Vercel is the obvious choice for hosting Next.js. It was built by the same team, the integration is seamless, and the free tier gets you surprisingly far. But at some point — a production API, a team with multiple projects, a client who can’t have their data on a US-based multi-tenant platform — Vercel stops being the right fit.
The alternative most developers reach for is “set up a server.” That path leads quickly into Nginx config files, Docker Compose debugging at midnight, and Let’s Encrypt renewal cron jobs. It’s not hard if you know it, but it’s a significant side project if you don’t.
Here’s a cleaner path.
What “Managed App Hosting” Means in Practice
The core idea is that the application layer and the infrastructure layer have a clean boundary:
- You handle: writing code, pushing to Git, providing environment variable values
- We handle: the server, Docker, SSL, DNS, deployments, backups, uptime monitoring
From your perspective, the workflow is identical to Vercel: push to main, the app updates. The difference is that the infrastructure runs on a dedicated server under a fixed monthly cost, and there’s a person accountable for keeping it running.
The Technical Stack for a Next.js App
A production Next.js app on our infrastructure runs as follows:
Build: Coolify detects the Next.js repo via Nixpacks and builds a production Docker image. No Dockerfile required for standard Next.js apps. If you use a monorepo or have a custom build step, we write a Dockerfile once at onboarding — you never touch it again.
Runtime: The built image runs as a Docker container behind Traefik, which handles HTTPS termination and routing. Next.js needs output: 'standalone' in next.config.js for the Docker build — that’s a one-line change.
Database: If your app needs Postgres, it runs as a separate container in the same Docker Compose project. The connection string is an environment variable injected at runtime. No managed database service to pay for separately.
Domain: Your domain or a subdomain on axiologic.online. One DNS record from you (or we handle it entirely if you transfer DNS management).
What About Server Components and API Routes?
Server Components, API routes, server actions — all of these work because you’re running a Node.js server, not a static export. The standalone Docker output includes the Next.js server.
If you also need background workers, cron jobs, or a separate API service, those can run as additional services in the same Compose project. One deployment, multiple processes.
The Deployment Flow
- You push to
main - Coolify’s webhook fires, triggers a rebuild
- Nixpacks builds the new Docker image
- Coolify swaps the running container (zero-downtime swap)
- If the build fails, the previous container stays live
You see the build logs in Coolify if you want them. If a deploy breaks something, rollback to the previous image is one click.
Comparing Costs
| Option | Monthly cost | Control | Scalability |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vercel Hobby | Free (limits apply) | Low | Auto |
| Vercel Pro | $20/seat + usage | Low | Auto |
| Managed hosting (us) | Fixed fee | High | Manual |
| DIY VPS | €5–20 server + your time | Full | Manual |
The managed hosting option makes sense when: you want Vercel-like simplicity, you need a backend database, you have multiple projects, or your client needs European data residency.
Getting Started
Onboarding a Next.js app takes about 15 minutes. You share repo access, we connect it to Coolify, set env vars, assign a domain, and deploy. First push auto-deploys.
If your app uses a Dockerfile already, or if it’s a monorepo, add maybe an hour for us to review the structure and write the Compose config.