The PaaS development workflow.
Without the Salesforce infrastructure markup.

Deploy standard containers directly onto a decentralized compute marketplace. Stop overpaying for rigid application tiers, forced container sleeping, and proprietary buildpack constraints.

See Compute Pricing View Docs

The Core Economics

Heroku packages server resources into restricted tiers under the banner of developer convenience. This model scales poorly as application traffic grows, forcing teams into expensive upgrades for simple resource adjustments. Akash removes the platform middleman. By exposing raw data center capacity through an open provider network, developers secure foundational hardware resources at true market cost.

	Heroku (Standard 2X)	Akash
Allocation	1.0 GB RAM / Shared vCPU	1 vCPU Thread / 1 GB Dedicated RAM
Container Policy	Always-on runtime capability	Always-on dedicated resource allocation
Monthly Cost	~$50.00 per instance	~$2.50 average network settlement

Architectural Distinctions

Standard Docker Images Over Proprietary Slugs

Deploying to a traditional PaaS means modifying your repository to fit custom buildpack rules and proprietary runtime limitations. Akash relies entirely on open industry standards. If your API, web app, or background worker can compile into a standard local Docker container, it runs on the network without code changes.

Eliminating Forced Container Sleeping

Lower-tier Heroku instances utilize an aggressive idle policy, forcing your application container to sleep after 30 minutes of inactivity. This introduces significant cold-start latency for your users when a new request finally hits the endpoint. Akash network leases grant you dedicated, always-on hardware resource blocks, keeping your application active regardless of traffic volume.

Service Parity Index

You do not need to rewrite service layers or modify application logic. The platform uses the exact containerized standards your engineering team already deploys in production.

Feature Layer	Legacy Heroku	Marketplace Equivalent	Technical Execution
Compute Runtime	Web / Worker Dynos	Native OCI Containers	Executes container workloads directly on host hardware, skipping proprietary runtime wrappers to optimize compute efficiency.
Environment Config	Buildpacks & Slugs	Universal Dockerfiles	Uses standard container images rather than platform-specific build logic, preventing vendor lock-in.
Data Continuity	Heroku Postgres / Redis	Persistent NVMe Volumes	Attaches high-speed physical storage blocks directly to the container instance, keeping your database states intact across restarts.
Infrastructure Definition	Heroku Procfile	Stack Definition Language (SDL)	Declares your entire structural requirements (CPU, RAM, storage, env variables) inside a single portable YAML file modeled after Docker Compose.

System Configuration Steps

Akash does not use black-box onboarding wizards or automated migration tools. You control your environment directly through an open configuration template.

Configure your deployment

Select a template or supply your own container image. Specify required resources like GPUs, region, and maximum price to send your request out to the network.

Llama 3.1 70B

H200

H100

A100

Image

Model

GPU

CPU

Memory

Max price

Automated bidding

Independent infrastructure providers meeting your exact requirements automatically submit competitive bids in real time. You see who is offering the hardware and the precise rate.

Authorize and execute

Accept the optimal bid to open the lease. The network handles the backend routing instantly, initializing your container and spinning up a live endpoint for your workloads.