StackBlaze vs Fly.io
Fly.io expects flyctl, fly.toml, and often WireGuard. StackBlaze deploys from GitHub in the dashboard. There is no npm CLI on this control plane.
StackBlaze
git push origin main
- Dashboard + GitHub
- Build, TLS, public URL
- No flyctl required
Fly.io
flyctl auth login
flyctl launch
flyctl deploy
- fly.toml required
- CLI-first workflow
- Often WireGuard too
Why StackBlaze
Databases run by Kubernetes operators, not containers on a volume
StackBlaze is built on Kubernetes, and every database add-on is managed by a battle-tested operator: CloudNativePG for Postgres, the MariaDB operator for MySQL, Strimzi for Kafka. You get the deployment, backup, and failover automation platform teams build in-house, without ever touching kubectl.
Scheduled backups, your retention
Postgres, MariaDB, and Valkey add-ons back up to object storage on a schedule you set, with a retention policy (7d, 4w, 3m) enforced by the operator.
Point-in-time recovery
Postgres archives WAL continuously; MariaDB takes physical backups. Restore to a timestamp as a new instance while the original keeps serving traffic.
HA with automatic failover
Scale a database to a replicated cluster and the operator handles failover. MariaDB promotion even rebinds ProxySQL so apps reconnect to the new primary.
Next to your app, privately
Every database runs on the same private network as your services, reachable over cluster DNS. No public endpoints, no cross-vendor egress fees.
Fly's original Postgres is explicitly unmanaged: you operate it, patch it, and script its backups. Its managed offering is a separate, newer product. On StackBlaze the operator model is the default for every data add-on, on every plan, not an upsell.
Postgres (CloudNativePG) · MySQL / MariaDB · Valkey (Redis) · MongoDB-compatible · Kafka (Strimzi) · RabbitMQ · ClickHouse · OpenSearch · CockroachDB · Cassandra · ScyllaDB · Milvus · Weaviate · S3-compatible storage
Under the hood
A microVM is an engine. Kubernetes is the whole car.
Firecracker-style microVMs are genuinely great isolation technology, the same idea powers AWS Lambda. But a microVM is a primitive, not a platform. Everything above it, scheduling, networking, deploy semantics, and especially databases, has to be built and maintained in-house. Kubernetes ships that layer, battle-tested, with an ecosystem nobody has to rebuild.
Fly.io runs on
- ·Firecracker microVMs (Fly Machines), strong per-VM isolation
- ·flyd, a proprietary orchestrator built in-house after moving off Nomad
- ·fly.toml and the Machines API, a spec that exists only on Fly
- ·Databases: Fly Postgres is an app you operate; Managed Postgres is a separate product
StackBlaze runs on
- ·Kubernetes, the CNCF-standard orchestrator, hardened by a decade of production use
- ·Operators run the data layer: CloudNativePG, MariaDB operator, Strimzi Kafka, and more
- ·Standard containers and standard semantics; your app ports to any Kubernetes, anywhere
- ·The same machinery from the $5 Starter to a Dedicated HA cluster, no replatforming to grow
- ·Rolling deploys, health probes, and autoscaling from native Kubernetes primitives
Fly built an impressive bespoke stack, and for edge-placed VMs it shines. But every platform feature above the microVM is theirs to build and yours to learn. StackBlaze rides Kubernetes: operators, tooling, and portability come with the platform, and your app never learns a proprietary runtime.
And when you outgrow shared: your own cluster, flat fee
Because it is all Kubernetes, the same project moves to a single-tenant HA cluster with dedicated CPU and RAM for one flat monthly price. No usage metering, no per-second billing, no replatforming. That path does not exist on a bespoke microVM stack.
Dedicated
$300/mo
12 vCPU / 24 GB RAM
3-node HA cluster, static egress IP
Dedicated Pro
$600/mo
24 vCPU / 48 GB RAM
3-node HA cluster, 99.9% uptime SLA
Feature comparison
| Feature | StackBlaze | Fly.io |
|---|---|---|
| Public entry plan | Starter $5/mo | Usage / limited free |
| Orchestration | Kubernetes | Firecracker + flyd |
| Dedicated cluster, flat fee | From $300/mo | |
| Deploy via git push | ||
| Dashboard UI | Full | Basic |
| Managed Postgres | Yes (CloudNativePG) | Yes (separate MPG product) |
| Managed Redis | Yes (Upstash) | |
| MongoDB-compatible | ||
| DB backups + PITR | All plans | Managed Postgres only |
| Kafka / ClickHouse / OpenSearch | ||
| Persistent disk | ||
| Private networking | Yes (WireGuard) | |
| Preview environments | Pro and above | |
| Blueprint / IaC | stackblaze.yaml | fly.toml |
| Autoscaling | ||
| Default region | us-east-1 | Many regions |
Configuration
fly.toml vs GitHub in the dashboard
Fly expects fly.toml (ports, health checks, machines) before the first deploy. On StackBlaze, connect GitHub and push main. Optional stackblaze.yaml when IaC is enabled — not required for the first app.
Networking
Private hostnames without WireGuard
Apps in the same phase reach each other on cluster DNS. You do not set up a WireGuard tunnel to talk to Postgres or Valkey on the same project.
Honest take
When Fly.io is the right fit
Edge-native global apps
You want machines in 30+ regions with fine-grained control over VM placement and scale-to-zero at the edge.
You already run flyctl in CI
Your team has invested in Fly Machines APIs and fly.toml - migration cost may outweigh dashboard simplicity.
What Fly asks you to learn
Fly.io requires learning flyctl, fly.toml, WireGuard networking, and machine management. StackBlaze gives you the same power with a git push, everything else is handled for you.
Install and learn a separate CLI tool just to deploy your first app.
Hand-craft a TOML file with ports, health checks, and machine specs.
Set up a WireGuard tunnel to reach your private services securely.
Understand Fly Machines, VM sizes, and manual scaling primitives.
git push vs flyctl
Same result, completely different experience.
# Install CLI
curl -L https://fly.io/install.sh | sh
# Authenticate
flyctl auth login
# Create fly.toml config
flyctl launch
# Deploy
flyctl deploy
# That's it. Just push.
git push origin main
# StackBlaze handles the rest:
# Build from the repo
# App live at *.stackblaze.cloud
# TLS on the public URL
Get started in minutes
Connect your repo
Link your GitHub account and select a repository. StackBlaze reads your code and auto-detects the runtime - no config files needed.
Set env vars
Add secrets and environment variables directly in the dashboard. No CLI, no encrypted files, no extra tooling.
Push to main
A single git push triggers a build, runs your tests, and rolls out to production. StackBlaze handles the rest.
Deploy from the dashboard
Starter is $5/mo with $5 of usage credit. A card is required. No flyctl, and no npm CLI here either.