What is CapRover?
CapRover is a free, self-hosted platform as a service. Its site describes it as a scalable PaaS that makes deploying and managing apps simple while leaving the infrastructure under your control. The footer lists the Apache 2.0 license. It uses Docker, nginx, Let's Encrypt and Docker Swarm.
You can deploy Node.js, Python, PHP, Java, Ruby and .NET apps, or any app that runs in a container, from the dashboard, the CLI, a webhook or an existing Git workflow. One-click apps cover databases, WordPress, monitoring tools and other popular services. CapRover issues and renews Let's Encrypt certificates and can redirect HTTP to HTTPS, and you manage ports, persistent directories, environment variables and instance counts from one place.
To scale, you add nodes to a Docker Swarm cluster and CapRover handles load balancing. The README notes that there is no lock-in: if you remove CapRover, your apps keep working. It offers both a web GUI and a CLI for automation and scripting.
Key capabilities
- Deployment from the dashboard, CLI, webhook or Git workflow.
- One-click apps for databases, WordPress and monitoring tools.
- Automatic Let's Encrypt certificates with HTTPS redirects.
- Docker Swarm clustering with load balancing across nodes.
- A web GUI plus a CLI for automation and scripting.
Where CapRover fits
- Language support Deploys Node.js, Python, PHP, Java, Ruby and .NET apps, or any app that runs in a container.
- Deployment methods Deploy from the dashboard, the CLI, a webhook or an existing Git workflow.
- One-click apps Databases, WordPress, monitoring tools and dozens of popular services launch from the app catalog.
- HTTPS Issues and renews Let's Encrypt certificates, with one-click redirects from HTTP to HTTPS.
- App settings Ports, persistent directories, environment variables and instance counts are managed from one place.
- Clustering Add nodes to a Docker Swarm cluster and CapRover handles load balancing.
- Customization Nginx can be customized, custom certificates used, and the underlying Docker platform reached.
- Server setup Installs on a fresh Ubuntu 24.04 server with a wildcard DNS domain, and a CLI is available for setup and automation.
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