Choosing a Deployment

GridNMS runs the same way everywhere — the only question is who hosts the web app and how you run your collectors. This page helps you choose.

The quick answer

• Want the fastest start with nothing to maintain? → GridNMS Cloud
• Need your data to stay entirely on your own network? → Self-hosted

GridNMS Cloud (SaaS)

We host and run the GridNMS web app. You sign up, then deploy one lightweight collector near your network so GridNMS can see your devices and receive your logs.

Choose this if you want:

• To be up and running in minutes with no servers to install or patch.
• Automatic updates and backups handled for you.
• To scale across many sites by adding collectors, not infrastructure.

→ Sign up & first login

Self-Hosted

You run the entire GridNMS platform on your own infrastructure with Docker. Your inventory, events, metrics, and logs all stay on your network. The instance still makes a single outbound connection to GridNMS for licensing and updates (or none at all in an air-gapped deployment).

Choose this if you want:

• Full control and data residency on your own network.
• To run in a restricted or air-gapped environment.
• To integrate with your own backup, identity, and infrastructure tooling.

→ Self-hosted installation

Where collectors fit (all deployments)

No matter which option you pick, collectors are how GridNMS sees your network. You run at least one, installed on a Linux or macOS host near your equipment — see Installing a Collector. Add more for additional sites or network segments — each collector watches the networks you assign to it.

Your setup	What you run
Cloud, one site	The web app (hosted for you) + 1 collector
Cloud, several sites	The web app (hosted for you) + 1 collector per site
Self-hosted, one site	The stack (Docker) + 1 collector
Self-hosted, several sites	The stack (Docker) + 1 collector per site

Learn more in What Is a Collector?

Can I switch later?

Yes. The product and your workflow are identical across deployments, so moving between cloud and self-hosted is mostly a matter of where the app runs and where you point your collectors. Contact support@gridnms.io if you’re planning a migration.