dokku vs pocketbase
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.
dokku
Self-hosted mini-Heroku PaaS that deploys apps with git push
pocketbase
Go backend with embedded SQLite, auth, file storage and admin UI
Verdict
dokku ranks higher, 77 to 76. Of the 5 score parts we measure for both, dokku leads on 1, pocketbase on 2 and 2 are even.
- Adoptionpocketbase leads by 14 points, 94 to 80.
- FreshnessEven at 100.
- Maintenancepocketbase leads by 4 points, 96 to 92: close to even.
- Easy to rundokku leads by 17 points, 67 to 50: a wide gap.
- Agent-readyEven at 0.
Pick dokku if you are
Self-hosters wanting a Heroku-style git-push deploy on one VM
- Installs on a single VM with one bootstrap script
- Supports Ubuntu 22.04/24.04/26.04 and Debian 11+ on amd64 and arm64
Pick pocketbase if you are
Developers who want a self-hosted single-binary backend for web or mobile apps
- Single portable executable; database, auth, files and admin UI are built in
- Extensible with JavaScript (JS VM in prebuilt binaries) or as a Go library
| What we compare | dokku | pocketbase |
|---|---|---|
| Score parts, out of 100 | ||
| Adoption | 80, popular | 94, widely used |
| Freshness | 100, active | 100, active |
| Maintenance | 92, healthy | 96, healthy |
| Easy to run | 67, easy | 50, easy |
| Agent-ready | 0, none | 0, none |
| Facts from GitHub and the README | ||
| Stars | 32.2k | 61.5k |
| License | MIT (permissive) | MIT (permissive) |
| Last commit | Oct 2026 | Oct 2026 |
| Last release | Sep 2026 | Oct 2026 |
| Language | Go | Go |
| Docker | Yes | No |
| GPU | Not stated | Not needed |
| arm64 or Apple Silicon | Mentioned | Mentioned |
dokku
Dokku is a small Platform-as-a-Service that runs on a single Ubuntu or Debian VM and builds and runs applications in Docker containers. Applications are deployed over SSH, and the server is managed through the `dokku` command line, including domains and SSH keys. The README describes it as a Docker-powered mini-Heroku and does not mention any AI features.
Who it is for: Self-hosters wanting a Heroku-style git-push deploy on one VM
Strengths
- Installs on a single VM with one bootstrap script
- Supports Ubuntu 22.04/24.04/26.04 and Debian 11+ on amd64 and arm64
- MIT license, with an active release history and Ubuntu and Arch packages
- Written in Go, with documentation and a Slack support channel
Weaknesses
- Not an AI project; the README has no AI or model features
- Targets one server; the README describes no multi-node setup
- Only Ubuntu and Debian are listed as supported operating systems
- Deployment and management are CLI and SSH based; the README mentions no web UI
- Docker
- Needs Docker, SSH keypair
pocketbase
PocketBase is a Go backend that ships as one executable with an embedded SQLite database, realtime subscriptions, user and file management, an admin dashboard and a REST-ish API. It runs standalone via `./pocketbase serve`, extended with JavaScript through the bundled JS VM, or imported as a Go library to build a custom single binary. Official SDKs exist for JavaScript and Dart.
Who it is for: Developers who want a self-hosted single-binary backend for web or mobile apps
Strengths
- Single portable executable; database, auth, files and admin UI are built in
- Extensible with JavaScript (JS VM in prebuilt binaries) or as a Go library
- Official JavaScript and Dart SDKs; realtime subscriptions included
- MIT license; static builds with CGO_ENABLED=0 for many OS/arch targets
Weaknesses
- Backward compatibility not guaranteed before v1.0.0
- Embedded SQLite only; no other database backend mentioned in the README
- External pull requests are currently disabled, only collaborators can open them
- Go 1.27+ required to build or use as a framework
- no GPU
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