Canine Hosting Live In 5 Minutes

Deploy Canine hosting and give your team a Heroku alternative, self-hosted on your own server: a self-hosted Kubernetes deployment platform console for clusters you already run. xCloud runs the pinned Canine image with its background worker and a private PostgreSQL 16 database, generates the session secret and database password, mounts persistent volumes and publishes the console over HTTPS. Canine deploys to the clusters you connect, not to this server.

Deploy your Canine

No terminal
No technical skills needed
No lock-in, cancel anytime

What is Canine?

Self-hosted Canine is a Kubernetes deployment platform that brings the simplicity of a Platform-as-a-Service such as Heroku to your own Kubernetes infrastructure. Its README lists git webhook deployments from GitHub or GitLab, image builds from a Dockerfile or buildpacks, web services, background workers and cron jobs, custom domains with automatic SSL, secrets and persistent volumes, all from a web interface instead of hand-written YAML. It replaces a hosted PaaS when you want control of the clusters.

On xCloud the template runs the official ghcr.io/caninehq/canine image as a web console plus a background worker, with a PostgreSQL 16 database, pinned by immutable digest because upstream publishes no versioned releases. The postgres_data and canine_storage volumes persist your data, and HTTPS is published on your domain. It does not mount the Docker socket or provide a cluster, so Canine deploys only to clusters you connect.

From Sign-Up to a Live Canine PaaS Console In Just 3 Easy Steps

A Canine install normally means a web container, a worker, a database, generated secrets, volumes, a domain and a certificate before the first onboarding screen. This is the same result without assembling any of it.

Step 01
Sign Up
Create your xCloud account and pick Canine from the OneClick catalog. Choose your domain and target server — there are no extra fields to fill in.
Step 02
We Deploy It For You
One click. We bring up the Canine web console and its background worker with a private PostgreSQL 16 database kept off the public internet, mount the postgres_data and canine_storage volumes, generate the session secret and database password, and publish the console over HTTPS on your domain.
Step 03
Create The First Administrator
Save the Database Password shown in your install credentials, then open your HTTPS Canine URL straight away and complete the onboarding form. That first account becomes the administrator. Then add a Kubernetes cluster from the console to start deploying.

Everything Canine Does, On Your Own Server

The Canine console runs in full here, backed by a database you own, and points at the Kubernetes clusters you choose.

A Console Instead Of kubectl
Manage projects, environments, domains and logs from a web interface, without writing YAML or running kubectl for everyday deploys.
Git-Driven Deployments
Connect GitHub or GitLab and deploy through git webhooks, with images built from a Dockerfile or buildpacks.
Web Services, Workers And Cron
Run web services, background workers and scheduled cron jobs on the clusters you connect.
Domains, Variables And Secrets
Manage custom domains with automatic SSL, environment variables and Kubernetes secrets from one place.
Persistent Console Data
Accounts, projects, stored kubeconfigs and the job queue live in PostgreSQL on a persistent volume, and uploaded avatars on another.
Your Clusters, Your Control
Canine deploys to Kubernetes clusters you connect with a kubeconfig. The Docker socket is not mounted on the xCloud server.

Everything You Need To Run Your Kubernetes Console 24/7

Managed hosting for Canine, so the parts that keep the console online are not your problem.

Canine deployed instantly
Official image pinned by digest
Session secret and database password generated
Kept behind xCloud nginx
Free SSL certificate
Server backups and snapshots
Server security updates included
Choose your server region
Unused balance refunded

What You Can Do With Canine

Heroku-style deploys on your own clusters
Give a small team one console to ship web services, workers and cron jobs to Kubernetes without everyone learning kubectl.
Continuous deployment from git
Connect a GitHub or GitLab repository and let git webhooks trigger builds from a Dockerfile or buildpacks.
One place for domains and secrets
Keep custom domains, environment variables and Kubernetes secrets for every project in a single console.
Keeping control of your infrastructure
Run the console on a server you own while the workloads stay on clusters you choose, rather than on a hosted PaaS.

Canine Screenshots

The Canine console after onboarding, showing the Projects page with a New Cluster button

The Canine console still signed in on the Projects page after an xCloud Restart

Canine vs Alternatives

Heroku: Heroku is a hosted PaaS that runs your apps on its own platform. Canine offers the same style of workflow, per its README, on Kubernetes clusters that you control, instead of on a vendor's.
Coolify: Coolify is another self-hosted deployment tool people compare with. Canine specifically deploys to Kubernetes clusters you connect with a kubeconfig, not onto the server it runs on, so it fits teams that already run Kubernetes.
Dokploy: Dokploy is a self-hosting deployment peer. Compare it with Canine on target: Canine's console in this template drives remote Kubernetes clusters and never uses this server's Docker engine, since the socket is not mounted.
kubectl and hand-written YAML: Some teams deploy with kubectl and hand-written manifests. Canine, per its README, puts a web interface over everyday deploys, secrets and domains, so they do not need hand-written YAML.
Canine Cloud: Canine Cloud is upstream's own hosted offering with extra team features. This page deploys the self-hosted console on your own xCloud server, without those hosted features.

Simple Pricing. Everything Included.

Dedicated Cloud VPS sizes, pre-configured for Canine hosting. Pick the one that fits, and resize any time.

Cloud VPS 6 GB

Cloud VPS 16 GB

More headroom if Canine sits alongside other developer tools.

