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Developer ToolsAlternative to VercelAlternative to RenderAlternative to HerokuAlternative to Fly.io

Kamal

Deploy web apps anywhere from bare metal to cloud VMs with zero downtime and Docker.

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LicenseMIT
GitHub stars11.0k
Last commit1 weeks ago
Tags6 topics
Zero DowntimeDevopsInfrastructureDeploymentContainersDocker
Overview

Why consider Kamal?

Kamal is a lightweight deployment tool created by 37signals to deploy web applications anywhere from bare metal servers to cloud instances using Docker and SSH with zero-downtime rolling updates.

Guided learning

Learn Kamal by building

Practical setup notes, real use cases, and copy-ready examples in one focused guide.

1 min read 3 sections
In this guide3 sections

Overview of Kamal

Kamal offers zero-downtime application deployments directly to bare-metal servers or cloud virtual machines without requiring complex Kubernetes clusters. By leveraging SSH connections, Docker containerization, and dynamic proxy routing, Kamal enables teams to push releases across multiple target hosts with ease.

Designed by Basecamp/37signals, Kamal uses Traefik or Kamal Proxy under the hood to coordinate blue-green traffic cutovers so active connections never drop during deployment.

Installation and Project Setup

Install Kamal as a Ruby gem or run it via containerized CLI tools:

bash
1gem install kamal

Initialize a new deployment configuration in your project repository:

bash
1kamal init

This creates config/deploy.yml where you define target server IPs, container image names, and environment variables.

Deploying Your Application

Run the setup and deployment commands:

bash
1kamal setup
2kamal deploy

Kamal connects to your target servers over SSH, builds or pulls your application container image, provisions accessory containers like PostgreSQL or Redis, and starts the container with automated healthchecks.

Kamal is distributed under the permissive MIT License.

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Kamal FAQs

Kamal is listed as a Developer Tools tool on TiloBox. Review the overview, features, and official documentation on this page to decide whether it solves your specific workflow.

Start with the project's GitHub repository and official website for supported installation and deployment instructions. Test the setup with representative data or a small project before rolling it out more widely.

Kamal is listed under the MIT license. Read the complete license text and the project's notices before using, modifying, or distributing the software.

Production readiness depends on your requirements. Review maintenance activity, security practices, documentation, backup and upgrade procedures, and compatibility with your stack; then validate it in a non-production environment.

Kamal is listed as an alternative to Vercel. Compare the core workflow, deployment model, integrations, and licensing against your must-have requirements before switching.