[lbruder]

Simple dynos can be replicated with Dokku and Ledokku as a GUI. Just get an Ubuntu VM on Digitalocean, Vultr or whatever, install and configure UFW, fail2ban and automatic security updates, install dokku and you're set.

For managed databases with replication however, Dokku still leaves much to be desired...

[i386]

I want a birthday cake. But first I'll be growing and milling my own grain, raising chickens and a cow. Water will be manually pumped from a well.

[MikeDelta]

It is seriously not that bad at all, I would compare it to making your own cake from the flour, water, butter vs buying ready-made batter.

[subsection1h]

Heroku provides many features like pipelines and review apps that would be impossible to implement on a single VPS and very time-consuming to implement on multiple VPSes. Anyone who recommends a single VPS as a hosting solution (as lbruder did) is likely a hobbyist or a student.

[MikeDelta]

Maybe it sounded a bit simplistic in the description, but running VMs /servers in the cloud/datacenter with CICD pipelines, VM patching, testing, the whole nine yards, etc is not that extreme, difficult, or ridiculous as most of us think it is (e.g. comparing it with making your own flour or growing your own coffee).

There are plenty of professionals doing it this way. Agreed that one machine would not be enough for all that, and building it will take more time, but it has its own advantages of being in control.

Curious to hear your opinion on this if you like to share.