Kubeletto vs Dokku
Dokku is an open-source, self-hosted PaaS that replicates the Heroku "git push to deploy" experience on a single Linux VPS. Kubeletto is a fully managed alternative — you get the same ease of deployment without provisioning or maintaining a server.
Why Kubeletto?
Developers who want Heroku-like simplicity without managing a VPS, applying security patches, or worrying about disk space and server health.
Why Dokku?
Budget-conscious developers who already own or cheaply rent a VPS and are comfortable with Linux server administration.
Feature Matrix
Compare side-by-side features of Kubeletto and Dokku. Kubeletto delivers direct container deployments with built-in scale-to-zero autoscaling, whereas Dokku focuses on complex multi-resource canvas mapping.
| Feature | Kubeletto | Dokku |
|---|---|---|
| Infrastructure ownership | Fully managed — zero server management | Self-hosted — you own and maintain the Linux server |
| Scale to zero | Built-in via Knative — default behavior | Not supported — all apps run continuously consuming server RAM |
| High availability | Multiple replicas with health-check routing | Single server — server failure = full outage |
| Rollback | Instant CLI rollback to any revision | Git-based rollback via git push — requires rebuild |
Developer Workflow
Deploying applications on Kubeletto is fully automated via direct Git integration or a single CLI command, whereas Dokku relies on manual project creation on a visual workspace canvas.
Deploy on Kubeletto
- 1
Sign up and connect GitHub — no server to provision.
- 2
Push to your deploy branch and Kubeletto builds and deploys.
- 3
Get HTTPS, logs, and metrics without any configuration.
Deploy on Dokku
- 1
Provision a Linux VPS and install Dokku.
- 2
Configure SSH keys, app creation, and plugin installation (postgres, redis).
- 3
Add a git remote and push to deploy.
Pricing Comparison
Dokku is free software but requires a paid VPS ($5–20/month for a single server). All apps on that server share CPU and RAM. Kubeletto charges only for what your apps actually use, with scale-to-zero eliminating idle costs. Free during beta.
Migration Guide
Migrating your deployment from Dokku to Kubeletto is a simple, three-step process: export your environment variables, link your repository commit branch, and trigger the deploy.
- 1
Export environment variables: dokku config:export <app>.
- 2
Note your Dockerfile or buildpack configuration.
- 3
Create a Kubeletto app and connect your GitHub repo.
- 4
Import environment variables and deploy.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Kubeletto more expensive than Dokku on a cheap VPS?
For a single high-traffic app, a $5 VPS with Dokku may be cheaper than Kubeletto post-beta. But Dokku provides no scale-to-zero, no HA, and no managed observability. For multiple apps or teams, Kubeletto's per-use billing is typically more cost-effective.
Does Kubeletto support git push to deploy like Dokku?
Yes. Kubeletto's GitHub integration automatically deploys on every push to your configured branch — same workflow as Dokku, without the server.