Journal28 entries

Deployment notes.For agents and engineers.

Practical field notes on shipping applications, choosing infrastructure, and operating production with Dockup.

Dockup journal / indexLatest first
01
Comparisons

Agent Skills vs MCP: Choosing the Right Interface

Agent skills vs MCP explained: compare instructions, tool connections, security boundaries, versioning, and when to combine both for reliable AI agents.

January 15, 20268 min read
02
DevOps

Build and Runtime Logs: Debug Dockup Deployments

Build and runtime logs on Dockup: use --build and --follow, separate failure stages, read NDJSON, preserve exit codes, and diagnose deploys faster.

January 15, 20268 min read
03
AI Agents

AI Agent CI/CD with DOCKUP_TOKEN

AI agent CI/CD with DOCKUP_TOKEN: authenticate without a browser, deploy with terminal-state waiting, protect secrets, and fail pipelines correctly.

January 15, 20268 min read
04
AI Agents

Claude Code Deployment: Production Guide

Claude Code deployment with Dockup: install the agent skill, authenticate safely, deploy from Git, verify success, and operate production safely.

January 15, 20268 min read
05
AI Agents

AI Agent CLI Design: JSON, Exit Codes, and Wait

AI agent CLI design requires structured JSON, real exit codes, terminal-state waiting, stable errors, and safe confirmation for production automation.

January 15, 20268 min read
06
AI Agents

Codex Deployment: End-to-End Dockup Workflow

Codex deployment with Dockup, from CLI and skill installation to Git service creation, JSON verification, health checks, rollback, and safe retries.

January 15, 20268 min read
07
Guides

Custom Domain and Automatic TLS on Dockup

Custom domain and automatic TLS on Dockup: add DNS, verify ownership, issue HTTPS, expose extra ports, validate cutover, and troubleshoot safely.

January 15, 20268 min read
08
Comparisons

Dockup vs Render vs Fly.io for Agent Deployment

Dockup vs Render vs Fly.io compared for AI agent deployment, build workflows, private networking, previews, operations, pricing models, and team fit.

January 15, 20268 min read
09
DevOps

dockup.yaml Config as Code: Plan and Apply Safely

dockup.yaml config as code with a read-only plan, additive apply, explicit prune, health checks, domains, resources, and safe secret handling.

January 15, 20268 min read
10
DevOps

Environment Variables and Secrets on Dockup

Environment variables and secrets on Dockup: set, import, mask, rotate, and redeploy configuration safely for services and autonomous agents.

January 15, 20268 min read
11
Guides

Git Repository to Production: Dockup Deploy Guide

Git repository to production with Dockup: create a service, choose Nixpacks or Dockerfile, configure health checks, deploy, verify, and roll back.

January 15, 20268 min read
12
Guides

Linux Cloud Boxes on Dockup: 7 Distribution Options

Linux cloud boxes on Dockup: choose seven distributions, provision CPU and RAM, retrieve SSH access, configure the operating system, and compare containers.

January 15, 20268 min read
13
Databases

Managed PostgreSQL on Dockup: Complete Guide

Managed PostgreSQL on Dockup: create a database, connect a service securely, inspect size and logs, back up data, restore safely, and add read-only users.

January 15, 20268 min read
14
Comparisons

Nixpacks vs Dockerfile: Which Build Should You Use?

Nixpacks vs Dockerfile for PaaS builds: compare detection, reproducibility, customization, debugging, security, and the right Dockup deployment path.

January 15, 20268 min read
15
Comparisons

PaaS Pricing: Usage-Based vs Fixed Instance Costs

PaaS pricing explained: compare per-minute usage with fixed instance fees, calculate CPU/RAM/disk cost, understand Dockup plans, and forecast safely.

January 15, 20268 min read
16
DevOps

Persistent Volumes and Snapshots on Dockup

Persistent volumes and snapshots on Dockup: choose mount paths, inspect usage, take and schedule snapshots, restore safely, and protect durable data.

January 15, 20268 min read
17
DevOps

Private Networking and .internal Domains on Dockup

Private networking on Dockup connects project services and databases through .internal names, isolates projects, and gives previews read-only database access.

January 15, 20268 min read
18
AI Agents

AI Agent Production Guardrails for Safe Autonomy

AI agent production guardrails for secrets, confirmations, audit logs, scoped access, structured errors, and safe autonomous deployment workflows.

January 15, 20268 min read
19
Databases

Redis Cache and Queue Workloads on Dockup

Redis cache and queue patterns on Dockup: provision managed Redis, connect privately, define failure behavior, avoid data loss assumptions, and monitor usage.

January 15, 20268 min read
20
Guides

Windows VM in the Cloud with RDP on Dockup

Windows VM in the cloud with Dockup: choose Server 2019/2022/2025 or Windows 10/11, provision CPU and RAM, retrieve RDP access, and operate securely.

January 15, 20268 min read
21
Comparison

DockUp vs Heroku: The Modern Heroku Alternative for 2025

A comprehensive comparison of DockUp.ai and Heroku. Learn why developers are switching from Heroku to DockUp for faster deployments, better pricing, and AI-powered features.

December 20, 20258 min read
22
Comparison

DockUp vs Vercel: Full-Stack Deployment Compared

Vercel excels at frontend, but what about backends and databases? Compare DockUp.ai and Vercel to find the right platform for your full-stack application.

December 18, 20257 min read
23
Comparison

DockUp vs Railway: The Ultimate Modern PaaS Comparison for 2025

An in-depth comparison of DockUp.ai and Railway for developers seeking the best Heroku alternative. Compare pricing, AI features, performance, and developer experience to make the right choice.

December 26, 202515 min read
24
DevOps

Zero Downtime Deployments: A Complete Guide

Learn how to deploy your applications without any service interruption using rolling updates and blue-green deployment strategies.

January 10, 20268 min read
25
Infrastructure

Kubernetes vs Docker: When to Use What

Understanding the differences between container runtimes and orchestration platforms to make the right choice for your project.

January 5, 20266 min read
26
AI

How AI is Transforming Software Development

Explore how AI-powered tools like Dockup Architect are revolutionizing the way we build and deploy applications.

December 28, 20255 min read
27
Database

Database Scaling Strategies for Growing Startups

From vertical scaling to sharding: learn the strategies that will keep your database performant as you grow.

December 20, 20257 min read
28
Security

10 Security Best Practices for Cloud Deployments

Protect your applications with these essential security measures every developer should implement.

December 15, 20259 min read
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