
Coolify
Coolify is an open-source platform for deploying websites, databases, web applications and more than 280 one-click services to servers you provide.
What Coolify is
Coolify is an open-source platform for deploying websites, databases, web applications and more than 280 one-click services to servers you provide. It builds commits and deploys them over SSH to a connected server. Build choices include Nixpacks, Railpack, Dockerfile, Docker Compose, static site serving and prebuilt Docker images from a registry. Push-to-deploy integrations include GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket and Gitea, including self-hosted platforms. One-click database options include PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB, MongoDB, Redis, KeyDB, Dragonfly and ClickHouse. Operational tools include pull request deployments, scheduled tasks, shared environment variables, monitoring, automatic database backups to S3-compatible storage and rollbacks. Its API and MCP server let AI clients such as Claude and Cursor list resources, deploy, read logs, restart services and troubleshoot deployments. Coolify runs only on Linux-based operating systems; the documented standard minimum is 2 CPU cores, 2 GB RAM and 10 GB free disk. Self-hosted use is free forever and requires your own infrastructure.
Good
- Free self-hosted plan has no feature restrictions.
- Offers over 280 one-click services.
- Supports several Git hosting platforms.
- Includes monitoring, backups and one-click rollbacks.
- API and MCP server support AI clients.
Watch out
- Runs only on Linux-based operating systems.
- Self-hosting requires your own infrastructure.
- Cloud applications still require servers you provide.
- Standard minimum is 2 CPU cores and 2 GB RAM.
Who it suits
Coolify suits individuals and teams who want to deploy applications and databases to infrastructure they provide. It is for users with Linux-based systems who can meet the documented minimum requirements.
Verdict
Coolify offers a broad deployment toolset for users prepared to supply and manage their own servers. The self-hosted plan is free; Cloud starts at $5/month, while application hosting remains on customer-provided servers.
Plans and prices
From Coolify's own pricing page, checked 15 Oct 2026.
| Plan | Price | What it gives you |
|---|---|---|
| Self-hosted | Free | Full feature access · Own infrastructure required · No product limits · Community support · Automated or self-managed updates · Free forever |
| Cloud | $5 a month | Connects 2 servers · +$3/month per additional server · Unlimited deployments per server · Bring your own servers · Managed Coolify infrastructure · Monthly base price; annual billing saves 20% |
The facts
Each one read from Coolify's own pages, with the date it was checked.
Where it runs
- Android companion app
- Google Play lists Coolify Manager, a third-party app with application status, start/stop/restart/deploy controls, log streaming and deployment history.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Apple app limitation
- An App Store reviewer requested database resources and direct console access, indicating those capabilities were missing at review time.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Apple companion app
- Third-party CooliApp provides iPhone monitoring, deployment tracking, logs, widgets and multi-instance support; it requires Coolify v4+ with API access enabled.checked 15 Oct 2026
What it does
- API
- A REST API manages teams, projects, applications, databases, services, servers, deployments and other resources.checked 15 Oct 2026
- API and AI
- Coolify offers an API and an MCP server for AI clients such as Claude and Cursor to list resources, deploy, read logs, restart services and troubleshoot deployments.checked 5 Oct 2026
- API endpoints
- Cloud API requests use https://app.coolify.io/api/v1 and self-hosted requests use the instance domain followed by /api/v1.checked 15 Oct 2026
- API security
- API tokens are team-scoped and permissioned; self-hosted administrators can enable API access and restrict callers by IP or CIDR.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Build and deploy
- It builds every commit and deploys it to a connected server over SSH.checked 5 Oct 2026
- Build options
- Builds can use Nixpacks, Railpack, Dockerfile or Docker Compose, static site serving, or a prebuilt Docker image from a registry.checked 5 Oct 2026
- CLI
- The project publishes a separate Coolify CLI repository under the coollabsio organization.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Cloud hosting limit
- Coolify Cloud runs on the maker's managed infrastructure, but customers must bring their own servers for application deployments.checked 5 Oct 2026
- Database persistence
- Standalone databases run as Docker containers with generated credentials, persistent volumes, internal URLs, health checks and engine-specific backup workflows.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Databases
- Built-in one-click database resources include PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB, MongoDB, Redis, Dragonfly, KeyDB and ClickHouse.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Deployment inputs
- Applications can be built from GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket or Gitea using Nixpacks, Railpack, Dockerfiles, Docker Compose or existing images.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Documentation
- Documentation includes setup guides, framework guides, database and service guides, API reference, MCP capabilities, security, backups and operations.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Git deployments
- GitHub Apps provide scoped repository access, webhooks and pull-request events; public repositories and deploy keys are also supported.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Git integrations
- Push-to-deploy integrations include hosted and self-hosted platforms such as GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket and Gitea.checked 5 Oct 2026
- Install method
- The recommended automated installation uses curl -fsSL https://cdn.coollabs.io/coolify/install.sh | bash and requires root access.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Latest release
- Changelog version 4.4.6 dated October 9, 2026 fixed self-hosted startup failures caused by an incompatible PHP base image.checked 15 Oct 2026
- License
- The main Coolify repository is published under the Apache-2.0 license.checked 15 Oct 2026
- License and paywalls
- The maker says its projects are free and open source under Apache 2.0, with no features behind paywalls.checked 5 Oct 2026
- Limit: operations depth
- Product Hunt reviewers cite missing or weak built-in monitoring, preview deployments, backup workflows, rollback clarity, advanced port mapping and edge-case documentation.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Limit: Trustpilot complaint
- One Trustpilot reviewer gave a 2-star rating and titled the review “worst cloud ever.”checked 15 Oct 2026
Money
- Control-plane architecture
- Coolify stores configuration and coordinates actions while Docker on connected servers runs workloads; deployments use SSH rather than a persistent agent.checked 15 Oct 2026
Alternatives to Coolify
- 1

Railway
Free planAndroidiOSWebAPI8.3From $5 a month - 2

Northflank
Free planWebAPILinuxmacOS8.0From $2.70 a month - 3

sh0
Free planAndroidiOSWebAPI8.0From $19 a month - 4
Nullstone
Free planWebAPILinuxmacOS7.9From $50 a month - 5

Okteto
Free planOpen sourceWebAPILinuxmacOS7.7Free plan - 6

Zeabur
Free planWebAPIExtensionLinux7.3From $5 a month
