--- title: "Dokploy vs while: the French alternative for your AI agent" url: https://while.sh/en/comparisons/while-vs-dokploy/ author: "Grégoire Mougeolle, co-founder of Nextmap" updated: 2026-11-02 --- # Dokploy vs while: which one to choose when your AI agent deploys? Dokploy installs an open-source PaaS on your servers, like Heroku on your own machines. while spares you from having servers at all: your AI agent deploys over MCP, and backups, updates and security are already handled. ## What changes between Dokploy and while | What matters | Dokploy | while | |---|---|---| | Who it's for | People who want an open-source PaaS on their own servers (source 1) | People who build their apps with an AI agent, solo or as a team | | Your AI agent | An MCP server with 508 tools, connected with an API key (source 2) | Connected over MCP, with OAuth: it deploys, creates the database, reads the logs and fixes things | | What protects production | The tools you open to your agent, and deletions labeled so that it asks you to confirm (source 2) | Sensitive actions, like deleting a production database, wait for a person | | The database | On your server, copied to your S3 storage, with no point-in-time recovery (source 3) | PostgreSQL in while, backed up every day, with point-in-time recovery | | Who opens your app | A password, or the company's SSO with the Enterprise edition (source 7) | Everyone, a password, or the company account with the Pro plan | | In France | If you rent your server in France (source 4) | Yes, with Nextmap, a French company | | To get started | Free, or $4.50 per month per server for Dokploy Cloud, plus your servers (source 5) | A trial without an account. Then €0 to get started, and €13.75 per month for an app and its database | ## Dokploy, the open-source PaaS you install yourself Dokploy turns your servers into a PaaS: Nixpacks, a Dockerfile or Docker Compose, one-click databases, previews for each pull request, and an MCP server that exposes its whole API to your agent (sources 1 and 2). The software is open source, and your code and your data stay on your servers, even with Dokploy Cloud (source 4). ## With while, your AI agent does the rest - **No server to maintain.** No system to update, no disk to watch, no certificate to renew: your agent deploys, and the rest is taken care of. - **Your databases are backed up for you.** Every day, with point-in-time recovery, and a production backup tested every day. - **Nothing serious happens without you.** Deleting a production database waits for your approval, before it runs, and every action is recorded in a signed activity log. - **Your keys stay secret.** Your app uses them, your agent never sees them. - **Your colleagues sign in with the company account.** Google Workspace or Microsoft 365, on the Pro plan, with no sign-in page to code. ## Moving from Dokploy to while ### Take over your app > You, to your agent: Move our Dokploy app to while. Your agent writes while.yaml from your code or your Dockerfile, and deploys the app. ### Copy your PostgreSQL database > You, to your agent: Copy our PostgreSQL database to while. Your agent exports the database with `pg_dump`, then loads it into while. ### Carry over your variables > You, to your agent: Carry over our environment variables. Your agent carries your settings over to while. You enter your secret keys yourself: it never sees them. ## Which one to choose - **Choose Dokploy** if you want to keep your own servers, and backups and updates don't scare you. - **Choose while** if you want your AI agent to deploy with no server to maintain, with your databases backed up and your keys kept safe. ## Next steps - [Deploy a Docker container](/en/guides/deploy-docker-container/) ## Sources 1. [Dokploy, documentation](https://docs.dokploy.com/docs/core), 2026-11-02 2. [Dokploy, the MCP server](https://github.com/Dokploy/mcp), 2026-11-02 3. [Dokploy, database backups](https://docs.dokploy.com/docs/core/databases/backups), 2026-11-02 4. [Dokploy Cloud](https://docs.dokploy.com/docs/core/cloud), 2026-11-02 5. [Dokploy, pricing](https://dokploy.com/pricing), 2026-11-02 6. [Dokploy, differences between editions](https://docs.dokploy.com/docs/core/differences), 2026-11-02 7. [Dokploy, SSO in front of an app (Enterprise edition)](https://docs.dokploy.com/docs/core/enterprise/sso/application-authentication), 2026-11-02 ## Questions ### Is Dokploy free? Yes, when self-hosted. Dokploy Cloud costs $4.50 per month per server, and you rent the servers separately (source 5). ### Who backs up my databases? With Dokploy, you do: the copies go to your own S3 storage, on the schedule you set (source 3). With while, every database is backed up every day, and a production backup is tested every day. ### Dokploy or Coolify? Both turn your servers into an open-source PaaS, with an MCP server. while, for its part, spares you the servers. ### Can my agent move from Dokploy to while? Yes, it takes over your code or your Dockerfile, copies the database and carries over your variables.