Open-source PaaS and self-hosting platforms

Open-source platforms for deploying apps on your own servers and for running a home server, from Heroku-style PaaS to server panels.

25 open-source projects, checked against GitHub on 1 November 2026.

All 25 self-hosting & PaaS projects

Showing all 25, ordered by health score.

  1. 88 Active
    1Panel

    1Panel is a modern, open-source Linux server management panel and a lightweight AI management platform.

    GPL-3.0
    Setup
    Docker
    Stars
    37.3k
    Release
    30 October 2026
  2. 86 Active
    Dokploy

    Open Source Alternative to Vercel, Netlify and Heroku.

    Apache-2.0 paid features in repo
    Setup
    Docker
    Stars
    38.2k
    Release
    22 October 2026
  3. 82 Active
    DietPi

    Lightweight justice for your single-board computer!

    GPL-2.0
    Setup
    From source
    Stars
    6.4k
    Release
    21 October 2026
  4. 78 Active
    Coolify

    An open-source, self-hostable PaaS alternative to Vercel, Heroku & Netlify that lets you easily deploy static sites, databases, full-stack applications and 360+…

    Apache-2.0 relicensed 2022
    Setup
    2 of 5
    Stars
    65.5k
    Release
    28 October 2026
  5. 78 Active
    Dokku

    A docker-powered PaaS that helps you build and manage the lifecycle of applications

    MIT
    Setup
    Docker
    Stars
    32.2k
    Release
    30 October 2026
  6. 74 Active
    YunoHost

    YunoHost is an operating system aiming to simplify as much as possible the administration of a server. This repository corresponds to the core code, written mostly in…

    AGPL-3.0
    Setup
    Docker
    Stars
    3k
    Release
    3 September 2026
  7. 72 Active
    Portainer

    Making Docker and Kubernetes management easy.

    Zlib CLA
    Setup
    1 of 5
    Stars
    38.8k
    Release
    21 October 2026
  8. 72 Active
    CapRover

    Scalable PaaS (automated Docker+nginx) - aka Heroku on Steroids

    Apache-2.0 relicensed 2019
    Setup
    From source
    Stars
    15.2k
    Release
    23 October 2026
  9. 71 Active
    Runtipi

    Runtipi is a homeserver for everyone! One command setup, one click installs for your favorites self-hosted apps.

    GPL-3.0
    Setup
    3 of 5
    Stars
    9.7k
    Release
    31 October 2026
  10. 67 Active
    openmediavault

    openmediavault is the next generation network attached storage (NAS) solution based on Debian Linux. Thanks to the modular design of the framework it can be enhanced…

    GPL-3.0 CLA
    Setup
    From source
    Stars
    7.1k
    Release
    None
  11. 67 Active
    Nexterm

    The open source server management software for SSH, VNC & RDP

    MIT
    Setup
    Docker
    Stars
    5.1k
    Release
    19 July 2026
  12. 63 Active
    /dev/push

    Like Vercel, but open source and for all languages.

    MIT
    Setup
    3 of 5
    Stars
    4.8k
    Release
    30 October 2026
  13. 63 Active
    Websoft9

    Applications self-hosting and DevOps platform for running open source, web-based linux Panel of lite PaaS

    LGPL
    Setup
    1 of 5
    Stars
    2.1k
    Release
    30 October 2026
  14. 61 Active
    DockSTARTer

    DockSTARTer helps you get started with running apps in Docker.

    MIT
    Setup
    From source
    Stars
    2.6k
    Release
    31 August 2026
  15. 58 Active
    Umbrel

    An elegant home server OS. Run OpenClaw, store your files and, and do more with over 300 apps in the Umbrel App Store.

    PolyForm license source-available
    Setup
    Docker
    Stars
    12.5k
    Release
    1 November 2026
  16. 58 Active
    Cosmos

    The Most Secure and Easy Selfhosted Home Server. Take control of your data and privacy without sacrificing security and stability (Authentication, anti-DDOS, anti-bot)

    Apache-2.0 + Commons Clause source-availableCLA
    Setup
    Builds
    Stars
    6.2k
    Release
    30 August 2026
  17. 56 Active
    Tsuru

    Open source and extensible Platform as a Service (PaaS).

    BSD-3-Clause
    Setup
    3 of 5
    Stars
    5.3k
    Release
    8 October 2026
  18. 52 Active
    Kamal

    Deploy web apps anywhere.

    MIT
    Setup
    Docker
    Stars
    14.7k
    Release
    18 June 2026
  19. 50 Active
    Canine

    A developer friendly PaaS for your Kubernetes

    Apache-2.0
    Setup
    2 of 5
    Stars
    2.9k
    Release
    None
  20. 44 Active
    Komodo

    a tool to build and deploy software on many servers

    GPL-3.0
    Setup
    Docker
    Stars
    12.8k
    Release
    22 October 2026
  21. 41 Active
    Piku

    The tiniest PaaS you've ever seen. Piku allows you to do git push deployments to your own servers.

