Coolify is a self-hosted PaaS (Vercel/Netlify alternative) that deploys applications, databases, and services on your own infrastructure. It provides a REST API for programmatic control, supports multiple build packs, and uses Traefik for reverse proxy and SSL.
When to use: Deploying applications to self-hosted infrastructure, managing databases and services through API, automating deployments via CI/CD, self-hosting without vendor lock-in.
When NOT to use: Initial Coolify server installation (use the official install script via browser), managing Coolify's own infrastructure (Postgres, Redis — managed internally), or when a managed platform (Vercel, Railway) meets your needs without self-hosting requirements.
Coolify self-hosted PaaS for deploying applications, databases, and services via REST API and Git integration. Covers API authentication, deployment triggers, build packs (Nixpacks, Dockerfile, Compose), CI/CD with GitHub Actions webhooks, environment management, and Traefik proxy configuration. Use when deploying apps to Coolify, triggering deployments via API, configuring build packs, setting up GitHub Actions CI/CD pipelines, managing environment variables, or troubleshooting deployment failures. Source: oakoss/agent-skills.