Host Your Own SaaS with Coolify (Vercel Alternative)

Vercel and Netlify are amazing. But once you scale (or need a database, Redis, and a background worker), the costs explode.

Enter Coolify: An open-source, self-hosted Heroku/Vercel alternative.

What is Coolify?

It's a UI that sits on top of a Linux server (Docker). It manages:

Applications: Next.js, Remix, Node, Python, PHP.
Databases: Postgres, MySQL, Redis, MongoDB.
Services: WordPress, Uptime Kuma, Plausible Analytics.

Installation

You need a VPS (Virtual Private Server). Grab a $5/mo droplet from Hetzner, DigitalOcean, or Linode. It should run Ubuntu (22.04 or 24.04).

SSH into your server and run one command:

curl -fsSL https://cdn.coollabs.io/coolify/install.sh | bash

That's it. Go to http://<your-ip>:8000.

Features You Will Love

Git Integration: Connect GitHub/GitLab. Push to main, and Coolify auto-builds and deploys your code.
Preview Deployments: Automatic PR previews (just like Vercel).
Free SSL: It automatically provisions Let's Encrypt certificates for your custom domains.
Resource Management: Specify CPU/RAM limits per container so your database doesn't eat your app's memory.

The Cost Comparison

Service	2 Apps + 1 DB + Redis	Cost/Mo
Vercel + Neon + Upstash	Pro Tier + Usage	~$40+
Heroku	Standard Dynos + Data	~$50+
Coolify (Hetzner)	Shared Intel VPS	$5

Quiz: Deployment Knowledge

Quick Quiz

What is the underlying technology Coolify uses to isolate applications?

Conclusion

Coolify allows you to own your infrastructure without the headache of writing Kubernetes manifests. It is the perfect middle ground for indie hackers and small startups.