redis:export ripplecore-cache > $BACKUP_DIR/redis-$DATE.rdb

# Keep last 7 days
find $BACKUP_DIR -type f -mtime +7 -delete

# Optional: Upload to S3
# aws s3 cp $BACKUP_DIR/postgres-$DATE.sql.gz s3://your-bucket/
EOF

chmod +x /usr/local/bin/dokku-backup.sh

Schedule with Cron

# Add to crontab
crontab -e

# Add line:
0 2 * * * /usr/local/bin/dokku-backup.sh

Performance Optimization

Resource Limits

# Set memory limit (1GB)
dokku resource:limit app --memory 1024m

# Set CPU limit (1 core)
dokku resource:limit app --cpu-quota 100000

# Reserve resources
dokku resource:reserve app --memory 512m

Scaling

# Scale to 2 web processes
dokku ps:scale app web=2

# Auto-scale with autoscaler plugin
dokku plugin:install https://github.com/dokku/dokku-autoscaler
dokku autoscaler:set app --min 1 --max 5 --target-cpu 70

Pros & Cons

Advantages

Proven Stability (10+ years)
Git-push deployments
Heroku-compatible
100+ plugins
Low resource overhead
Large community
Excellent docs

Limitations

No native web UI
CLI-focused
Steeper learning curve
Manual plugin setup
Less beginner-friendly

When to Choose Dokku

Choose Dokku over other methods if:

✅ You want Heroku-like git-push deployments
✅ Need proven stability (10+ years production use)
✅ Comfortable with CLI tools
✅ Want extensive plugin ecosystem
✅ Low resource overhead matters
✅ Planning long-term self-hosted PaaS

Stick with Dokploy/Coolify if:

⚠️ You prefer web UI over CLI
⚠️ Want simpler setup process
⚠️ Need built-in monitoring dashboard

Cost Comparison

Hetzner CPX32 (€11.99/month): Dokku Overhead:

Platform: ~200MB RAM
Available for apps: ~7.8GB RAM
Most efficient PaaS option

vs Dokploy: -300MB overhead vs Coolify: -1.3GB overhead vs CapRover: -800MB overhead

Real-World Usage

Dokku powers thousands of production applications including:

Smaller SaaS companies
Development agencies
Side projects and startups
Educational platforms
Internal tools

Notable Users: Many Ruby on Rails and Node.js projects migrated from Heroku to Dokku post-pricing changes.

Next Steps

Install Dokku

Follow installation guide above

Explore Plugins

Browse 100+ official plugins

Read Docs

Comprehensive official documentation

Join Community

Active Slack community

Resources

Official Docs: https://dokku.com/docs/
GitHub: https://github.com/dokku/dokku
Plugins: https://dokku.com/docs/community/plugins/
Slack Community: https://slack.dokku.com/

Dokku is the most mature and stable self-hosted PaaS, perfect for teams comfortable with CLI who want Heroku-like deployments with proven reliability.

Get Started

User Guides

Admin Portal

Compliance & Reporting

All We Can Integration

Deployment

​Overview

​Why Dokku?

Git-Push Deploys

Mature & Stable

Heroku Compatible

Plugin Ecosystem

​Comparison with Other Methods

​Prerequisites

​Installation

​Step 1: Install Dokku

​Step 2: Initial Setup

​Step 3: Install Essential Plugins

​Create RippleCore Apps

​1. Create PostgreSQL Database

​2. Create Redis Cache

​3. Create Main App

​4. Create API App

​5. Create Web App

​Deploy with Git

​Local Setup

​Configure for Monorepo

​Deploy

​Run Migrations

​One-time Migration

​Auto-migrate on Deploy

​Management Commands

​App Management

​Database Management

​SSL Management

​Monitoring

​Advanced Configuration

​Zero-Downtime Deployments

​Custom Domains

​Environment Variables

​Persistent Storage

​Plugins Ecosystem

​Essential Plugins

​Useful Plugins

​Migration from Dokploy

​1. Export Data

​2. Install Dokku

​3. Import Data

​4. Deploy Apps

​5. Update DNS

​Troubleshooting

​Automated Backups

​Database Backup Script

​Schedule with Cron

​Performance Optimization

​Resource Limits

​Scaling

​Pros & Cons

Advantages

Limitations

​When to Choose Dokku

​Cost Comparison

​Real-World Usage

​Next Steps

Install Dokku

Explore Plugins

Read Docs

Join Community

​Resources

Overview

Why Dokku?

Comparison with Other Methods

Prerequisites

Installation

Step 1: Install Dokku

Step 2: Initial Setup

Step 3: Install Essential Plugins

Create RippleCore Apps

1. Create PostgreSQL Database

2. Create Redis Cache

3. Create Main App

4. Create API App

5. Create Web App

Deploy with Git

Local Setup

Configure for Monorepo

Deploy

Run Migrations

One-time Migration

Auto-migrate on Deploy

Management Commands

App Management

Database Management

SSL Management

Monitoring

Advanced Configuration

Zero-Downtime Deployments

Custom Domains

Environment Variables

Persistent Storage

Plugins Ecosystem

Essential Plugins

Useful Plugins

Migration from Dokploy

1. Export Data

2. Install Dokku

3. Import Data

4. Deploy Apps

5. Update DNS

Troubleshooting

Automated Backups

Database Backup Script

Schedule with Cron

Performance Optimization

Resource Limits

Scaling

Pros & Cons

When to Choose Dokku

Cost Comparison

Real-World Usage

Next Steps

Resources