    MIT
    Setup
    Docker
    Stars
    6.6k
    Release
    6 April 2024
  22. 35 Active
    Kubero

    A free and self-hosted PaaS alternative to Heroku / Netlify / Coolify / Vercel / Dokku / Portainer running on Kubernetes

    GPL-3.0
    Setup
    1 of 5
    Stars
    4.5k
    Release
    17 September 2025
  23. 31 Slowing
    Sandstorm

    Sandstorm is a self-hostable web productivity suite. It's implemented as a security-hardened web app package manager.

    Apache-2.0
    Setup
    From source
    Stars
    7.1k
    Release
    None
  24. 29 Active
    NextCloudPi

    Build code for NextcloudPi: Raspberry Pi, Odroid, Rock64, curl installer...

    Unidentified license license unclear
    Setup
    From source
    Stars
    3k
    Release
    14 August 2026
  25. 12 Slowing
    Dockge

    A fancy, easy-to-use and reactive self-hosted docker compose.yaml stack-oriented manager

    MIT
    Setup
    1 of 5
    Stars
    24.7k
    Release
    30 March 2025

Our picks by use case

  • Heroku-style PaaS with a dashboard

    Coolify and Dokploy deploy apps and databases from Git or Docker images on your own servers, with domains and certificates handled for you.

    • CoolifyApache-2.0relicensed 2022health 78
    • DokployApache-2.0paid features in repohealth 86

  • Git push from the command line

    Dokku turns one server into a mini-Heroku, and Kamal ships containers to many servers over SSH with zero downtime.

  • Kubernetes underneath

    Canine and Tsuru give developers PaaS-style deployments on clusters you already run.

  • Container management

    Portainer manages Docker, Swarm, Podman and Kubernetes from a browser, and Komodo builds and deploys across many servers.

  • Server panels

    1Panel manages websites, databases, Docker apps and backups on a Linux server from a web interface.

  • Home servers with an app store

    YunoHost and Runtipi install self-hosted apps with a click; Umbrel has the most polished interface, under a noncommercial license.

  • Small boards and NAS

    DietPi is a minimal Debian for single-board computers, and openmediavault turns a machine into a network storage server.

  • Remote access to servers

    Nexterm puts SSH, VNC, RDP and SFTP sessions for all your servers into one web app with two-factor login.

How to choose a self-hosting platform

This category covers two audiences. Developers want to push code and get a running app with a domain, certificates and a database, as on Heroku or Vercel. Self-hosters want to install ready-made apps on a home server or VPS with as little command-line work as possible. Many tools sit in between, so start from who will use the platform.

Developer platform or home server

If you deploy your own code, look at Git integration, build methods, preview environments and database management, which Coolify and Dokploy focus on. If you install other people's apps, the size and freshness of the app catalog matter more, as in YunoHost or Runtipi.

One server or many

Single-server tools like Dokku and Piku are simple and cheap. When apps spread over several machines, look at multi-server support in Coolify, Docker Swarm in Dokploy, or SSH deployments to many hosts with Kamal. Kubernetes platforms make sense only if you already run a cluster.

What you give up

A PaaS hides complexity, but you depend on it for upgrades and recovery. Check how each tool stores its configuration, whether apps keep running when the dashboard is down, and how you would move apps elsewhere; tools that run plain Docker Compose projects, like Dokploy, are easier to leave.

License

Nearly everything here is OSI open source, with two exceptions: Umbrel allows only noncommercial use, and Cosmos forbids selling it through the Commons Clause. Dokploy keeps some features in a proprietary directory, and Portainer sells a separate Business Edition.

Security

These platforms hold root access to your servers and often your Git and cloud credentials. Keep the dashboard off the public internet where you can, turn on two-factor login, and update promptly; projects with active maintainers and fast replies to issues are safer bets.

Drafted with AI from the projects’ READMEs and our data, then checked against that data on 30 October 2026. Report a correction

Which of these are really open source?

Fully open source (21)OSI-approved license, no paid parts in the repository
Coolify, Portainer, 1Panel, Dokku, Dockge, CapRover, Kamal, Komodo, Runtipi, Sandstorm, openmediavault, Piku, DietPi, Tsuru, Nexterm, /dev/push, Kubero, YunoHost, Canine, DockSTARTer, Websoft9
Open source with paid parts (1)OSI license, but some features are under commercial terms
Dokploy
Not OSI open source (3)Code is public, use is restricted
Umbrel (PolyForm license), Cosmos (Apache-2.0 + Commons Clause), NextCloudPi (Unidentified license)
License changesNewest first
Coolify: AGPL-3.0 → Apache-2.0, 2022; CapRover: MIT → Apache-2.0, 2019

Read automatically from each repository’s license files every day. How we read licenses

Questions about open-source self-hosting & PaaS

What are the most popular open-source self-hosting & PaaS projects?

By GitHub stars: Coolify (65.5k), Portainer (38.8k), Dokploy (38.2k). By our health score, the most actively maintained are 1Panel (88), Dokploy (86), DietPi (82).

Which self-hosting & PaaS projects are fully open source?

21 of the 25 use an OSI-approved license with no paid parts in the repository, including Coolify, Portainer, 1Panel.

Which are the easiest to self-host?

Judged by the services in their compose files, Coolify, Portainer, Dockge, Kubero need the least setup.

Which projects have changed their license?

Coolify (to Apache-2.0 in 2022), CapRover (to Apache-2.0 in 2019). Each project page links to the commit that made the change.

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