Question 1

How do I migrate from Dokploy to Opsily Ship?

Accepted Answer

Dokploy and Ship both understand Docker Compose files, so migration is straightforward. Export your Docker Compose configuration, environment variables, and database backups from Dokploy. Create a new project in Opsily Ship, paste your Compose file, reconnect your Git repository (GitHub, GitLab, Gitea), and deploy. The process takes about 10-15 minutes for most setups. Your database backups can be restored on Opsily's infrastructure. If you have custom build steps or environment-specific configs, you may need to adjust those, but the core app definition ports as-is.

Question 2

Is Ship as feature-complete as Dokploy for production deployments?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Ship includes all core features: Git push-to-deploy, multiple databases (Postgres, MySQL, MongoDB), Redis, SSL automation, logs, container metrics, environment variables, secrets management, unlimited domains, and backup/restore. Where Ship differs is emphasis: Dokploy focuses on self-hosted multi-server control planes; Ship adds managed hosting (Opsily), a Desktop application for solo developers, and built-in EU compliance. For standard Node.js, Python, Go, or Rust apps, feature parity is 1:1. Dokploy's Enterprise tier includes fine-grained RBAC and SSO; Ship's openness means you can implement these yourself if needed.

Question 3

What's the actual cost difference between self-hosting Dokploy and using Opsily Ship?

Accepted Answer

Dokploy Cloud (managed) starts at $4.50/month for the Hobby tier (1 server). Self-hosting Dokploy on your own VPS—say, a Hetzner CPX31 at approximately €14.50/month—costs about €174/year in server fees alone. But add operator labor: configuring backups, monitoring, updates, and troubleshooting costs 5-10 hours per month. If you value your time at €30/hour, self-hosting Dokploy on a VPS runs €1,800-€3,600/year total. Opsily eliminates that labor. Managed hosting sounds expensive until you add the cost of running it yourself.

Question 4

Can I export my data if I want to switch away from Opsily Ship later?

Accepted Answer

Yes, completely. Ship is open-source (Apache 2.0), so you own your setup. Export your Docker Compose file, environment variables, application secrets, and database backups at any time. These are standard formats—not proprietary to Opsily. You can move to self-hosted Dokploy, Coolify, Kamal, or any Docker-based hosting provider without rewriting anything. This is the opposite of vendor lock-in: we want you to stay because Ship and Opsily are genuinely useful, not because your data is trapped.

Question 5

Is Ship a better Dokploy alternative than Coolify?

Accepted Answer

Coolify and Ship are both excellent open-source alternatives to Dokploy, with similar feature sets and active communities. Ship's key differentiators: (1) Opsily's managed hosting option means you get the control plane on EU servers without running your own; (2) Desktop application for solo developers and small teams; (3) Built-in EU compliance (GDPR Article 44 native); (4) Multi-interface deployment (Web, Desktop, CLI, Docker Compose support). If you prefer self-hosted control and don't need managed services, Coolify and Ship are functionally equivalent. If you want managed, EU-compliant hosting with zero ops overhead, Ship plus Opsily is the choice.

Question 6

Does Ship work with Docker Compose like Dokploy does?

Accepted Answer

Yes, fully. Ship supports Docker Compose natively. Upload your docker-compose.yml file directly and deploy as-is. This is a huge migration win: if you have invested in a Compose setup for Dokploy, Coolify, or any platform, that same file works on Ship without modification. Environment variables, service networking, volume mounts, and linked containers all port over. Ship then adds automation on top: git push-to-deploy webhooks, secret management, automatic SSL, monitoring—while keeping your underlying Compose structure intact.

Question 7

Is Ship secure? Does Opsily have security certifications?

Accepted Answer

Ship is open-source (Apache 2.0) code you can audit on GitHub. Opsily's infrastructure is GDPR compliant and runs on data centers certified to ISO 27001 (operated by Hetzner, OVH, and Scaleway). Opsily itself does not hold third-party certifications like SOC 2—our focus is ensuring your data remains in EU jurisdiction where privacy protections are strongest. Your backups are encrypted at rest. All traffic uses TLS. If you work in a highly regulated industry (healthcare, finance), you retain compliance responsibility, but Opsily provides certified infrastructure and zero-US-jurisdiction guarantees that simplify compliance. For GDPR-scope teams, EU data residency solves most of the problem.

Question 8

Can I self-host Ship instead of using Opsily's managed option?

Accepted Answer

Yes, absolutely. Ship (Openship) is open-source under Apache 2.0. You can run the full stack on your own servers: the control plane, database, and edge components all deploy via Docker Compose. Run `openship up` and follow the guided setup. This is ideal if you want full control, have ops expertise in-house, or need to run in a specific region or data center. Self-hosting means you handle backups, monitoring, updates, and security patches yourself—the same operational burden as self-hosting Dokploy. Opsily's managed option is for teams that prefer to offload that work to us.

Dokploy alternatives: Open-source deployment platforms compared

Why teams evaluate Dokploy alternatives

The open-source options

Beyond self-hosted

The three questions

Feature comparison

EU data residency by default, not by request

Why teams choose Opsily's managed Ship

Deploy, not operate

Never trapped

Built for compliance

Built for teams who need reliability

How to switch from Dokploy to Opsily Ship

Sign up for Opsily

Export from Dokploy

Import to Ship

Deploy and update DNS

Simple, transparent pricing

Trust and compliance

GDPR compliant

Enterprise-grade infrastructure

Apache 2.0 open source

Encrypted backups

Zero vendor lock-in

Frequently asked questions

Ready to move from Dokploy?