Posted 3 weeks ago by Vanessa

Deploying web applications doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive. With Dokku—a Docker-powered Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) that mimics Heroku—and Ramnode’s affordable VPS hosting, you can create your own deployment platform for a fraction of the cost of traditional hosting solutions.

In this comprehensive guide, we’ll walk through setting up Dokku on a Ramnode VPS and deploying your first application.

What You’ll Need

  • A Ramnode VPS (minimum 1GB RAM recommended)
  • A domain name (optional but recommended)
  • Basic command line knowledge
  • An application ready for deployment

Why Choose Ramnode + Dokku?

Ramnode offers reliable, affordable VPS hosting with excellent performance and customer support. Our servers are perfect for small to medium-scale applications.

Dokku provides a Heroku-like deployment experience on your own server, giving you:

  • Git-based deployments
  • Automatic SSL certificates
  • Database management
  • Plugin ecosystem
  • Cost savings compared to managed PaaS solutions

Setting Up Your Ramnode VPS

Ordering Your VPS

  1. Visit the Cloud Control Panel and choose a VPS plan (1GB RAM minimum for Dokku)
  2. Choose your preferred data center location
  3. Select Ubuntu 22.04 or 24.04 LTS as your operating system

Initial Server Setup

Once your VPS is ready, connect via SSH:

ssh root@your-server-ip

Update the system:

apt update && apt upgrade -y

Create a non-root user (optional but recommended):

adduser dokku
usermod -aG sudo dokku

Installing Dokku

Download and Install Dokku

Run the official Dokku installation script:

wget https://raw.githubusercontent.com/dokku/dokku/v0.32.4/bootstrap.sh
sudo DOKKU_TAG=v0.32.4 bash bootstrap.sh

The installation process will take several minutes as it downloads and configures Docker and other dependencies.

Initial Configuration

After installation, visit your server’s IP address in a web browser to complete the setup:

  1. Add your SSH public key
  2. Set your hostname (use your domain if you have one)
  3. Enable virtual host naming for easier app management

Alternatively, configure via command line:

# Set up SSH key
echo "your-public-key-here" | sudo dokku ssh-keys:add admin

# Configure hostname
sudo dokku domains:set-global your-domain.com

Configuring DNS (Optional)

If you’re using a custom domain, configure your DNS settings:

A Records

  • Point your main domain to your server IP
  • Create a wildcard subdomain: *.yourdomain.com → server IP

This allows you to access apps at app-name.yourdomain.com.

Deploying Your First Application

Let’s deploy a simple Node.js application as an example.

Prepare Your Application

Ensure your application has the necessary files:

package.json (for Node.js):

{
  "name": "my-app",
  "version": "1.0.0",
  "scripts": {
    "start": "node server.js"
  },
  "dependencies": {
    "express": "^4.18.0"
  }
}

Procfile (optional but recommended):

web: node server.js

Create the Application on Dokku

On your server, create a new app:

dokku apps:create my-app

Deploy from Git

From your local machine, add Dokku as a remote:

git remote add dokku dokku@your-server-ip:my-app

Deploy your application:

git push dokku main

Dokku will automatically detect your application type, build it, and deploy it.

Essential Dokku Commands

Managing Applications

# List all apps
dokku apps:list

# View app info
dokku apps:info my-app

# Delete an app
dokku apps:destroy my-app

Managing Domains

# Add a custom domain
dokku domains:add my-app example.com

# List domains for an app
dokku domains:report my-app

# Remove a domain
dokku domains:remove my-app example.com

Environment Variables

# Set environment variables
dokku config:set my-app NODE_ENV=production API_KEY=your-key

# View environment variables
dokku config my-app

# Unset a variable
dokku config:unset my-app API_KEY

Adding a Database

Dokku supports various databases through plugins. Let’s add PostgreSQL:

Install PostgreSQL Plugin

sudo dokku plugin:install https://github.com/dokku/dokku-postgres.git

Create and Link Database

# Create a PostgreSQL database
dokku postgres:create my-app-db

# Link it to your app
dokku postgres:link my-app-db my-app

The database URL will be automatically added to your app’s environment variables as DATABASE_URL.

Setting Up SSL with Let’s Encrypt

Install the Let’s Encrypt plugin:

sudo dokku plugin:install https://github.com/dokku/dokku-letsencrypt.git

Enable SSL for your app:

# Set email for Let's Encrypt
dokku letsencrypt:set my-app email your-email@example.com

# Enable SSL
dokku letsencrypt:enable my-app

# Set up auto-renewal
dokku letsencrypt:cron-job --add

Monitoring and Maintenance

View Application Logs

# View recent logs
dokku logs my-app

# Follow logs in real-time
dokku logs my-app -t

Application Management

# Restart an app
dokku ps:restart my-app

# Scale an app (if using multiple processes)
dokku ps:scale my-app web=2

# Check app status
dokku ps:report my-app

Server Maintenance

Keep your server updated:

# Update system packages
sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

# Update Dokku
sudo apt update && sudo apt install dokku

Best Practices

Security

  1. Set up a firewall: Use UFW to restrict access
  2. Regular updates: Keep your system and Dokku updated
  3. SSH key authentication: Disable password authentication

Performance

  1. Monitor resources: Use htop and df -h to monitor CPU, memory, and disk usage
  2. Set up swap: Add swap space if your VPS has limited RAM
  3. Optimize applications: Use environment-specific configurations
  4. Database optimization: Tune database settings for your workload

Backups

  1. Database backups: Use dokku postgres:backup for PostgreSQL
  2. File backups: Regularly backup your application files
  3. Configuration backups: Save your Dokku configurations

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Build Failures

  • Check your application’s dependencies
  • Verify Procfile syntax
  • Review build logs: dokku logs my-app

Memory Issues

  • Monitor memory usage with free -h
  • Add swap space if needed
  • Consider upgrading your VPS plan

SSL Certificate Issues

  • Ensure your domain points to your server
  • Check that ports 80 and 443 are open
  • Verify Let’s Encrypt plugin installation

Conclusion

Deploying applications with Dokku on a Ramnode VPS provides an excellent balance of cost, control, and simplicity. You get the ease of Heroku-style deployments while maintaining full control over your infrastructure at a fraction of the cost.

This setup is perfect for:

  • Personal projects and portfolios
  • Small to medium business applications
  • Development and staging environments
  • Learning DevOps concepts

With Dokku handling the deployment complexity and Ramnode providing reliable hosting, you can focus on building great applications rather than managing infrastructure.