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Canine
Kubernetes deployment platform with Heroku-like simplicity
Canine brings intuitive, Heroku-style deployment workflows to Kubernetes clusters. Self-host with Docker Compose or use the managed cloud offering for teams.
Overview
Simplify Kubernetes Deployments
Canine is a deployment platform that bridges the gap between Kubernetes power and Heroku simplicity. Designed for developers and teams who want container orchestration without the operational complexity, Canine provides an intuitive interface for managing applications on Kubernetes clusters.
Self-Hosted or Managed
The open-source version runs locally via Docker Compose, giving you full control over your deployment infrastructure. Install with a single command and access the web UI to manage your Kubernetes workloads through a streamlined interface. Customize ports and configuration to fit your environment.
For teams seeking reduced maintenance overhead, Canine Cloud adds GitHub integration for automated deployment workflows, role-based access control for collaboration, and real-time metrics tracking—all without managing the platform infrastructure yourself.
Built for Developer Velocity
Whether you're running a side project or coordinating deployments across a small engineering team, Canine eliminates the steep learning curve typically associated with Kubernetes while preserving its scalability and flexibility.
Highlights
Heroku-inspired UI for Kubernetes cluster management
One-command installation via Docker Compose
Optional managed cloud service with GitHub integration
Real-time monitoring and team collaboration features
Pros
- Dramatically lowers Kubernetes complexity for developers
- Self-hostable with minimal dependencies (Docker and Docker Compose)
- Apache 2.0 license allows commercial use and modification
- Active development with strong community engagement (2,400+ stars)
Considerations
- Requires existing Kubernetes cluster knowledge for advanced configurations
- Self-hosted version lacks GitHub integration and team features
- Relatively new project with evolving feature set
- Documentation may be limited compared to mature PaaS solutions
Managed products teams compare with
When teams consider Canine, these hosted platforms usually appear on the same shortlist.
Looking for a hosted option? These are the services engineering teams benchmark against before choosing open source.
Fit guide
Great for
- Development teams wanting Kubernetes without operational overhead
- Organizations migrating from Heroku to self-hosted infrastructure
- Small teams needing simple deployment workflows on existing K8s clusters
- Developers seeking a visual interface for container orchestration
Not ideal when
- Enterprise environments requiring extensive audit trails and compliance features
- Teams without any Kubernetes infrastructure already in place
- Projects needing multi-cloud or hybrid deployment orchestration
- Organizations requiring 24/7 enterprise support contracts
How teams use it
Startup Migration from Heroku
Reduce hosting costs by 60% while maintaining familiar deployment workflows on self-managed Kubernetes infrastructure
Internal Developer Platform
Enable product engineers to deploy microservices independently without requiring deep Kubernetes expertise from each team member
Staging Environment Management
Spin up isolated preview environments for pull requests with simple UI controls instead of complex kubectl commands
Small Team Collaboration
Coordinate deployments across 3-10 developers using Canine Cloud's role-based access and GitHub integration
Tech snapshot
Ruby46%
HTML27%
CSS20%
JavaScript6%
Shell1%
Dockerfile1%
Frequently asked questions
Do I need an existing Kubernetes cluster to use Canine?
Yes, Canine is a deployment platform that manages applications on your Kubernetes cluster. You'll need a cluster already configured before installing Canine.
What's the difference between self-hosted and Canine Cloud?
The self-hosted version runs via Docker Compose on your infrastructure. Canine Cloud adds GitHub integration, team collaboration, role-based access control, and real-time metrics without platform maintenance.
Can I customize the web UI port?
Yes, set the PORT environment variable when running docker compose up (e.g., PORT=3456 docker compose up -d) to use a custom port instead of the default 3000.
What are the minimum system requirements?
Docker v24.0.0 or higher and Docker Compose v2.0.0 or higher. The platform itself is lightweight and runs as containerized services.
Is Canine suitable for production workloads?
Canine is under active development with a growing community. Evaluate your specific reliability, support, and feature requirements before deploying mission-critical applications.
Project at a glance
Active- Stars
- 2,717
- Watchers
- 2,717
- Forks
- 106
LicenseApache-2.0
Repo age1 year old
Last commit2 days ago
Self-hostingSupported
Primary languageRuby
Last synced 3 hours ago