appwrite vs dokploy
Two of the top projects in Backends, databases and hosting, side by side: who leads on each score part and who each one suits, then setup, license, activity and what each review found.
appwrite
Self-hostable backend with auth, databases, storage, functions, messaging and hosting
dokploy
Self-hosted PaaS for deploying apps and databases across Docker Swarm nodes
Verdict
appwrite ranks higher, 94 to 85. Of the 5 score parts we measure for both, appwrite leads on 4, dokploy on none and 1 is even.
- Adoptionappwrite leads by 10 points, 91 to 81.
- FreshnessEven at 100.
- Maintenanceappwrite leads by 7 points, 92 to 85.
- Easy to runappwrite leads by 17 points, 100 to 83: a wide gap.
- Agent-readyappwrite leads by 15 points, 70 to 55: a wide gap.
Pick appwrite if you are
Developers who want a self-hosted or managed backend for web and mobile apps
- One Docker-based installer sets up the full stack, with Compose and env files also published
- SDKs for 6 client and 10 server platforms, plus REST, GraphQL and Realtime APIs
Pick dokploy if you are
Self-hosters who want a Vercel or Heroku-style deploy workflow on their own VPS
- Installs on a VPS with a single curl script
- Native Docker Compose and Docker Swarm multi-node support
| What we compare | appwrite | dokploy |
|---|---|---|
| Score parts, out of 100 | ||
| Adoption | 91, widely used | 81, widely used |
| Freshness | 100, active | 100, active |
| Maintenance | 92, healthy | 85, healthy |
| Easy to run | 100, very easy | 83, very easy |
| Agent-ready | 70, partly | 55, partly |
| Facts from GitHub and the README | ||
| Stars | 57.7k | 37.9k |
| License | BSD-3-Clause (permissive) | custom license (read the license) |
| Last commit | Oct 2026 | Oct 2026 |
| Last release | Oct 2026 | Sep 2026 |
| Language | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Docker | Yes | Yes |
| GPU | Not needed | Not needed |
| arm64 or Apple Silicon | Mentioned | Not stated |
appwrite
Appwrite is a backend platform that bundles Auth, Databases, Storage, Functions, Sites, Messaging, Realtime and a Firewall behind REST, GraphQL and WebSocket APIs. It runs as a managed cloud or self-hosted via a Docker installer, and offers a hosted MCP server so coding agents can operate on a live project. Client and server SDKs cover Web, Flutter, Apple, Android, React Native, Unity, Node.js, Python, PHP, Go, Rust and others.
Who it is for: Developers who want a self-hosted or managed backend for web and mobile apps
Strengths
- One Docker-based installer sets up the full stack, with Compose and env files also published
- SDKs for 6 client and 10 server platforms, plus REST, GraphQL and Realtime APIs
- Hosted MCP server uses OAuth, so no API keys are needed on Cloud
- Same product runs on managed Cloud or on your own infrastructure
Weaknesses
- Installer needs access to the Docker socket on the host
- Self-hosted instances must use a separate local MCP server, not the hosted one
- Hybrid monolith-plus-workers architecture means many services to operate
- RAM and CPU requirements are not stated in the README
- no GPU
- Docker + Compose
- Needs Docker
- port 20080
dokploy
Dokploy is a self-hostable platform-as-a-service that deploys applications, Docker Compose stacks and databases (MySQL, PostgreSQL, MongoDB, MariaDB, libsql, Redis) to your own servers. It uses Traefik for routing, Docker Swarm for multi-node scaling, and offers one-click open-source templates, database backups to external storage, and a CLI and API. It has no AI-specific features, so it fits as deployment infrastructure for apps built elsewhere.
Who it is for: Self-hosters who want a Vercel or Heroku-style deploy workflow on their own VPS
Strengths
- Installs on a VPS with a single curl script
- Native Docker Compose and Docker Swarm multi-node support
- Built-in database backups, monitoring and deploy notifications
- Exports logs and metrics to Grafana, Datadog, Splunk, CloudWatch and others
Weaknesses
- License is reported as NOASSERTION; terms need checking before commercial use
- README gives no minimum RAM or CPU requirements
- No AI features; general-purpose deployment tool only
- Hosted Dokploy Cloud is offered alongside; feature split with self-hosted not stated
- no GPU
- Docker
- Needs Docker, Docker Swarm, Traefik
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