Solution

Self hosted PaaS: keep your servers, hand over the platform maintenance

Deployment on your own infrastructure usually means an open source tool on your own server. That just shifts the effort: updates and outages become your job. We run the platform, you keep the servers.

Your own server over SSH or a managed server, with access staying with you
Docker, databases, reverse proxy, SSL, firewall and backups are configured for you
Pipeline configuration lives readably in the repository, not inside a black box

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Docker
Databases
Reverse proxy
SSL
Backups
Firewall
Coming soon Kubernetes
Coming soon Monitoring

The server baseline is configured automatically, and SSH access stays with you.

In short

Both routes end with deployments running on infrastructure you control. The difference is who operates the platform underneath.

A self operated PaaS tool runs on your server; updates and outages become your job.
The Application Platform configures your servers and runs the control plane for you.

A self operated PaaS tool next to the Application Platform

This describes everyday life with a self installed open source tool compared with a supported platform that works on your servers.

Criterion	Application Platform	Self operated PaaS tool
Deploying to your own infrastructure	Fully covered: Your own server over SSH or a managed server, access stays with you	Fully covered: The core idea, everything runs on your machine
Installing the platform	Fully covered: Not needed, the control plane is operated for you	Not offered: You install and configure the tool yourself
Updates and security patches	Fully covered: Handled for the platform, server baseline is maintained	Not offered: Your responsibility, including breaking changes between versions
Outages and troubleshooting	Fully covered: Support for platform operations, with a team in Cologne	Partly covered: Community forums and your own on-call willingness
Server baseline	Fully covered: Docker, databases, reverse proxy, SSL, firewall and backups are set up	Partly covered: Partly covered depending on the tool, the rest stays manual
CI/CD pipelines	Fully covered: GitLab CI for test, build, publish and release, configuration in the repository	Partly covered: Usually deployment only, CI has to be wired up separately
Mobile apps and store releases	Fully covered: Flutter, Expo and native projects through to App Store, Play Store and Microsoft Store	Not offered: Not part of the tool
Development environments	Fully covered: Remote workspaces with VS Code, JetBrains, RDP and VNC, including macOS	Not offered: Not part of the tool
Roles, permissions and evidence	Fully covered: Organisations, roles, audit log plus a data processing agreement and TOMs as documents	Partly covered: Basic user management, evidence is something you assemble yourself
Control over the platform itself	Partly covered: You control projects and servers, not the source code of the control plane	Fully covered: Open source, adaptable if needed and free of licence cost

Green means fully covered, amber partly, grey not offered. The right column does not describe a single vendor but the usual picture with self installed open source tooling.

As of 10 August 2026. This comparison describes typical workflows and can differ from project to project.

What you get without operating the platform

Six points that separate installed software from a supported setup.

Your servers, your access

Bring your own server over SSH or use a managed one. Either way, access to the machine stays with you.

Baseline without manual work

Docker, databases, reverse proxy, SSL, firewall and backups get configured instead of sitting on a checklist in a wiki.

Pipelines, not just deployment

GitLab CI covers test, build, publish and release. The configuration is readable in the repository and can be adapted.

Environments you can trace

Platform, repositories and managed servers run in Germany and the EU, with a data processing agreement available.

Manage your own machines and managed servers side by side.

Setting up your self hosted stack

Four steps from an empty server to a first deployment.

Connect a server

Add your own server over SSH or book a managed one. The platform validates the access and starts the setup.
Let the baseline run

Docker, databases, reverse proxy, SSL, firewall and backups get configured. No playbook or role to write yourself.
Create the project

Pick your stack in the wizard. Repository, project structure, GitLab CI pipeline, domain and SSL are created with it.
Deploy and keep going

A push triggers the pipeline. Environment variables and credentials live centrally in the project instead of in files on the server.

Frequently asked questions

Is the Application Platform itself self hosted?

Partly. Your applications run on servers with SSH access for you, the control plane – web interface, GitLab, automation – is operated by us. That covers data residency; for avoiding any external control plane, open source is the fit.

What speaks in favour of a self operated open source tool?

Quite a lot: no licence fees, readable source, no dependency on a vendor. For teams with operations experience and willingness to handle updates, that is a sound decision – the effort does not disappear, it just never appears on an invoice.

Can I keep using my existing server?

Both are announced and not yet available. Today the platform runs on Docker, with databases, reverse proxy, SSL, firewall and backups around it. For visibility there is error tracking with Sentry, set up automatically.

Try the middle ground on one project