---
title: Dokku
description: Deploy ParadeDB on Dokku from the official Docker image
canonical: https://www.paradedb.com/docs/deploy/cloud-platforms/dokku
---

<Note>
  Cloud platform deployments run ParadeDB Community, which do not support high
  availability or read replicas. If these matter to you, we recommend [ParadeDB
  Enterprise](/deploy/enterprise) deployed via
  [Kubernetes](/deploy/self-hosted/kubernetes) or [BYOC](/deploy/byoc).
</Note>

[Dokku](https://dokku.com) is a self-hosted PaaS built on Docker. This guide walks through deploying ParadeDB on a Dokku host using the official `paradedb/paradedb` Docker image, with a persistent storage mount for the database and a TCP proxy on port 5432.

## Prerequisites

1. A Dokku host with the [`dokku` CLI installed](https://dokku.com/docs/getting-started/installation/) (this guide assumes Dokku 0.34 or newer)
2. SSH access to the host as a user that can invoke `dokku` (typically `root` via `sudo`, or a user in the `dokku` group)

Run all `dokku ...` commands from the host, either directly on the host over SSH or via `ssh dokku@<HOST> <command>` from your local machine.

## Create the App

```bash
dokku apps:create paradedb
```

## Attach Persistent Storage

ParadeDB stores its data under `/var/lib/postgresql`. Create a host directory and mount it into the app so the database survives container rebuilds:

```bash
dokku storage:ensure-directory paradedb
dokku storage:mount paradedb /var/lib/dokku/data/storage/paradedb:/var/lib/postgresql
```

## Set the Postgres Password

Set the database password as a Dokku config var so it never lives in a Docker image or a `git` history:

```bash
dokku config:set paradedb \
  POSTGRES_PASSWORD=<YOUR_STRONG_PASSWORD> \
  POSTGRES_USER=postgres \
  POSTGRES_DB=paradedb
```

## Expose Port 5432

Postgres speaks TCP on port 5432. Tell Dokku to forward that port through its proxy layer:

```bash
dokku ports:add paradedb tcp:5432:5432
```

## Deploy from Docker Hub

Point Dokku at the official ParadeDB image and rebuild the app:

```bash
dokku git:from-image paradedb paradedb/paradedb:latest
```

See the [Docker Hub page](https://hub.docker.com/r/paradedb/paradedb/tags) for available tags. Pin a tag (for example `paradedb/paradedb:0.25.4-pg18`) instead of `latest` for reproducible deploys.

## Connect to ParadeDB

From any machine that can reach your Dokku host on port 5432:

```bash
psql "postgres://postgres:<YOUR_STRONG_PASSWORD>@<DOKKU_HOST>:5432/paradedb"
```

Replace `<DOKKU_HOST>` with your Dokku host's IP or hostname.

<Note>
  By default the port is exposed on every interface. If the host is on the public internet, restrict inbound
  traffic to trusted IPs with your firewall (e.g. `ufw allow from <YOUR_IP> to any port 5432 proto tcp`) and make
  sure `POSTGRES_PASSWORD` is strong.
</Note>