核心 · Key Idea
In one line: these tools wrap Docker / Compose / Caddy / DBs / backups into a web UI — on a single VPS you click a few times to deploy apps, get HTTPS, and monitor resources. Personal / small teams skip K8s and still look professional.
Mainstream self-hosted panels#
- 1Panel
- Active in China; Linux server management + Docker app store + WAF + backups. Chinese-language friendly.
- Coolify
- Open-source Heroku/Vercel alternative. Git-push to deploy, auto HTTPS, managed databases.
- Dokploy
- Like Coolify — clean UI, rich templates.
- Portainer
- Long-standing Docker / K8s management panel — ops-leaning.
- CasaOS / Yunohost / Cosmos Cloud
- Home-server / NAS style — app-store first.
Analogy#
打个比方 · Analogy
ssh + docker compose by hand = bare metal; Vercel / Render = hosted SaaS; 1Panel / Coolify = your own Vercel — same UX, but sovereignty stays yours (data / domains / cost).
Common features#
App templatesApp Templates
One-click deploy of WordPress / GitLab / Plausible / Umami, etc.
Git deploysGit Deploy
Coolify-style auto-detects Dockerfile / Nixpacks / Buildpack.
Automatic HTTPSAuto HTTPS
Bundled Caddy / Traefik — set the domain → auto Let's Encrypt.
BackupsBackups
DB / config scheduled backups to S3 / R2.
DashboardDashboard
CPU / memory / disk live charts.
Built-in proxyBuilt-in Proxy
Reverse proxy in the panel routes by domain to containers.
How it works#
Underneath: Docker / Compose. The panel generates + maintains YAML for you.
Practical notes#
- Best fit: small projects + 1–2 VPS. > 5 hosts or multi-team → K8s + Argo CD.
- Data persistence: pick mount paths during install; pair the panel's backup with offsite S3 / R2.
- Domain setup: A/AAAA record → VPS, add domain in the panel → auto-cert.
- Monitoring: 1Panel has built-in alerts; Coolify integrates Healthchecks.io / Lark webhooks.
- Upgrades: keep the panel itself updated for security and stable APIs.
- Open ports: 80 / 443 required; prefer SSH on a non-default port or via Tailscale (don't expose 22 publicly).
- API + CLI: Coolify has an API — pair with GitHub Actions for auto-deploy.
Easy confusions#
1Panel / Coolify
One or a few VPS — **click-and-go**.
Onboarding in 5 minutes.
Onboarding in 5 minutes.
K8s + Argo CD
Many hosts / envs / team-scale.
Onboarding in weeks.
Onboarding in weeks.