Why Slipway?

The Problem Today

Deploying and operating a Sails.js app often requires separate tools for deployment, administration, debugging, and monitoring:

• Coolify/Dokploy for deployment (generic, not Sails-aware)
• AdminJS/Forest Admin for admin panels (separate setup, not integrated)
• A REPL workaround for production debugging (no dedicated Sails REPL equivalent)
• Separate job queue monitoring (no Horizon equivalent)
• Multiple dashboards for different concerns

What Laravel Developers Have

Tool	Purpose
Laravel Forge	Server provisioning & deployment
Laravel Nova	Admin panel
Laravel Tinker	Production REPL
Laravel Horizon	Queue monitoring
Laravel Pulse	Application monitoring

Slipway combines similar concerns in one platform for Sails applications.

What Slipway Provides

Slipway provides one platform that:

• Deploys Sails apps with one command
• Manages databases (PostgreSQL, MySQL, Redis)
• Provides a Sails-aware admin panel (like Nova)
• Offers a production REPL (like Tinkerwell)
• Monitors queues (Sails Quest integration)
• Provides a web dashboard for the same operational tasks

Learning from the Best

Slipway combines the best ideas from existing tools:

From Kamal (37signals)

Principle	How Slipway Applies
Transparency	Show users the actual Docker commands being run
No Agents	Direct Docker, minimal server footprint
Single Config File	.slipway.json for project linking
Zero-Downtime	Caddy-based blue-green deployments

From Dokku

Principle	How Slipway Applies
Git Push Deploy	Support git push alongside CLI deploy
Service Linking	Creating a service auto-sets DATABASE_URL
Plugin Architecture	Extensible service system

The Comparison

Feature	Coolify	Dokku	Kamal	Slipway
Focus	Generic	Generic	Rails-first	Sails-native
Web Dashboard	Yes	Pro only	No	Yes
CLI	Basic	Excellent	Excellent	Excellent
Git Push Deploy	Yes	Yes	No	Yes
Service Linking	Manual	Auto	Manual	Auto
Admin Panel	No	No	No	Built-in (Bridge)
Framework REPL	No	No	exec only	Sails Helm
Monitoring	Basic	No	No	Lookout
Queue Dashboard	No	No	No	Quest integration
Transparent Docker	Hidden	Hidden	Yes	Yes

Slipway-specific behavior

1. Sails-native behavior

Slipway understands Sails applications:

• Auto-detects config/models.js, config/datastores.js, api/models/
• Knows about Sails lifecycle, hooks, and policies
• Integrates with Sails Quest for job queues
• Provides a REPL with direct model and helper access

2. Integrated tooling

Instead of piecing together separate tools:

• Deploy tool (Coolify)
• Admin panel (AdminJS)
• REPL (custom scripts)
• Queue monitor (custom dashboard)

You get one platform for these tasks instead of separate products.

3. Lightweight

Component	Memory
Slipway Server	~80MB
Caddy Proxy	~40MB
Total	~120MB

Compare to Coolify's ~800MB-1GB footprint.

4. Dashboard features

• Dark mode first
• Keyboard shortcuts everywhere
• Command palette (Cmd+K)

Summary

Slipway groups deployment, admin access, REPL access, service management, and Quest monitoring into one Sails-focused platform.