# Coolify Project Overview

## What is Coolify?

Coolify is an **open-source & self-hostable alternative to Heroku / Netlify / Vercel**. It's a comprehensive deployment platform that helps you manage servers, applications, and databases on your own hardware with just an SSH connection.

## Core Mission

**"Imagine having the ease of a cloud but with your own servers. That is Coolify."**

- **No vendor lock-in** - All configurations saved to your servers
- **Self-hosted** - Complete control over your infrastructure  
- **SSH-only requirement** - Works with VPS, Bare Metal, Raspberry PIs, anything
- **Docker-first** - Container-based deployment architecture

## Key Features

### 🚀 **Application Deployment**
- Git-based deployments (GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, Gitea)
- Docker & Docker Compose support
- Preview deployments for pull requests
- Zero-downtime deployments
- Build cache optimization

### 🖥️ **Server Management**
- Multi-server orchestration
- Real-time monitoring and logs
- SSH key management
- Proxy configuration (Traefik/Caddy)
- Resource usage tracking

### 🗄️ **Database Management**
- PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB, MongoDB
- Redis, KeyDB, Dragonfly, ClickHouse
- Automated backups with S3 integration
- Database clustering support

### 🔧 **Infrastructure as Code**
- Docker Compose generation
- Environment variable management
- SSL certificate automation
- Custom domain configuration

### 👥 **Team Collaboration**
- Multi-tenant team organization
- Role-based access control
- Project and environment isolation
- Team-wide resource sharing

### 📊 **Monitoring & Observability**
- Real-time application logs
- Server resource monitoring
- Deployment status tracking
- Webhook integrations
- Notification systems (Email, Discord, Slack, Telegram)

## Target Users

### **DevOps Engineers**
- Infrastructure automation
- Multi-environment management
- CI/CD pipeline integration

### **Developers**
- Easy application deployment
- Development environment provisioning
- Preview deployments for testing

### **Small to Medium Businesses**
- Cost-effective Heroku alternative
- Self-hosted control and privacy
- Scalable infrastructure management

### **Agencies & Consultants**
- Client project isolation
- Multi-tenant management
- White-label deployment solutions

## Business Model

### **Open Source (Free)**
- Complete feature set
- Self-hosted deployment
- Community support
- No feature restrictions

### **Cloud Version (Paid)**
- Managed Coolify instance
- High availability
- Premium support
- Email notifications included
- Same price as self-hosted server (~$4-5/month)

## Architecture Philosophy

### **Server-Side First**
- Laravel backend with Livewire frontend
- Minimal JavaScript footprint
- Real-time updates via WebSockets
- Progressive enhancement approach

### **Docker-Native**
- Container-first deployment strategy
- Docker Compose orchestration
- Image building and registry integration
- Volume and network management

### **Security-Focused**
- SSH-based server communication
- Environment variable encryption
- Team-based access isolation
- Audit logging and activity tracking

## Project Structure

```
coolify/
├── app/                    # Laravel application core
│   ├── Models/            # Domain models (Application, Server, Service)
│   ├── Livewire/          # Frontend components
│   ├── Actions/           # Business logic actions
│   └── Jobs/              # Background job processing
├── resources/             # Frontend assets and views
├── database/              # Migrations and seeders
├── docker/                # Docker configuration
├── scripts/               # Installation and utility scripts
└── tests/                 # Test suites (Pest, Dusk)
```

## Key Differentiators

### **vs. Heroku**
- ✅ Self-hosted (no vendor lock-in)
- ✅ Multi-server support
- ✅ No usage-based pricing
- ✅ Full infrastructure control

### **vs. Vercel/Netlify**
- ✅ Backend application support
- ✅ Database management included
- ✅ Multi-environment workflows
- ✅ Custom server infrastructure

### **vs. Docker Swarm/Kubernetes**
- ✅ User-friendly web interface
- ✅ Git-based deployment workflows
- ✅ Integrated monitoring and logging
- ✅ No complex YAML configuration

## Development Principles

- **Simplicity over complexity**
- **Convention over configuration**
- **Security by default**
- **Developer experience focused**
- **Community-driven development**
