Netlify hosts sites on their edge. It is not a Docker, database, or Compose control plane. Nearzero is — on the VPS you already pay for.
These are the jobs Netlify does not give you.
Run containers, Postgres, Redis, and Compose on Linux you own. Netlify’s product is static delivery, Functions, and edge — not a Docker host.
Install Nearzero on one VPS, add more over SSH, and choose where each service runs. Netlify does not give you that host.
Traefik and Let's Encrypt terminate TLS on the selected server. Optional CoreDNS points the hostname at that IP.
Nearzero’s Agent reads deploys, logs, and servers. Netlify Agent Runners write application code. Different job.
Read the competitor column as what you give up — not as a feature list for them.
| Area | Nearzero | Netlify | What you get |
|---|---|---|---|
| Where workloads run | Your Linux servers | Netlify-managed edge and Functions | You need a host. They remove the host. |
| Runtime | Containers, databases, Compose | Static sites, Functions, Edge Functions | Those runtimes are not a substitute for a Docker Compose stack. |
| Server fleet | Select local and remote Linux hosts | No origin server for you to operate | Placement, volumes, and backups stay yours. |
| Domains and HTTPS | Traefik on the selected server | Hostname maps to Netlify’s edge | Nearzero routes to the machine running the service. |
| Agent | Policy-bounded infrastructure operations | Agent Runners that write application code | Nearzero does not pretend to be a coding agent. It operates the platform. |
| Self-hosted Git | Build and run on your servers | Connect Git; the runtime is still Netlify | Self-hosted Git is not a self-hosted Netlify. |
Control stays on the host. Nearzero builds, deploys, and routes.
Apps, databases, and volumes live on a Linux host you select. You are not splitting a frontend onto Netlify and a database onto another vendor just to get a URL.
If the product is a Compose stack, a persistent database, or a long-running API, Nearzero is the control plane for that. Netlify is not.
Managed records and Traefik send the hostname to the IP that actually runs the service, including remote servers.
You still patch, back up, and size the VPS. That is how you keep the data, the network path, and the incident response.
Short answers for why this control plane belongs on your servers.
Only if the real requirement is self-hosted containers, databases, and Compose. Nearzero does not replace a managed CDN.
No. Netlify’s documented runtime is managed web delivery plus Functions and edge. Nearzero runs Compose on a Linux Docker host you operate.
No. The Git repo can live on your hardware. The deploy still runs on Netlify. Nearzero builds and runs on your VPS.
It inspects and operates your deployments, logs, domains, and servers through scoped tools. Production mutations stay off until you enable them.
Yes. Nearzero builds, deploys, and routes. You keep the VPS healthy. That is the product.
Thirty minutes against the hosts, DNS, and Compose you actually run.
Bring what you run today. We will say when Nearzero is the wrong install.
A working session, not a pitch deck.
Own the host first. Then put the control plane on it.
Dedicated Linux host, DNS, HTTPS, and the first deploy.
Vercel, Netlify, Coolify, and Dokploy — what they do not give you.