Question 1

What is a self hosted paas and how does it differ from Heroku?

Accepted Answer

A self hosted paas gives you the same developer experience as Heroku, like git-based deployments and automated builds, but on your own dedicated server. Unlike Heroku, you own the infrastructure and the data. You aren't subject to per-seat pricing or US-based data laws. We manage the underlying server so you get the simplicity of SaaS with the control of self-hosting.

Question 2

How do you handle migrations from Heroku or an open source alternative?

Accepted Answer

Migrating to Ship is straightforward because it uses standard Docker-based build processes. Most applications running on Heroku or Vercel can be moved by simply connecting your repository to Ship. Our team can assist with database migrations for PostgreSQL or Redis to ensure zero downtime. You maintain full control over your environment variables and build settings throughout the process.

Question 3

Where is my data physically stored?

Accepted Answer

All Opsily managed Ship instances are hosted in ISO-certified data centers in Germany. We do not use US-owned cloud providers for our core infrastructure. This ensures 100% compliance with GDPR and provides the data sovereignty required by European businesses. Your backups are also stored within the EU in a separate, secure location.

Question 4

What happens if my server goes down?

Accepted Answer

Our infrastructure is monitored 24/7 by automated systems and our internal ops team. If your Ship instance becomes unresponsive, our orchestration layer attempts an automatic recovery. If the issue persists, our engineers are alerted immediately. We provide a 99.9% uptime SLA for the infrastructure layer to ensure your applications stay online around the clock.

Question 5

Can I scale my self hosted paas as my traffic grows?

Accepted Answer

Yes, scaling is simple. You can upgrade your resource plan (CPU and RAM) through the Opsily dashboard at any time. The process takes less than five minutes and involves a brief restart of your Ship instance. Because our pricing is based on hardware resources rather than user count, your costs remain predictable even as your traffic spikes.

Question 6

Does Ship support persistent storage for databases?

Accepted Answer

Ship handles persistent storage through Docker volumes and managed add-ons. You can deploy PostgreSQL, Redis, or MongoDB instances directly within your PaaS environment with guaranteed data persistence. We include automated daily backups of these volumes in every plan. This ensures your application state and user data are protected against hardware failure or accidental deletion.

Question 7

Do I need to be a DevOps expert to use a managed paas?

Accepted Answer

No. We designed our managed service specifically for founders and developers who want to skip the 'server stuff'. We handle the OS hardening, firewall configuration, SSL renewals, and platform updates. You only need to know how to push code to a repository. We provide the professional plumbing so you can focus on building your product.

The production-ready self hosted paas for European founders.

Why choose a managed self hosted paas?

Sovereignty by default

End the DevOps burnout

Predictable resource pricing

Common questions about Ship