> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://mintlify-poc.mintlify.site/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Choose your deployment type

> Compare Tiger Cloud and self-hosted TimescaleDB to choose the best deployment option for your needs

Tiger Data offers two deployment options: fully managed Tiger Cloud and self-hosted TimescaleDB. Choose the option that best fits your requirements, team capabilities, and infrastructure preferences.

## Tiger Cloud

Tiger Cloud is the fastest Postgres cloud, powered by Tiger Postgres. It enhances Postgres to handle time series, events, real-time analytics, and vector search—all in a single database alongside transactional workloads.

### Key benefits

* **Fully managed**: Automatic updates, backups, and maintenance
* **High performance**: Optimized for time-series and analytics workloads
* **Scalable**: Tiered storage with usage-based pricing
* **Enterprise-ready**: High availability, PITR, and read replicas
* **AI-enabled**: Built-in vector search and AI capabilities
* **Developer-friendly**: SQL editor in the console, live migration tools

### Best for

* Teams that want to focus on building applications, not managing infrastructure
* Production workloads requiring high availability and automated backups
* Projects needing to scale quickly without infrastructure overhead
* Organizations requiring enterprise-grade security and compliance

<Card title="Get started with Tiger Cloud" icon="rocket" href="/deploy-and-operate/tiger-cloud/get-started/get-started-with-tiger-cloud">
  Create your first Tiger Cloud service in minutes
</Card>

## Self-hosted TimescaleDB

TimescaleDB is an open-source Postgres extension designed for running real-time analytics on time-series data. It is engineered up from Postgres and maintains full SQL support.

### Key benefits

* **Open source**: Full control over your deployment
* **Self-managed**: Deploy on your own infrastructure
* **Flexible**: Run on any cloud provider or on-premises
* **Cost-effective**: No cloud service fees
* **Postgres-native**: Extends PostgreSQL with time-series capabilities

### Best for

* Teams with existing PostgreSQL expertise and infrastructure
* Organizations with specific compliance or data residency requirements
* Projects requiring full control over database configuration and tuning
* Development and testing environments
* Cost-sensitive deployments with predictable workloads

<Card title="Get started with TimescaleDB" icon="server" href="/manage-data/get-started/get-started-with-timescaledb">
  Install and configure TimescaleDB on your infrastructure
</Card>

## Feature comparison

| Feature                  | Tiger Cloud    | Self-hosted TimescaleDB |
| ------------------------ | -------------- | ----------------------- |
| Time-series hypertables  | ✔              | ✔                       |
| Continuous aggregates    | ✔              | ✔                       |
| Hypercore columnstore    | ✔              | ✔                       |
| Compression              | ✔              | ✔                       |
| Data retention policies  | ✔              | ✔                       |
| Vector search (pgvector) | ✔              | ✔                       |
| AI capabilities (pgai)   | ✔              | Requires manual setup   |
| Automatic backups        | ✔              | Manual setup required   |
| Point-in-time recovery   | ✔              | Manual setup required   |
| High availability        | ✔              | Manual setup required   |
| Read replicas            | ✔              | Manual setup required   |
| Tiered storage           | ✔              | -                       |
| Live migration tools     | ✔              | -                       |
| Console SQL editor       | ✔              | -                       |
| Managed updates          | ✔              | Manual                  |
| 24/7 support             | ✔ (paid plans) | Community               |

## Migration between deployment types

You can migrate your data between deployment types at any time using our live migration tools.

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Migrate to Tiger Cloud" icon="cloud-arrow-up" href="/manage-data/import-and-ingest/live-migration">
    Move your self-hosted database to Tiger Cloud with minimal downtime
  </Card>

  <Card title="Export from Tiger Cloud" icon="download" href="/deploy-and-operate/tiger-cloud/storage/manage-storage-tiers">
    Export your data from Tiger Cloud for self-hosted deployment
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## Get help choosing

Not sure which option is right for you? Consider these questions:

* **Do you have a dedicated database operations team?** Self-hosted requires ongoing maintenance and expertise.
* **What are your availability requirements?** Tiger Cloud provides built-in HA and automated failover.
* **How predictable is your workload growth?** Tiger Cloud scales automatically with usage-based storage.
* **Do you need compliance certifications?** Check our [security and compliance documentation](/deploy-and-operate/tiger-cloud/data-security/high-availability).
* **What's your budget model?** Compare managed service costs vs. infrastructure and personnel costs.

<Card title="Talk to our team" icon="comments" href="https://www.tigerdata.com/contact">
  Contact us to discuss your specific requirements
</Card>