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Migrating from Heroku to Self-Hosted: A Step-by-Step Guide

Heroku killed free dynos and raised prices. Here's how to migrate your apps to self-hosted infrastructure and save 90%.

migrationherokucost-saving

Why Leave Heroku?


Heroku was the gold standard for easy app deployment. Then Salesforce acquired it, killed free dynos, and raised prices. A basic app that used to cost $0 now costs $5-25/month on Heroku — and that's before adding databases, Redis, or any add-ons.


The basic Heroku Postgres database costs $5/month. A production-grade one starts at $50/month. Self-hosting PostgreSQL costs $0 — it runs on the same server as your app.


Migration Checklist


1. Export Your Data


**Database:**

heroku pg:backups:capture --app your-app

heroku pg:backups:download --app your-app


This gives you a pg_dump file you can restore on any PostgreSQL server.


**Environment Variables:**

heroku config --app your-app


Copy all variables. You'll need them in your new environment.


**Files/Attachments:**

If you use Heroku's ephemeral filesystem with S3, your files are already external. If not, you'll need to download them before migration.


2. Choose Your New Platform


For Heroku-like simplicity with self-hosted prices, TinyPod is the easiest option. Deploy your app from a Docker image, get automatic SSL, and pay $5/month for an entire server — not per dyno.


3. Deploy on Your New Platform


If your app has a Dockerfile (most Heroku apps do), deployment is straightforward:

1. Push your Docker image to a registry

2. Create a new project on TinyPod

3. Deploy from the image

4. Set your environment variables

5. Point your domain's DNS


4. Restore Your Database


Create a new PostgreSQL database on TinyPod, then restore your backup:

pg_restore --dbname=your_new_db latest.dump


5. Update DNS


Change your domain's A record to point to your new server. SSL is provisioned automatically.


6. Test Everything


  • All endpoints respond correctly
  • Database queries return expected results
  • Background jobs run on schedule
  • Email sending works
  • File uploads work

    • Cost Comparison


    | Resource | Heroku | TinyPod |

    |----------|--------|---------|

    | Web dyno | $7/mo (Basic) | Included |

    | PostgreSQL | $5-50/mo | Included |

    | Redis | $15/mo | Included |

    | SSL | Included | Included |

    | Custom domain | Included | Included |

    | **Total** | **$27-72/mo** | **$5/mo** |


    The Bottom Line


    Migration takes an afternoon. The savings last forever.

    Migrate from Heroku to Self-Hosted: Complete Guide | TinyPod | TinyPod