Instana deployment options

Instana offers flexible deployment options to meet your organization's specific needs, whether you prioritize simplicity, control, scalability, or compliance requirements. Read more to understand the available options and choose the one that best fits your requirements.

For more information about Instana deployment options, see the IBM Instana Observability deployment options product page.

Deployment options overview

Instana provides three primary deployment options:

SaaS - Fully managed by IBM in the cloud
Self-hosted Standard Edition - Simplified self-hosted deployment on single-node or multi-node clusters
Self-hosted Custom Edition - Advanced self-hosted deployment on Kubernetes clusters

Deployment comparison table

See the following table to compare deployment options and pick the right one for you:

Table 1. Deployment option comparison
Feature	SaaS	Self-hosted Standard Edition	Self-hosted Custom Edition
Deployment complexity	Minimal - No backend installation required	Low - Automated with `stanctl` tool	High - Requires Kubernetes expertise and custom-managed infrastructure decisions
Time to deploy	Minutes - Install agents only	Hours - Automated cluster setup	Days - Manual Kubernetes configuration
Infrastructure management	Managed by IBM	Self-managed with simplified tooling	Self-managed with full control
Scalability	Automatic - Managed by IBM	Medium - Single or multi-node clusters	High - Kubernetes-native scaling
Data residency	Cloud (AWS and GCP regions)	On-premises or private cloud	On-premises or private cloud
Maintenance and updates	Automatic - Managed by IBM	Simplified with `stanctl` tool	Manual - Requires planning
High availability	Built-in	Not supported	Not supported as a product feature. You can achieve HA via Kubernetes, but it is customer-owned and managed.
Resource requirements	None (agents only)	Optimized - Lower than Kubernetes	Higher - Full Kubernetes cluster
Internet connectivity	Required for agents	Optional - Supports air-gapped environments	Optional - Supports air-gapped environments
Compliance and security	Shared responsibility model	Full control over data and infrastructure	Full control over data and infrastructure
Supported architectures	N/A	Linux x86_64, Linux arm64	Multiple architectures
Ideal for	Quick start, cloud-native organizations	Medium deployments, simplified management	Large-scale, complex enterprise deployments
Team expertise required	Minimal - Basic monitoring knowledge	Moderate - Linux administration	Advanced - Kubernetes and data store expertise
Cost model	Subscription-based	License + infrastructure costs	License + infrastructure costs
Available features	Full feature set	Full feature set (Same as SaaS)	Full feature set (Same as SaaS)

Note:

Self-Hosted Classic Edition (Docker) remains available but is no longer in active development and provides fewer features and capabilities than other self-hosted editions. For new deployments, use Self-Hosted Standard Edition or Self-Hosted Custom Edition (Kubernetes or Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform).

Key considerations

Consider the following factors when you choose a deployment.

Data residency and compliance

SaaS: Data is stored in IBM-managed cloud infrastructure in specific regions (AWS and GCP). Review available regions to be compliant with your data residency requirements.
Self-Hosted (Standard Edition and Custom Edition): Complete control over data location. Ideal for organizations with strict compliance requirements (GDPR, HIPAA, industry-specific regulations).

Operational expertise

SaaS: Requires minimal operational expertise. IBM handles all backend operations.
Self-hosted Standard Edition: Requires Linux administration skills. The stanctl tool automates most operations.
Self-hosted Custom Edition: Requires experienced team with Kubernetes, distributed systems, and data store management expertise.

Total cost of ownership

SaaS: Predictable subscription costs with no infrastructure investment. Less operational costs.
Self-Hosted: License costs plus infrastructure, maintenance, and operational costs. Consider the following aspects:
- Hardware or cloud infrastructure costs
- Storage and networking requirements
- Personnel costs for management and maintenance
- Update and upgrade planning

Scalability and growth

SaaS: Automatically scales with your needs. No capacity planning is required.
Self-hosted Standard Edition: Scales to multi-node configurations. Suitable for medium-scale deployments.
Self-hosted Custom Edition: Highly scalable with Kubernetes. Best for large-scale and rapidly growing environments.

Network connectivity

SaaS: Requires outbound internet connectivity from monitored systems to Instana SaaS endpoints.
Self-Hosted: Can operate in online and fully air-gapped environments (with proper configuration and mirroring).

Migration paths

You can migrate between deployment options as your needs evolve.

SaaS to Self-Hosted: Migrate when data residency or compliance requirements change
Self-hosted Docker Edition to Self-hosted Standard Edition: Recommended migration path for Self-hosted Docker Edition users
Self-hosted Standard Edition to Self-hosted Custom Edition: Migrate when your scaling requirements exceed Self-hosted Standard Edition capabilities

Note:

You can use the same Self-hosted Custom Edition license to migrate to Self-hosted Standard Edition (from release 271 onwards).

Licensing information

Instana offers flexible licensing options to match your deployment and organizational needs. Licensing is based on the number of hosts or containers that you monitor, with options for both SaaS and self-hosted deployments.

Key licensing considerations

SaaS deployments: Subscription-based licensing with predictable costs.
Self-hosted deployments: License-based model with infrastructure costs separate from licensing.

Learn more about licensing

For detailed information about Instana licensing options, pricing, and how to purchase, see the following resources:

IBM Instana Observability product page - See the overview of Instana capabilities and licensing.
Request a live demo - Request a demo or discuss licensing options with IBM sales team.
Try Instana for free - Use Instana sandbox.

For existing customers, contact your IBM representative or account manager for license management, renewals, or upgrades.

Next steps

After you choose your deployment, follow the deployment instructions.

For SaaS deployment, review the following topics:

Review Instana SaaS deployment.
Check Outbound network access requirements.
Prepare endpoints and keys.
Install Instana agents.

For Self-hosted Standard Edition deployment, review the following topics:

Review Self-hosted Standard Edition requirements.
Follow the Self-hosted Standard Edition installation instructions.
Install Instana agents.

For Self-hosted Custom Edition deployment, review the following topics:

Review Self-hosted Custom Edition requirements.
Follow the Self-hosted Custom Edition installation instructions.
Install Instana agents.