Coolify

Overview

Coolify is a self-hosted PaaS (Vercel/Netlify alternative) that deploys applications, databases, and services on your own infrastructure. It provides a REST API for programmatic control, supports multiple build packs, and uses Traefik for reverse proxy and SSL.

When to use: Deploying applications to self-hosted infrastructure, managing databases and services through API, automating deployments via CI/CD, self-hosting without vendor lock-in.

When NOT to use: Initial Coolify server installation (use the official install script via browser), managing Coolify's own infrastructure (Postgres, Redis — managed internally), or when a managed platform (Vercel, Railway) meets your needs without self-hosting requirements.

Quick Reference