Pier: a self-hosted Heroku alternative
Updated
Pier is an open-source, self-hosted Heroku alternative: you install it on your own VPS with one command and get Heroku's workflow — deploy from Git or Docker, attach a domain, get HTTPS, add a database — on infrastructure you control. Heroku is fully managed, so you pay per dyno and add-on and never touch a server. Pier is free software; you pay only for the VPS, and the platform itself uses 20–40 MB of RAM.
curl -fsSL https://pier.team/install | sudo bash GitHub At a glance
| Pier | Heroku | |
|---|---|---|
| Hosting model | Self-hosted on your own servers | Fully managed cloud (Salesforce) |
| Cost model | Free software; you pay for your VPS | Per dyno and per add-on |
| Deploy sources | Docker image, Dockerfile, Compose, Git, auto-build with Railpack | git push with buildpacks, container registry |
| Databases | One-click PostgreSQL, MySQL, MongoDB, Redis, ClickHouse and more on your servers | Heroku Postgres, Key-Value Store and marketplace add-ons |
| HTTPS & custom domains | Automatic, Traefik + Let's Encrypt | Automatic Certificate Management |
| Server maintenance | Yours (OS updates, disk, network) | Handled by Heroku |
| Data location | Any provider or region you choose | Heroku's regions |
| Source code | Open source, AGPL-3.0 | Proprietary |
Pick Pier if
- You want Heroku's workflow but predictable costs: one VPS instead of per-dyno pricing.
- You need your data on a specific provider or in a specific country.
- You want to run many small apps and databases on one cheap server — Pier fits a 512 MB VPS.
Pick Heroku if
- You don't want to manage servers at all: OS patches, disks and outages are Heroku's problem.
- You need Heroku's add-on marketplace or enterprise compliance offerings.
- Your team has no one to own infrastructure.
Same workflow, your servers
Heroku made deploying simple: connect a repo, push, get a URL with HTTPS. Pier keeps that loop — create a project, deploy from a Git repository, a Docker image, a Dockerfile or a Compose file, attach a domain — but runs it on a VPS you own.
What you take on
Self-hosting is a trade. With Pier you own the server: OS updates, disk space and uptime are yours. Pier helps with built-in alerts for CPU, RAM, disk, crashed containers and expiring certificates, and scheduled backups of databases and volumes to S3-compatible storage.
Growing past one server
When one VPS is not enough, install a Pier agent on another server and manage both from the same dashboard. Services can run several load-balanced replicas spread across servers.
Other self-hosted options
Pier is not the only self-hosted Heroku alternative. See how it compares with Coolify, Dokploy, Dokku and CapRover.
FAQ
Is Pier really free?
What server do I need to replace Heroku with Pier?
How do I install Pier?
curl -fsSL https://pier.team/install | sudo bash on the server, then open the web UI to create the first user.