# dokku vs scalar

> Two self-hosted projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.

| | dokku | scalar |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 77/100 ✓ | 76/100 |
| Rank in category | #3 of 14 in Platform as a Service | #3 of 13 in API |
| GitHub stars | 32 208 ✓ | 16 337 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +53 | +148 ✓ |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 23 | 46 ✓ |
| Latest release | v0.38.32 · 25 Oct 2026 | release-2026-10-28-0d01943 · 28 Oct 2026 ✓ |
| Setup | Moderate | Easy ✓ |
| Official Docker image | No | Yes ✓ |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Main language | Go | Typescript |

## Which one should you pick?

dokku scores 77/100 against 76/100 for scalar, so it is the safer default.

scalar ships more often: 46 stable releases in the past year, against 23 for dokku.

If you want the quickest setup, scalar is easier to run; dokku needs more configuration.

scalar is growing faster right now (+148 stars in 30 days).

## Details

- [dokku](https://selfhost.directory/project/dokku) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/dokku.md)
- [scalar](https://selfhost.directory/project/scalar) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/scalar.md)

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Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/dokku-vs-scalar