$59.99per month

16 GB RAM
6 vCPU cores
200 GB NVMe SSD
30 TB
Unlimited

Get started

Every size is a dedicated Cloud VPS we provision, patch, monitor and restore. Billed monthly with no lock-in — delete the server and the unused balance comes back to your account. Canine itself is licensed by its maintainers under Apache-2.0.

Docker hosting

Already Have a Server? Bring Your Own

Connect any VPS — DigitalOcean, Vultr, Linode, AWS, Hetzner or bare metal — and deploy Canine on it through the same panel, for a per-server management fee instead of a Cloud VPS rental.

Free

Start your journey without cost.

$0forever

1 server
10 sites

Start free

Starter

Professional

The same platform, discounted at 6–10 servers.

$4per server / month

6–10 servers
Unlimited sites
All features included
Bring any VPS provider

Get started

Agency

The same platform, discounted at 11+ servers.

$3per server / month

11+ servers
Unlimited sites
All features included
Bring any VPS provider

Get started

Priced per connected server, so your rate adjusts automatically as you add or remove servers. You pay your own provider for the server itself.

Self-managed hosting

Ready To Run Your Own Kubernetes PaaS Console?

Canine on xCloud runs on a dedicated Cloud VPS that we provision, patch, monitor and restore. Deploy faster. Own the server. Stay in control.

Fast Provisioning
Deploy faster using an xCloud Managed Server built with optimized stacks and high-speed SSDs.
Enterprise-grade security
Protect your infrastructure with a free SSL certificate and more advanced security features at no additional cost.
Intuitive Control Panel
From Server creation to application deployment, everything can be managed from our intuitive control panel.

Hear what people are saying about us

See why agencies, developers, startups, and growing businesses choose xCloud to power their projects.

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How Cloud Nine Web Elevated Client Experience While Streamlining Hosting Operations using xCloud

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I like xCloud better than RunCloud, but one thing I'll point out is that some years ago RunCloud was hungry for business, the support was outstanding, and the community was active and helped each other. Maybe it was sold, there was a change in management, or they stopped being hungry, but the quality of the RunCloud offering declined and it hasn't been moving forward quickly. My point is that currently the xCloud team has the edge and it is theirs to keep or lose

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Frequently Asked Questions

Feel free to contact us with any questions or concerns you may have.

How much RAM does Canine need?

The template's baseline asks for 1 CPU core, 2048 MB of RAM and 8 GB of disk, and QA measured about 794 MB in use across the web console, worker and PostgreSQL. The 6 GB tier sold here sits well above that baseline.

Is Canine open source?

Yes. Canine's repository is licensed under Apache-2.0, so you can run the self-hosted console without a licence fee. Canine Cloud is upstream's separate hosted product with extra team features, and this template does not include it. xCloud charges for the Cloud VPS the console runs on.

Is Canine a Heroku alternative?

Its README presents Canine as bringing Heroku-style simplicity to your own Kubernetes infrastructure: deploy from git, manage services in a web interface and keep control of the clusters. It is not a hosted platform, so you bring the Kubernetes cluster that your apps will actually run on.

How do I self-host Canine with Docker?

Upstream's own install uses Docker and Docker Compose, and this is Canine Docker hosting prepared for you: the template runs the canine image as a web console and a worker beside PostgreSQL 16, pinned by digest, with postgres_data and canine_storage volumes and HTTPS on your domain.

Does Canine deploy to Kubernetes, or onto this xCloud server?

It deploys to Kubernetes clusters that you connect with a kubeconfig, not onto this server. The Docker socket is not mounted, so builds go through Canine's Kubernetes build option rather than this server's Docker engine. The xCloud install runs only the console.

Does Canine need its own Kubernetes cluster?

Yes, you bring the cluster. xCloud provides no Kubernetes cluster with this template. Once you have signed in, add your cluster from the Canine console with its kubeconfig, and the console then deploys your projects, environments and domains to it.

Can Canine deploy from GitHub or GitLab?

Per its README, yes: you connect a GitHub or GitLab repository and Canine deploys on every push through git webhooks, building the image from a Dockerfile or buildpacks. The template preconfigures no repository connection, so link your own repositories inside Canine after you sign in.

How do I upgrade Canine?

Nothing upgrades Canine by itself: the container is pinned to ghcr.io/caninehq/canine:latest by immutable digest, so existing installs stay on that build until you adopt a newer template version. Back up the postgres_data and canine_storage volumes first, read the upstream changes, and keep SECRET_KEY_BASE unchanged.

What should I back up?

A backup is a pg_dump of the canine_production database, a copy of the canine_storage volume, and the SECRET_KEY_BASE value kept with the dump. Stored kubeconfigs cannot be decrypted without that secret, and postgres_data is the other persistent volume.

Backups in xCloud

Is this Canine cloud hosting?

No, it is not Canine Cloud, which is upstream's own hosted product. It is the self-hosted console on a dedicated Cloud VPS that xCloud provisions, with the worker, PostgreSQL database and volumes belonging to your install, and HTTPS on your domain.

How do I sign in, and can others sign up?

Open the site right after install and complete the onboarding form: the first account created becomes the administrator, and anyone who reaches the URL first can claim it. Once an administrator exists, onboarding closes and self-service sign-up stays disabled. Use a very strong password.

Can I cancel anytime?

Yes. There is no lock-in — cancel any time. Hosting is billed monthly and charged for what you actually use, so when you delete the server the unused balance is refunded to your account, less up to 10% in payment-processing fees.