Kamal vs Cloudflare Pages for Solo Developers

Quick Comparison

Kamal Overview

Kamal is a command-line tool that deploys Docker containers to servers with zero downtime. Created by DHH and the Rails team, it's used in production at Basecamp and HEY. You define your deployment in a deploy.yml file, listing server addresses, Docker configuration, health checks, and accessories like databases.

Run kamal deploy and the tool builds your Docker image, pushes it to a registry, SSHs into each server, pulls the new image, starts the container, waits for health checks, switches traffic via Traefik, and removes the old container. All without downtime. All from one terminal command.

Kamal is language-agnostic. Anything that runs in Docker works with Kamal: Rails, Django, Express, Go, Rust, Laravel. It deploys accessories (PostgreSQL, Redis, Elasticsearch) alongside your main application. The entire configuration lives in your repository, version-controlled and reviewable.

Cloudflare Pages Overview

Cloudflare Pages deploys websites and web applications to Cloudflare's global network of 300+ data centers. Connect your Git repository, and every push builds and deploys your site worldwide. Static assets get unlimited bandwidth on the free tier. Dynamic functionality runs via Pages Functions (Cloudflare Workers) on the edge.

The framework support is excellent. Astro, Next.js, SvelteKit, Nuxt, Remix, Hugo, and many more work with minimal or zero configuration. Build settings are usually auto-detected. Preview deployments for every pull request come automatically. Custom domains with SSL are free and instant.

For a solo developer shipping a frontend project, Cloudflare Pages removes virtually all deployment friction. Push your code, it's live globally in under a minute.

Key Differences

What they deploy. Kamal deploys Docker containers to VPS machines. It handles full-stack applications, databases, caches, and background workers. Cloudflare Pages deploys static assets and edge functions to a global CDN. These are fundamentally different deployment targets for different types of applications.

Server ownership. Kamal deploys to servers you own and control. You can SSH in, inspect the file system, check Docker logs, and debug issues directly. Cloudflare Pages is fully managed. You deploy code and Cloudflare handles everything else. No shell access, no infrastructure control.

Backend capabilities. Kamal deploys real backend applications: Django REST APIs, Rails apps with Sidekiq workers, Node.js services with database connections. Cloudflare Pages Functions run JavaScript on the edge with execution time limits and no persistent connections. If your backend needs a database connection pool, background jobs, or WebSockets, Kamal is required.

Global distribution. Cloudflare Pages runs on 300+ edge locations. Content is served from the location closest to each user. Kamal deploys to specific servers in specific locations. For static content and edge-rendered pages, Cloudflare Pages is faster. For API responses requiring database queries, the speed difference depends on where your database lives.

Setup effort. Cloudflare Pages takes 5 minutes: connect repo, set build command, deploy. Kamal takes longer: set up a VPS, install Docker, configure deploy.yml, set up a container registry, then deploy. The initial setup gap is significant. Ongoing deploys are simple with both tools.

Cost analysis. Cloudflare Pages is free for static sites with unlimited bandwidth. Kamal is free but requires a VPS (from EUR 3.79/month). For a frontend-only project, Cloudflare Pages costs $0. For a full-stack project, Kamal on a budget VPS is cheaper than assembling Cloudflare Pages + a managed database + a managed backend.

When to Choose Kamal

• You're deploying a full-stack application with a database and background workers
• Your backend is Python, Ruby, Go, or any server-side framework
• You want infrastructure you own, version-controlled deployment configs
• You need zero-downtime rolling deployments for Docker containers
• You're running multiple services that need to communicate on the same network

When to Choose Cloudflare Pages

• You're building a static site, blog, documentation, or landing page
• You're using a JAMstack framework (Astro, Next.js, SvelteKit, Hugo)
• You want free global hosting with unlimited bandwidth
• You want automatic preview deployments for pull requests
• Your dynamic needs are minimal and fit within edge functions

The Verdict

Kamal and Cloudflare Pages are rarely competing for the same project. If you're deploying a backend application, Kamal wins because Cloudflare Pages doesn't run backends. If you're deploying a static site or JAMstack app, Cloudflare Pages wins because running Kamal for static files is overkill.

For solo developers building products with both a frontend and a backend, use both. Deploy your marketing site and frontend app on Cloudflare Pages for free global CDN. Deploy your API, database, and workers with Kamal on a VPS. This separation gives each piece the best hosting model for its workload.

If you have to pick one, choose based on your primary project type. Full-stack apps need Kamal. Frontend apps and static sites need Cloudflare Pages. Forcing either tool into the other's territory results in a worse experience than using the right tool for the job.