PumaMesh Deployment Options: Cloud vs. On-Premises

PumaMesh runs the same software whether you deploy it in your own data center or in the cloud, so the capabilities you see in the console are identical. What changes is where the nodes run, who operates the underlying infrastructure, and how data residency and network boundaries are handled. This article compares the two models so you can choose with confidence.

On-premises deployment

Run PumaMesh nodes on hardware you control, such as RHEL, Rocky Linux, or AlmaLinux servers in your own data center or private cloud. This model keeps data inside your network boundary, which is often required for classified or regulated workloads, and gives you full control over certificates, networking, and the upgrade schedule. In return, your team operates the infrastructure: provisioning hosts, managing TLS certificates, and monitoring node health.

Cloud deployment

Run PumaMesh nodes on cloud instances (for example, on a managed Linux VM) to get faster provisioning, elastic scaling, and reduced hardware overhead. This model is well suited to teams that want to stand up or expand a mesh quickly and prefer to offload data-center operations. Confirm that your provider region and configuration meet your data-residency and compliance obligations, since the data leaves your physical premises.

How to choose

Choose on-premises when data must stay within a controlled boundary, when you have strict residency or air-gap requirements, or when you already operate the underlying hardware. Choose cloud when speed of deployment, elastic scale, and lower operational burden matter most and your compliance posture permits it. Many organizations run a hybrid mesh, keeping sensitive nodes on-premises while using cloud nodes for burst capacity or partner connectivity.

What stays the same

Regardless of where you deploy, the console, the Dashboard, and every module behave the same way, and access is always governed by ABAC keyword policies and user tags. To stand up your first node, follow the Installation Guide for RHEL, Rocky Linux, and AlmaLinux. To learn the interface, see Getting Started with PumaMesh. To configure access control, read Configuring Attribute-Based Access Control (ABAC) Policies.