Why Coolify?
Platform Comparison
Section titled “Platform Comparison”| Feature | Coolify | Forge | Vapor | Render |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Self-hosted | Yes | No | No | No |
| Open source | Yes | No | No | No |
| One-time cost | Yes | Subscription | Pay-per-use | Pay-per-use |
| Docker native | Yes | Limited | Lambda | Yes |
| Database management | Yes | Yes | Aurora | Yes |
| Git integration | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| SSL/TLS | Auto | Auto | Auto | Auto |
| Wildcard domains | Yes | Yes | Yes | Limited |
Self-Hosting Benefits
Section titled “Self-Hosting Benefits”Data sovereignty: All data stays on your infrastructure.
Cost predictability: Fixed server costs vs variable platform fees.
No vendor lock-in: Standard Docker containers run anywhere.
Full control: SSH access, custom configurations, any extension.
Coolify Architecture
Section titled “Coolify Architecture”Coolify runs on one server and deploys to any number of connected servers via SSH.
When to Use Coolify
Section titled “When to Use Coolify”Good fit:
- Teams wanting self-hosted PaaS
- Projects with predictable traffic
- Organizations with data residency requirements
- Developers comfortable with Docker
Consider alternatives:
- Serverless workloads (use Vapor)
- Managed Kubernetes requirements
- Zero-ops preference (use Render/Railway)