vs Heroku
Heroku is a hosted application platform. Source code becomes a build artifact and runs as managed processes, with platform add-ons supplying databases and adjacent services. The platform abstracts the underlying compute and owns the application runtime lifecycle.
Redgold deploys applications through Git-backed builds too, but the deployment target is Kubernetes reconciled by ArgoCD. The deployed artifact is connected to a typed data model, pipeline execution, engine storage, model access, and coding-agent workspaces. Provisioning remains onboarding-driven while the public self-service surface is consolidated.
Criteria
| Criterion | Redgold | Heroku |
|---|---|---|
| Product unit | A pipeline application plus its schemas, datasets, agents, and routes | An application composed of managed process types and add-ons |
| Runtime | Containers on a managed Kubernetes and ArgoCD path | Vendor-managed dynos |
| Infrastructure ownership | The application runs on a Kubernetes cluster operated through the Redgold deployment path | The application runs on Heroku infrastructure |
| Data | Integrated Lance/Parquet cold tier and Postgres hot tier with Rust serde and CBOR pipeline records | Data services are attached separately through platform products or add-ons |
| Deployment | CI builds images and GitOps state; ArgoCD reconciles the cluster (managed deployment) | The platform builds a source revision and manages process releases |
| Compute beyond web processes | Dataflow executor, compute-on-write transforms, model serving, and agent pods | Background and scheduled processes use the application runtime |
| AI and agents | Persistent coding-agent workspaces, model routing, metering, and review automation | Outside the core application-runtime contract |
| Current access | Managed onboarding; self-service controls are still being consolidated | Established self-service hosted platform |
Redgold scope
Heroku corresponds to the source-to-running-process portion of Redgold. Redgold extends the deploy path into the application schema, data engine, pipeline runtime, model routing, agent workspace, and automated review cycle, all operated through the same platform.