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Comparison · Infra & APIs

Dokku vs Oh Dear

A side-by-side editorial comparison of Dokku and Oh Dear — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.

Dokku vs Oh Dear: at a glance

FeatureDokkuOh Dear
SectorInfra & APIsInfra & APIs
Velocity score5.05.0
Sparks · 30d00
Top themespaas, k3s, cli-automation, deploy-safetyuptime-monitoring, security, mcp, status-pages
Last editorial update8h ago55m ago
WebsiteVisit →Visit →

What is Dokku?

Dokku's autumn patches swap new features for safer deploys and stricter validation.

The 0.38 line reached v0.38.34 in late October, and the recent releases are mostly about correctness. Deploy locks now release on exit and honor apps:lock, app names and arguments are validated across commands, config write failures are reported, and dokku run propagates exit codes. Smaller additions include a --no-cache flag for ps:rebuild, per-entry cron MAILTO and a configurable nginx proxy HTTP version.

Read the full Dokku trajectory →

What is Oh Dear?

Oh Dear's weekly changelogs have carried a security section five weeks running.

Oh Dear, an uptime and site monitoring service, publishes a changelog each week. Since late September, along with features such as custom webhook headers, 30 to 90 days of status page history and AI fix prompts in Broken Links alerts, it has fixed a high-severity SSRF in uptime checks and AI page fetches, a status page CNAME takeover, a reflected XSS and a status page ID leak, restricted scoped API tokens from team-wide endpoints, and made the MCP consent screen show redirect destinations. The MCP URL now opens a landing page in a browser.

Read the full Oh Dear trajectory →

Dokku vs Oh Dear: editorial side-by-side

D
Dokku
INFRA · APIS
5.0

Dokku's autumn patches swap new features for safer deploys and stricter validation.

◆ Current state

The 0.38 line reached v0.38.34 in late October, and the recent releases are mostly about correctness. Deploy locks now release on exit and honor apps:lock, app names and arguments are validated across commands, config write failures are reported, and dokku run propagates exit codes. Smaller additions include a --no-cache flag for ps:rebuild, per-entry cron MAILTO and a configurable nginx proxy HTTP version.

◆ Where it's heading

The August k3s parity push has given way to a hardening pass through commands that used to fail quietly. A second thread makes configuration declarative: storage mounts, scheduler-k3s metadata and chart overrides each gained a whole-set form, which suits automation tools more than people at a terminal. Machine use of the CLI remains the through-line.

◆ Prediction

Expect the whole-set form to reach more properties, since three subsystems have now gained it. Patch releases should stay frequent, and the notes give no sign of a move past the 0.38 line.

O
Oh Dear
INFRA · APIS
5.0

Oh Dear's weekly changelogs have carried a security section five weeks running.

◆ Current state

Oh Dear, an uptime and site monitoring service, publishes a changelog each week. Since late September, along with features such as custom webhook headers, 30 to 90 days of status page history and AI fix prompts in Broken Links alerts, it has fixed a high-severity SSRF in uptime checks and AI page fetches, a status page CNAME takeover, a reflected XSS and a status page ID leak, restricted scoped API tokens from team-wide endpoints, and made the MCP consent screen show redirect destinations. The MCP URL now opens a landing page in a browser.

◆ Where it's heading

August's large MCP release opened the whole product to AI agents, and the autumn work is closing the gaps that kind of exposure creates: SSRF through AI page fetches, consent redirects and token scope. Several fixes credit outside reporters, which suggests responsible disclosure is active. Product work continues alongside in small, practical items for webhooks, status pages and resellers.

◆ Prediction

Expect security fixes to keep appearing in most weekly changelogs while outside reports continue. AI features are spreading into notifications, as the Broken Links fix prompts show, so more AI-written guidance inside alerts is likely.

Alternatives to Dokku and Oh Dear

Other Infra & APIs products tracked by Sparkpulse, ranked by recent ship velocity. Each card links to a full editorial trajectory and lets you pivot into a head-to-head comparison with either Dokku or Oh Dear.

See all Dokku alternatives → · See all Oh Dear alternatives →

Recent activity from Dokku and Oh Dear

Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.

  1. 2d agoOh DearWebhook custom headers, uptime header rules, reseller teams page
  2. 3d agoDokkuv0.38.34: ps:rebuild --no-cache and full network attachment
  3. 3d agoDokkuv0.38.33: wget dependency fix for source installs
  4. 8d agoDokkuv0.38.32: safer deploy locks, per-cron MAILTO, HAProxy TLS
  5. 9d agoOh DearAI fix prompts in Broken Links alerts, PHP CVE warnings
  6. 9d agoOh DearScoped tokens locked out of team-wide endpoints
  7. 15d agoOh DearHigh-severity SSRF fixed in uptime checks and AI fetches
  8. 1mo agoOh DearLonger status page history; MCP consent and CNAME fixes
  9. 1mo agoDokkuv0.38.31: stricter validation; procfile shell operators removed
  10. 1mo agoOh DearWebhook deep links; one slow monitor no longer stalls others
  11. 1mo agoDokkuv0.38.30: per-mount storage replace and sysctl reporting
  12. 1mo agoDokkuv0.38.29: whole-set config forms and honest exit codes

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between Dokku and Oh Dear?

They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. Dokku and Oh Dear are shipping at a similar cadence (velocity 5.0 vs 5.0, both within Sparkpulse's "active" band). See the at-a-glance table above for a side-by-side breakdown of velocity, recent sparks, and editorial themes.

Is Dokku better than Oh Dear?

Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. Dokku and Oh Dear are shipping at a similar cadence (velocity 5.0 vs 5.0, both within Sparkpulse's "active" band). For your specific use case, the alternatives sections above list other Infra & APIs products to evaluate alongside.

What are the best alternatives to Dokku?

Top Dokku alternatives in Infra & APIs are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "Dokku alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/dokku for the full list with editorial commentary on each.

What are the best alternatives to Oh Dear?

Top Oh Dear alternatives in Infra & APIs are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "Oh Dear alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/ohdear for the full list with editorial commentary on each.