Deploy Coolify on Ubuntu — the open-source Heroku and Netlify alternative for self-hosting web apps, databases, and Docker services with automatic HTTPS and a beautiful management dashboard.
Grab the automated bash script from GitHub to follow along with the video.
wget https://raw.githubusercontent.com/mhmdali94/Docker/main/devops/coolify/coolify-ubuntu.sh
chmod +x coolify-ubuntu.sh
sudo bash coolify-ubuntu.shThe script installs Docker and deploys Coolify with all required services (database, queue, proxy). Coolify will be available on port 8000. First startup takes about 2 minutes as containers initialize.
wget https://raw.githubusercontent.com/mhmdali94/Docker/main/devops/coolify/coolify-ubuntu.sh
chmod +x coolify-ubuntu.sh
sudo bash coolify-ubuntu.shOpen your browser and navigate to Coolify. The first user to register becomes the instance administrator. Create your account and complete the onboarding wizard to configure your first server:
http://<your-server-ip>:8000Go to Servers → Add New Server. You can deploy to the local server (where Coolify runs) or add remote servers via SSH key. Once a server is configured, go to Projects → New Project → New Resource to deploy a web application from Git, a Dockerfile, or a one-click Docker service like PostgreSQL or Redis.
In your application settings, set the domain name (e.g. app.yourdomain.com) and make sure the DNS A record points to your server IP. Enable "HTTPS" in the app settings and Coolify will automatically provision a Let's Encrypt certificate via its built-in Traefik proxy. The certificate renews automatically before expiry.
| Port | Purpose |
|---|---|
| 8000 | Coolify Dashboard (HTTP) |
| 8443 | Coolify Dashboard (HTTPS) |
| 6001 | WebSocket (real-time updates) |
| 80 / 443 | Traefik reverse proxy (deployed apps) |
Coolify is a free, open-source Platform as a Service (PaaS) that turns your Linux server into a Heroku or Netlify equivalent. It provides a clean dashboard for deploying web applications, databases, and Docker services — no Kubernetes expertise required. Coolify uses Nixpacks for automatic build detection (Node.js, Python, PHP, Ruby, Go, and more), runs Traefik as a built-in reverse proxy for automatic HTTPS, and integrates with GitHub, GitLab, Gitea, and Bitbucket for Git-based deployments. You can deploy to the local server or manage multiple remote servers from one Coolify instance.
Coolify solves the gap between 'I have a VPS' and 'I can deploy apps easily'. Without a PaaS, deploying a web app requires manually setting up Nginx, SSL certificates, Docker Compose, environment variables, and CI/CD pipelines. Coolify automates all of this: connect a Git repo, set a domain, and Coolify builds and deploys with HTTPS in minutes. It eliminates Heroku's expensive dynos, Netlify's bandwidth limits, and Vercel's vendor lock-in — you own the server and all the data.
Port 8000 (TCP) is the Coolify dashboard. Port 8443 is the HTTPS dashboard. Port 6001 handles WebSocket connections for real-time deployment logs. Ports 80 and 443 are used by Traefik for deployed applications — these must be open. In production, restrict port 8000 to your admin IP and access Coolify behind HTTPS on 8443.
Dokku is a mature lightweight PaaS for single servers with a Heroku-compatible git push workflow. CapRover is similar to Coolify with a longer track record. Portainer provides Docker management without the PaaS deployment automation. For managed alternatives: Railway, Render, and Fly.io offer similar deployment experiences with cloud infrastructure. Coolify stands out for its active development, modern UI, and multi-server management.
Avoid Coolify for large-scale microservice architectures — Kubernetes (via k3s or full K8s) is better suited for dozens of services with complex scaling requirements. Don't use Coolify as your only infrastructure management tool for mission-critical production — combine it with proper monitoring (Uptime Kuma, Beszel) and backup solutions. For pure static sites, a CDN like Cloudflare Pages or Netlify is simpler and faster.
PrismaTechWork provides end-to-end infrastructure services — from initial deployment and security hardening to ongoing monitoring, automated backups, and dedicated support. Whether you need a single-server setup or a multi-site network, our team ensures your infrastructure is built right, secured properly, and maintained reliably.
Coolify is a free, open-source self-hosted PaaS (Platform as a Service) — an alternative to Heroku, Netlify, and Vercel. You run it on your own server and use it to deploy web apps, APIs, databases, and Docker services with a clean dashboard. Unlike Heroku, there are no per-dyno fees and no cold starts. You own the infrastructure and all data stays on your server.
Coolify supports Node.js, Python, PHP, Ruby, Go, Java, Rust, Deno, Bun, and static sites via Nixpacks auto-detection. It also supports Dockerfile-based deployments and Docker Compose. For databases, it supports PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB, MongoDB, Redis, and more as one-click services.
Yes. Coolify uses Traefik as a built-in reverse proxy and automatically provisions Let's Encrypt SSL certificates for every deployed application. You just set your domain in the app settings and Coolify handles certificate issuance and renewal. No manual Certbot or Nginx configuration is needed.
Yes. Coolify integrates with GitHub, GitLab, Gitea, and Bitbucket. You can connect a repository and configure automatic deployments on every push to a branch. Coolify also supports webhook-triggered deployments and deploy keys for private repositories. Pull request previews (preview environments) are also supported.
Yes. Coolify supports multi-server deployments. From one Coolify dashboard you can deploy applications to multiple remote servers connected via SSH. Each server can have its own resources (apps, databases, services) and you can manage them all centrally. This is ideal for teams running staging and production on separate servers.
Yes. Coolify supports deploying Docker Compose files directly. You can paste a docker-compose.yml into the UI or point it to a repository containing a compose file. Docker Swarm support is also available for multi-node deployments. Coolify wraps Docker primitives with a friendly UI rather than replacing them.
Coolify requires a Linux server (Ubuntu 20.04+ recommended) with at least 2 vCPUs and 2 GB RAM for the control plane. Docker must be installed. For running multiple applications, 4+ GB RAM and 2+ CPUs are recommended. Coolify itself uses about 400-600 MB of RAM at idle. A minimum of 20 GB disk space is recommended.
Yes. Coolify v4 is production-ready and widely used. It supports persistent storage volumes, environment variable management, health checks, automatic restarts, and rolling deployments. For high availability, deploy Coolify's control plane on a dedicated server separate from your application servers. Enable automatic database backups and use Coolify's built-in backup-to-S3 feature for disaster recovery.