# AppCrane > AppCrane — the self-hosted, agent-native Heroku and Vercel alternative. Deploy and run the apps your AI builds over MCP, on a server you own. AppCrane deploys AI-built apps to a server you own — Docker isolation, auto-HTTPS, dual environments, and an MCP server so your coding agent does the deploying. The source is at https://github.com/gitayg/appCrane ## Key facts - What it is: an open-source, self-hosted platform that runs the internal apps a team builds with AI coding tools (Claude Code, Cursor, Codex), on one Ubuntu server you own. - How agents use it: an MCP server with 74 appcrane_* tools (32 read-only, 42 that change things). Deploys go to sandbox by default and production needs an explicit per-app permission. - License: AGPL-3.0 for the platform, with SAML 2.0, OIDC, SCIM, per-app roles and the audit log in the open-source build. The appcrane-mcp connector is MIT. - Price: free to self-host; you pay for your own server. - Runs on: one Ubuntu 22.04 or newer server. Node.js 22, Express 5, SQLite, Docker (one container per app) and Caddy with Let's Encrypt HTTPS. - Security model: four roles (Platform Owner, App Owner, App Admin, App User). App secrets are AES-256-GCM encrypted and the platform operator cannot read them for apps they are not assigned to. Every action is logged against its user, tagged agent or human, in a hash-chained audit log. - Compliance: aligned with SOC 2 but not SOC 2 audited, with a signed evidence pack mapped to CC6, CC7, CC8, A1 and C1, and a FIPS 140-3 mode on validated modules you supply. - Current version: 2.134.0. ## Docs - [AppCrane README](https://github.com/gitayg/appCrane#readme): install, configuration, every feature and the API. - [MCP connector (appcrane-mcp)](https://github.com/gitayg/appcrane-mcp): the npm package a coding agent runs to reach an AppCrane server. - [Install guide](https://appcrane.dev/install.html): the one-command install on a fresh Ubuntu server. - [Changelog](https://appcrane.dev/changelog.html): every release, newest first. - [Full site text](https://appcrane.dev/llms-full.txt): every page listed below as one plain-text file. This file lists all 37 pages in https://appcrane.dev/sitemap.xml, each once, including 19 head-to-head comparison pages. Each link's note is that page's own summary. ## Product - [AppCrane — self-hosted Heroku & Vercel alternative](https://appcrane.dev/): The self-hosted, agent-native Heroku & Vercel alternative — deploy the apps your AI builds over MCP, to a server you own. Enterprise SSO, per-user audit. - [App catalogue — 67 open-source apps AppCrane installs](https://appcrane.dev/app-catalogue.html): Every open-source app AppCrane installs on a server you own — 67 of them across 20 categories, ERP to helpdesk. Search by name, filter by category. - [AppCrane for app developers — ship without running the server](https://appcrane.dev/appcrane-for-app-developers.html): Sandbox and production per app, a promote that refuses an unhealthy sandbox, a rollback that restarts the image it built, and a database you did not provision. - [AppCrane for forward-deployed engineers](https://appcrane.dev/appcrane-for-forward-deployed-engineers.html): AppCrane is the deploy layer for forward-deployed engineers: build with your agent, ship inside the client's own infrastructure, hand off with SSO and audit. - [AppCrane for IT managers — govern the apps the business built](https://appcrane.dev/appcrane-for-it-managers.html): Single sign-on at the proxy, per-app roles, an audit log that tells an agent from a person, per-app resource ceilings, and a scan of what each deploy shipped. - [Solutions — AppCrane by who has to run it](https://appcrane.dev/appcrane-solutions.html): AppCrane read from three seats: the IT manager governing internal apps, the engineer shipping on a customer's box, and the developer who wants a deploy. - [AppCrane changelog](https://appcrane.dev/changelog.html): Every AppCrane release, newest first: the agent-native, self-hosted deploy platform from today back to its first release, with patch fixes under each minor. - [Contact AppCrane — pricing, deployment, questions](https://appcrane.dev/contact.html): Questions about AppCrane — self-hosting, pricing, or a deployment? Send a note from here and we will get back to you. - [Deploy from Claude & Cursor](https://appcrane.dev/deploy-from-claude.html): Vibe-code with Claude Code or Cursor, then let your AI agent deploy over MCP to a server you own — code and secrets never leave your box. - [Install AppCrane on your own Ubuntu server](https://appcrane.dev/install.html): One command on a fresh Ubuntu server installs AppCrane, Caddy with automatic HTTPS, Docker and an encrypted-secrets key. Then connect your agent. - [Privacy](https://appcrane.dev/privacy.html): What appcrane.dev, the anonymous install check-in and the MCP connector send to the AppCrane project, and what a self-hosted AppCrane sends elsewhere. - [Skiff — deep AppCrane integration for open-source apps](https://appcrane.dev/skiff.html): The partner programme for open-source apps that integrate with AppCrane rather than merely run on it: SSO, app-defined roles, email, health, managed data. - [AppCrane tech specs: capabilities, roles and FAQ](https://appcrane.dev/tech-specs.html): Every AppCrane capability in one place: agent deploys over MCP, app isolation, SOC 2-aligned controls, FIPS 140-3 mode, the four roles, the workflow and FAQ. ## Comparisons - [AppCrane vs Coolify, Dokploy & Vercel](https://appcrane.dev/comparison.html): AppCrane vs Coolify, Dokploy, Vercel and AWS — a self-hosted deploy platform compared on hosting model, pricing, agent/MCP control, SSO, backup, and lock-in. - [Self-hosted