Hosted vs Self-Hosted Comparison

Konnektr Graph offers two deployment options to fit different needs. This guide will help you choose the right one for your use case.

Quick Recommendation

Most users should choose the Hosted Platform - it's faster to deploy, fully managed, and includes enterprise features out of the box. Self-hosting is recommended only for advanced users with specific requirements.

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Feature Comparison

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API & SDK Compatibility

*Requires custom authentication configuration

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Authentication & Security

Hosted Platform

• Auth0 Integration - Managed authentication service
• JWT Token Validation - Industry-standard security
• Role-Based Access Control - Organization and project-level permissions
• HTTPS/TLS - Automatic certificate management
• SOC 2 Compliance - Enterprise security standards (coming soon)

Self-Hosted

• Bring Your Own Identity Provider - Integrate with any OIDC/OAuth2 provider
• Custom Authentication Logic - Full control over auth flow
• Network Policies - Configure Kubernetes network policies
• Certificate Management - Manual cert-manager setup
• Compliance - You maintain compliance requirements

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Event Streaming & Integration

Hosted Platform

• Pre-configured Event Sinks - Kafka, Kusto, MQTT ready to use
• Managed Connectivity - No firewall or network config needed
• Event History - Built-in event retention
• CloudEvents Standard - All events follow spec

Self-Hosted

• Custom Event Sinks - Configure any sink you need
• Network Configuration - Full control over event routing
• Data Sovereignty - Events stay in your network
• Custom Transformations - Modify event pipeline

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Cost Considerations

Hosted Platform

Pricing Model:

• Pay-as-you-go based on usage
• No infrastructure costs
• Includes monitoring, backups, and support
• Free tier available for development

Hidden Savings:

• No DevOps team time
• No infrastructure maintenance
• No upgrade planning
• Automatic optimization

View Pricing →

Self-Hosted

Infrastructure Costs:

• Kubernetes cluster (cloud or on-prem)
• PostgreSQL with Apache AGE
• Load balancers and ingress
• Storage for backups
• Monitoring tools (Prometheus, Grafana)

Operational Costs:

• DevOps engineer time
• Database administration
• Security patching
• Backup management
• Capacity planning

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When to Choose Hosted Platform

Choose the hosted platform if you:

✅ Want to focus on building digital twin solutions, not infrastructure
✅ Need to get started quickly (hours, not weeks)
✅ Don't have dedicated DevOps resources
✅ Want automatic scaling and high availability
✅ Prefer predictable operational costs
✅ Need enterprise-grade security and compliance
✅ Want to use Azure Digital Twins SDKs (easiest path)

Example Use Cases:

• Smart building management solutions
• IoT device fleet management
• Industrial monitoring applications
• Proof-of-concept and MVP projects
• Startups and small teams

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When to Choose Self-Hosted

Choose self-hosting if you:

✅ Need direct database access for custom queries
✅ Have specific compliance requirements (data residency, air-gapped)
✅ Want to use the native AgeDigitalTwins SDK
✅ Already have Kubernetes infrastructure and expertise
✅ Need to integrate with custom authentication systems
✅ Require custom PostgreSQL extensions or configurations
✅ Have dedicated DevOps and database teams

Example Use Cases:

• Highly regulated industries (healthcare, finance)
• Air-gapped or offline environments
• Custom graph algorithms and analytics
• Large enterprises with existing Kubernetes platforms
• Research projects requiring low-level access

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Migration Path

Hosted to Self-Hosted

If you start with the hosted platform and later need to self-host:

1. Export your DTDL models via the API
2. Export digital twin data using bulk export
3. Deploy self-hosted infrastructure using our Helm charts
4. Import models and data into your self-hosted instance
5. Update application endpoints to point to your instance

Self-Hosted to Hosted

If you start self-hosted and want to move to hosted:

1. Sign up for Konnektr Platform at ktrlplane.konnektr.io
2. Create a new Graph resource
3. Export data from self-hosted using bulk export
4. Import into hosted instance via API or UI
5. Update authentication to use Auth0 credentials
6. Switch application endpoints to hosted URLs

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Getting Started

Start with Hosted (Recommended)

1. Visit ktrlplane.konnektr.io
2. Create your account (free)
3. Create a new Graph resource
4. Follow the Quickstart Guide

Start with Self-Hosted

1. Review the Self-Host Deployment Guide
2. Prepare your Kubernetes cluster
3. Install via Helm chart
4. Configure authentication and networking
5. Follow the SDK Reference

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Support Options

Hosted Platform

• Email Support - Direct access to engineering team
• Documentation - Comprehensive guides and tutorials
• Community - GitHub Discussions and Slack
• SLA - Uptime guarantees (Enterprise tier)

Self-Hosted

• Community Support - GitHub Issues and Discussions
• Documentation - Self-hosting guides and troubleshooting
• Commercial Support - Available for enterprise customers
• Professional Services - Custom deployment assistance

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Frequently Asked Questions

Can I switch between hosted and self-hosted later?

Yes! Both options use the same underlying technology and APIs, making migration straightforward. See the Migration Path section above.

Do both options support the same features?

Yes, both have feature parity. The main difference is who manages the infrastructure and which SDKs you can use.

Is the self-hosted version truly open source?

Yes! The entire codebase is Apache 2.0 licensed. You have full access to the source code and can modify it as needed.

What about vendor lock-in?

Since we're built on standard PostgreSQL and Apache AGE, and support Azure Digital Twins APIs, you have multiple exit strategies and aren't locked into proprietary formats.

Can I use Azure Digital Twins SDKs with self-hosted?

Yes, but you'll need to implement a custom credential provider for authentication. The hosted platform provides this out of the box.

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Still Not Sure?

Start with the hosted platform - it's free to try and you can always migrate to self-hosted later if your requirements change.

Get Started with Hosted →

Questions? Open a GitHub Discussion