Dokku and Blossom make for an interesting comparison. While both simplify application deployment, they take different approaches. Dokku is a self-hosted, open-source mini-PaaS that emulates Heroku’s git-push workflow on a single server, while Blossom is a fully managed platform that can handle both single and multi-server deployments.
Here’s a detailed comparison:
Dokku
- Open-source mini-PaaS that runs on a single server
- Git-push deployment workflow similar to Heroku
- Git push must be done from the server Dokku is installed on
- Limited to single-server deployments
- Manual server setup and maintenance required
- Plugins available for databases and other services
- Supports multiple programming languages and frameworks
- Free and open-source
- Community-driven development and support
- Some third-party wrappers exist to handle remote git pushes, but they can be hacky
- Requires more DevOps knowledge to set up and maintain
Blossom
- Fully managed PaaS with both UI and git-based workflows
- Automatic server provisioning with cloud provider of your choice
- Complete server setup and configuration automation
- Support for both single-server and multi-server clusters
- 5-day free trial with predictable per-server pricing
- Minimal DevOps knowledge required to get started
- Supports all major cloud providers: AWS, Azure, GCP, DigitalOcean, Hetzner, Linode, Vultr, OVHCloud — even on-prem
- Git push works from anywhere, no special setup needed
- Built-in support for modern deployment workflows
Quick Comparison
| Feature | Dokku | Blossom |
|---|---|---|
| Hosting Model | Self-hosted | Managed platform |
| Server Support | Single server only | Multi-server clusters |
| Git Push | Server-local only | Push from anywhere |
| Server Provisioning | Manual only | Fully Automatic |
| Server Setup | Manual configuration | Fully Automatic |
| Pricing | Free (BYO infrastructure) | Per server pricing |
| Infrastructure | Self-managed | Fully managed |
| Server Access | Full access | Full SSH access |
| Setup Complexity | High | Low |
| Support | Community | Commercial support |
Conclusion
Dokku is a great choice for developers who want a free, self-hosted solution and are comfortable with managing their own infrastructure on a single server. It’s particularly appealing if you want a Heroku-like experience and don’t mind the limitations of single-server deployments.
Blossom offers a more comprehensive platform that can handle both simple and complex deployments across multiple servers. Its ability to automatically provision and configure servers with by just providing the Cloud Provider of your choice significantly reduces setup time and complexity. While it’s not free, it saves significant time and resources by providing reliable infrastructure management and scaling capabilities out of the box.
See How Blossom Compares on Cost
Use the calculator to compare Blossom's predictable pricing against other platforms.
Want a deeper dive? Read our comprehensive comparison of popular deployment platforms.