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New to Qovery? Start by choosing your use case below. We’ll guide you through creating a cluster (the prerequisite) and then walk you through the complete setup for your specific scenario.

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Choose Your Use Case

Select the scenario that best matches your needs:

Test & Learn Locally

Explore Qovery without cloud costsPerfect for:
  • First-time users exploring the platform
  • Local development and testing
  • Learning Qovery features risk-free
  • Proof of concepts before production
What you get:
  • Free local k3s cluster on your laptop
  • Full Qovery feature access
  • No cloud account or credit card needed
Time: ~15 minutes | Cost: Free→ Path: Docker Desktop

Production SaaS & Web Apps

Deploy scalable applications to productionPerfect for:
  • SaaS platforms with multi-tenant architecture
  • Web applications needing auto-scaling
  • API services (REST, GraphQL, gRPC)
  • Microservices architectures
Your journey:
  1. Create a managed cluster (AWS/GCP/Azure/Scaleway) - ~30 min
  2. Follow the complete production setup guide
  3. Deploy your first application with auto-scaling & monitoring
Time: ~45 minutes total | Expertise: None required→ Complete Guide Available

Preview & Ephemeral Environments

Temporary environments for every pull requestPerfect for:
  • Preview environments for each PR/branch
  • QA testing with isolated environments
  • Feature testing before merging to main
  • Demo environments for stakeholders
Your journey:
  1. Create a managed cluster (AWS/GCP/Azure/Scaleway) - ~30 min
  2. Follow the ephemeral environment setup guide
  3. Enable auto-preview for automatic PR environments
Time: ~45 minutes setup | Per PR: Automatic→ Complete Guide Available

Enterprise with Custom Requirements

Full control over infrastructurePerfect for:
  • Existing Kubernetes clusters to connect
  • Compliance requirements (HIPAA, PCI-DSS, custom)
  • On-premise or hybrid infrastructure
  • Custom networking and security configs
Your journey:
  1. Prepare your existing Kubernetes cluster (or create one)
  2. Follow the BYOK integration guide
  3. Connect Qovery to your cluster with full control
Time: ~20 minutes | Control: Complete→ Bring Your Own Cluster (BYOK)

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Detailed Use Case Comparison

Use Case: Local Development & ExplorationBest for:
  • Developers new to Qovery wanting to explore features
  • Teams evaluating Qovery for adoption
  • Students and learners practicing DevOps
  • Building POCs before cloud deployment
What you can do:
  • Deploy apps, databases, and jobs locally
  • Test GitOps workflows with GitHub/GitLab
  • Practice Qovery CLI and Console
  • Experiment with environment configurations
  • Learn Kubernetes concepts without cloud costs
Limitations:
  • Runs on laptop (limited resources)
  • Not for production workloads
  • Single-node cluster
Path: Docker Desktop | Time: 15 min | Cost: Free
Use Case: SaaS, Web Apps, APIs, MicroservicesBest for:
  • SaaS platforms with paying customers
  • High-traffic web applications
  • RESTful/GraphQL/gRPC APIs
  • Microservices architectures
  • Production workloads requiring 99.9% uptime
Complete Journey:Step 1: Create Your Cluster (Prerequisite)
  • Choose your cloud provider (AWS/GCP/Azure/Scaleway)
  • Qovery provisions managed Kubernetes for you
  • Multi-AZ for high availability
  • Time: ~30 minutes
Step 2: Follow the Production Guide
  • Deploy Node.js, Python, Go, Java, PHP, Ruby, .NET apps
  • Set up auto-scaling based on traffic
  • Configure managed databases with automatic backups
  • Add custom domains with automatic SSL
  • Enable zero-downtime deployments
  • Set up monitoring (Datadog or Qovery Observe)
→ View Complete Production Guide
Use Case: Temporary Environments for Testing & ReviewBest for:
  • Preview environments for every pull request
  • QA teams testing features in isolation
  • Product managers reviewing features before release
  • Stakeholder demos without affecting production
  • Short-lived environments for testing
Complete Journey:Step 1: Create Your Cluster (Prerequisite)
  • Choose your cloud provider (AWS/GCP/Azure/Scaleway)
  • Qovery sets up the infrastructure
  • Time: ~30 minutes
Step 2: Follow the Ephemeral Environment Guide
  • Enable auto-preview environments
  • Configure automatic PR environment creation
  • Set up full-stack previews (app + database)
  • Configure automatic cleanup on PR close
  • Share unique URLs with your team
  • Cost-effective: only pay when environments are active
How it works after setup:
  1. Open pull request in GitHub/GitLab
  2. Qovery auto-creates preview environment
  3. Get unique URL to access (e.g., pr-123.preview.example.com)
  4. Test, review, and iterate
  5. Merge PR → Environment auto-deleted
→ View Complete Ephemeral Environment Guide
Use Case: Existing Clusters, Compliance, On-PremiseBest for:
  • Organizations with existing Kubernetes clusters
  • Regulated industries (Healthcare, Finance, Government)
  • Companies with strict compliance (HIPAA, PCI-DSS, SOC2)
  • On-premise or air-gapped environments
  • Hybrid cloud architectures
  • Teams with dedicated platform/SRE engineers
Complete Journey:Step 1: Prepare Your Cluster (Prerequisite)
  • Use your existing Kubernetes 1.24+ cluster, OR
  • Create a new cluster on any platform (AWS, GCP, Azure, DigitalOcean, OVH, Civo, on-premise)
  • Ensure kubectl access and proper permissions
  • Time: Depends on your setup
Step 2: Follow the BYOK Integration Guide
  • Install Qovery agent on your cluster
  • Configure custom networking and security policies
  • Set up your monitoring and logging
  • Define autoscaling rules
  • Maintain complete control over infrastructure
You manage:
  • Kubernetes cluster provisioning and upgrades
  • Infrastructure security and networking
  • Backup and disaster recovery
Qovery provides:
  • Developer-friendly UI and CLI
  • GitOps workflows and CI/CD
  • Environment management
  • Application deployment and monitoring
→ View BYOK Integration Guide