Coolify: Open Source alternative to Vercel in 2026
Coolify is a self-hosted deployment platform that replicates the Vercel/Heroku experience: connect your Git repo and deploy apps, databases and services with one click.
Audit Snapshot
View notes →License — Matches GitHub
GitHub — Active
Latest release — v4.4.6 · 3 days ago
Docker Compose — Script origin not verifiable
Production — Not production-tested by AltFreeStack
Coolify vs. Vercel
Pros
- One-click deploy from Git, managed databases and multi-server management from one dashboard
Things to consider
- Installs across the whole server, doesn't fit into a single-app docker-compose
Quick Docker installation guide
This tool doesn't install via a plain docker-compose.yml — it uses the project's own official installer. Review it before running it. See the full step-by-step guide →
💡 Official SaaS or self-hosted with AltFreeStack?
- On the official cloud: a recurring monthly fee and usage limits on Vercel.
- On your own VPS: 100% free software on your own server, with no artificial row, project or user limits.
# Coolify se instala oficialmente con un script (no un docker-compose.yml
# simple), porque despliega y gestiona su propia infraestructura de
# contenedores sobre tu servidor. Descárgalo e inspecciónalo antes de
# ejecutarlo — nunca lo hagas con un pipe directo a ciegas:
curl -fsSL https://cdn.coollabs.io/coolify/install.sh -o coolify-install.sh
cat coolify-install.sh # revísalo antes de continuar
bash coolify-install.sh
This docker-compose corresponds to an actively maintained project — last commit today.
This docker-compose not working for you? Report it on GitHub →Technical profile
- License
- Apache-2.0
- Category
- Deployment, PaaS & Hosting
- Replaces
- Vercel, Netlify, Heroku
- Tech stack
- PHPLaravelDocker
Key features
- One-click deploy from Git (like Vercel)
- One-click managed databases
- Manage multiple servers from one dashboard
Preview
Public image provided by Coolify on its own website.
🌐 Connect your domain with free SSL
Step 1 — Set up the DNS
In your domain registrar's dashboard (Cloudflare, Namecheap, GoDaddy...), create a record:
- Type
- A
- Name/Host
- @ (root domain) or a subdomain, e.g. app
- Content/Value
- Your server's public IP
Wait 5 to 15 minutes for the record to propagate across the internet.
Step 2 — Automatic reverse proxy with Caddy
One single file, no Nginx config or manual certificates — Caddy issues and renews Let's Encrypt HTTPS on its own.
Create a file called Caddyfile:
yourdomain.com {
reverse_proxy localhost:YOUR_APP_PORT
}Start Caddy with this command (pulls the image and runs it in the background):
docker run -d -p 80:80 -p 443:443 --name caddy --restart always -v $PWD/Caddyfile:/etc/caddy/Caddyfile -v caddy_data:/data caddy