AWS Amplify alternative](https://appcrane.dev/self-hosted-aws-amplify-alternative.html): AppCrane: the self-hosted alternative to AWS Amplify. Your AI agent deploys to a server you own, over MCP — open source, no usage meter. - [Self-hosted AWS App Runner alternative](https://appcrane.dev/self-hosted-aws-app-runner-alternative.html): AppCrane: the self-hosted alternative to AWS App Runner. Your AI agent deploys to a server you own, over MCP — open source, no usage meter. - [Self-hosted Azure App Service alternative](https://appcrane.dev/self-hosted-azure-app-service-alternative.html): AppCrane: the self-hosted alternative to Azure App Service. Your AI agent deploys to a server you own, over MCP — open source, no usage meter. - [Self-hosted Cloudflare Pages alternative](https://appcrane.dev/self-hosted-cloudflare-pages-alternative.html): AppCrane: the self-hosted alternative to Cloudflare Pages. Your AI agent deploys to a server you own, over MCP — open source, no usage meter. - [Self-hosted DigitalOcean App Platform alternative](https://appcrane.dev/self-hosted-digitalocean-app-platform-alternative.html): AppCrane: the self-hosted alternative to DigitalOcean App Platform. Your AI agent deploys to a server you own, over MCP — open source, no usage meter. - [Self-hosted Firebase Hosting alternative](https://appcrane.dev/self-hosted-firebase-hosting-alternative.html): AppCrane: the self-hosted alternative to Firebase Hosting. Your AI agent deploys to a server you own, over MCP — open source, no usage meter. - [Self-hosted Google Cloud Run alternative](https://appcrane.dev/self-hosted-google-cloud-run-alternative.html): AppCrane: the self-hosted alternative to Google Cloud Run. Your AI agent deploys to a server you own, over MCP — open source, no usage meter. - [Self-hosted Heroku alternative](https://appcrane.dev/self-hosted-heroku-alternative.html): AppCrane is a self-hosted, agent-first Heroku alternative: one-command install, Docker isolation, auto-HTTPS, zero-downtime deploys, plus SSO, RBAC, and audit. - [Self-hosted Koyeb alternative](https://appcrane.dev/self-hosted-koyeb-alternative.html): AppCrane: the self-hosted alternative to Koyeb. Your AI agent deploys to a server you own, over MCP — open source, no usage meter. - [Self-hosted Netlify alternative](https://appcrane.dev/self-hosted-netlify-alternative.html): AppCrane: the self-hosted alternative to Netlify. Your AI agent deploys to a server you own, over MCP — open source, no usage meter. - [Self-hosted Northflank alternative](https://appcrane.dev/self-hosted-northflank-alternative.html): AppCrane: the self-hosted alternative to Northflank. Your AI agent deploys to a server you own, over MCP — open source, no usage meter. - [Self-hosted Vercel alternative](https://appcrane.dev/self-hosted-vercel-alternative.html): AppCrane is a self-hosted, agent-first Vercel alternative: full-stack apps on your own server, no per-seat or usage bills, auto-HTTPS, plus SSO, RBAC, audit. - [AppCrane vs AppDeploy — self-hosted alternative](https://appcrane.dev/vs-appdeploy.html): AppCrane vs AppDeploy: a self-hosted, agent-first alternative. Compare hosting model, data residency, secret hard-wall, SSO, RBAC, audit, and lock-in. - [AppCrane vs Coolify — self-hosted alternative](https://appcrane.dev/vs-coolify.html): AppCrane vs Coolify: a self-hosted, agent-first Coolify alternative with enterprise SSO, RBAC, per-user audit, a secret hard-wall, and agent/MCP control. - [AppCrane vs Dokploy — self-hosted alternative](https://appcrane.dev/vs-dokploy.html): AppCrane vs Dokploy: a self-hosted, agent-first Dokploy alternative with SSO, SCIM, per-app roles and audit in the open-source build, not behind a licence. - [AppCrane vs Fly.io — self-hosted alternative](https://appcrane.dev/vs-fly.html): AppCrane vs Fly.io: a self-hosted Fly.io alternative. Fly.io runs apps on its global edge; AppCrane gives you one server you control — flat cost, agent-first. - [AppCrane vs Railway — self-hosted alternative](https://appcrane.dev/vs-railway.html): AppCrane vs Railway: a self-hosted Railway alternative. Railway is a hosted cloud PaaS; AppCrane runs on your server — flat cost, no lock-in, agent-first. - [AppCrane vs Render — self-hosted alternative](https://appcrane.dev/vs-render.html): AppCrane vs Render: a self-hosted Render alternative. Render is a managed cloud PaaS; AppCrane runs on your server — flat cost, data sovereignty, agent-first. ## Blog - [Blog — notes on self-hosted, agent-native deploys](https://appcrane.dev/blog/): Every post on the AppCrane blog, newest first: why it is driven over MCP, the app catalogue, multitenancy, and a platform that scans and patches itself. - [Sixty-seven open-source business apps](https://appcrane.dev/blog/appcrane-app-catalogue.html): 67 open-source business apps — ERP, CRM, helpdesk, wiki, BI — install onto your own server in two clicks, database provisioned and credentials wired in first. - [Multitenancy you don't build](https://appcrane.dev/blog/appcrane-multitenancy.html): Every signed-in user of an AppCrane app gets their own SQLite database and file folder, deleted when they lose access. How it works. - [The application platform that defends itself](https://appcrane.dev/blog/appcrane-not-the-last-line-of-defence.html): The next application platform watches every deploy, blocks fixable vulnerabilities before production and drafts its own fix. AppCrane already works that way. - [Why AppCrane now speaks MCP](https://appcrane.dev/blog/why-appcrane-speaks-mcp.html): Bring Claude Code, Cursor, Codex or any MCP client and drive AppCrane deploys directly. Per-user audit, GitHub-native flow, no proprietary sandbox to learn.