Heroku to Dokku: A Rails Dev's Migration Tale

The Cost-Benefit Realization As a Rails developer who recently migrated from Heroku to Dokku, I want to share my journey and the surprising benefits I discovered. This transition wasn't just about cost savings—it opened up new possibilities for my deployment workflow. The Heroku Challenge Before diving into Dokku's benefits, let me share why I started looking for alternatives. Heroku had been my go-to platform for years, offering: Zero-configuration deployments Excellent developer experience Reliable infrastructure Built-in add-ons However, recent changes created some challenges: Removal of free tier Significant cost increases for basic dynos Sleep states affecting development apps Add-on costs adding up quickly Why Dokku Won Me Over 1. Cost Efficiency # Monthly Cost Comparison for a Basic Rails Setup heroku_cost = { basic_dyno: 7, postgres: 9, redis: 15, ssl: 20, total: 51 } dokku_cost = { server_2gb: 10, managed_databases: 0, # Included! ssl: 0, # Free via Let's Encrypt total: 10 } 2. Infrastructure Control Unlike Heroku's black box approach, Dokku lets me: Choose my server provider (Digital Ocean, Linode, AWS) Customize server resources Configure nginx directly Manage database backups my way 3. Multi-App Efficiency One of my favorite discoveries: # Deploy multiple apps on one server dokku apps:create rails-app-1 dokku apps:create rails-app-2 dokku apps:create rails-app-3 # Each with its own domains and SSL dokku domains:set rails-app-1 app1.domain.com dokku domains:set rails-app-2 app2.domain.com 4. Familiar Workflow Dokku maintains Heroku's git-based deployment: # Just like Heroku git push dokku main # Even supports release phase dokku config:set rails-app-1 DOKKU_RELEASE_COMMAND="rails db:migrate" 5. Database Flexibility My Rails apps often need multiple databases: # Create separate databases for different concerns dokku postgres:create main_db dokku postgres:create analytics_db dokku postgres:create cache_db # Link them easily dokku postgres:link main_db rails-app 6. Custom Plugin Ecosystem Beyond basic features: # Install useful plugins sudo dokku plugin:install https://github.com/dokku/dokku-postgres.git sudo dokku plugin:install https://github.com/dokku/dokku-letsencrypt.git sudo dokku plugin:install https://github.com/dokku/dokku-redis.git Real-World Benefits I've Experienced Development Environment Faster deployments (no queue waiting) Direct log access Quick database operations Custom domain management Production Advantages Significant cost savings Better resource utilization Full control over backups Custom monitoring solutions Scaling Capabilities # Scale processes individually dokku ps:scale web=2 dokku ps:scale worker=1 # Monitor resource usage dokku ps:report Making the Transition Easier Here's what helped me during migration: Environment Variable Management # Export from Heroku heroku config -a your-app > config.txt # Import to Dokku while read line; do dokku config:set your-app $line done < config.txt Database Migration # Export from Heroku heroku pg:backups:capture heroku pg:backups:download # Import to Dokku dokku postgres:import database < latest.dump When to Choose Dokku Over Heroku Consider Dokku when you: Need cost-effective hosting Want multiple apps on one server Require custom infrastructure Have basic sysadmin knowledge Value deployment flexibility Stay with Heroku if you: Need enterprise-level support Require zero server management Want managed add-on services Have a larger team needing access controls Learning Curve and ROI The initial setup took me about a day, but the benefits were immediate: Monthly costs dropped by 80% Deployment times improved More control over infrastructure Better understanding of my stack Conclusion My journey from Heroku to Dokku has been transformative. While Heroku remains an excellent platform, Dokku provides a powerful, cost-effective alternative that doesn't compromise on developer experience. The learning curve is worth the benefits, especially for Rails applications where cost and control matter. Remember: Dokku isn't just a Heroku alternative—it's a different way of thinking about deployments that empowers developers to take control of their infrastructure while maintaining the simplicity we love about Platform as a Service solutions. If you're considering the switch, feel free to reach out. The Rails community around Dokku is growing, and sharing experiences helps everyone succeed in their deployment journey! Happy Coding! Originally published at: https://sulmanweb.com

# Monthly Cost Comparison for a Basic Rails Setup
heroku_cost = {
  basic_dyno: 7,
  postgres: 9,
  redis: 15,
  ssl: 20,
  total: 51
}

dokku_cost = {
  server_2gb: 10,
  managed_databases: 0,  # Included!
  ssl: 0,               # Free via Let's Encrypt
  total: 10
}

# Deploy multiple apps on one server
dokku apps:create rails-app-1
dokku apps:create rails-app-2
dokku apps:create rails-app-3

# Each with its own domains and SSL
dokku domains:set rails-app-1 app1.domain.com
dokku domains:set rails-app-2 app2.domain.com

# Just like Heroku
git push dokku main

# Even supports release phase
dokku config:set rails-app-1 DOKKU_RELEASE_COMMAND="rails db:migrate"

# Create separate databases for different concerns
dokku postgres:create main_db
dokku postgres:create analytics_db
dokku postgres:create cache_db

# Link them easily
dokku postgres:link main_db rails-app

# Install useful plugins
sudo dokku plugin:install https://github.com/dokku/dokku-postgres.git
sudo dokku plugin:install https://github.com/dokku/dokku-letsencrypt.git
sudo dokku plugin:install https://github.com/dokku/dokku-redis.git

# Scale processes individually
dokku ps:scale web=2
dokku ps:scale worker=1

# Monitor resource usage
dokku ps:report

# Export from Heroku
heroku config -a your-app > config.txt

# Import to Dokku
while read line; do
  dokku config:set your-app $line
done < config.txt

# Export from Heroku
heroku pg:backups:capture
heroku pg:backups:download

# Import to Dokku
dokku postgres:import database < latest.dump

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