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Getting started
Hosted or self-hosted?
Kumo.io is the same product either way. On kumo.io we run it for you; self-hosted, you run it on your own machine or in your own cloud, and your inventory never leaves it. This page sets out what differs.
The quick answer
Choose hosted (kumo.io) if you want to be up and running in minutes and would rather not operate anything. Sign up, connect a cloud account and you're done; we run and update the service.
Choose self-hosted if your inventory must stay inside your own network, or if you want Kumo.io to read your cloud with the identity it already runs as.
You can start on one and decide later. The sample workspace works on both.
Side by side
| Hosted (kumo.io) | Self-hosted | |
|---|---|---|
| Who runs it | Kumo.io | You: one container, or separate services in your own cloud |
| Where your data lives | In Kumo.io's US data location | Wherever you run it |
| Logging in | Your Kumo.io account, at https://account.kumo.io | Accounts on your installation |
| Adding teammates | Invite them to your Kumo.io account from Members at account.kumo.io | Invite links from Settings › Members |
| Single sign-on and SCIM | Set up once for your Kumo.io account at account.kumo.io, on plans that include them | Configure them on your installation, on plans that include them |
| Sent for you | Uses the email relay you configure | |
| Connecting AWS | Cross-account role or access key | Also the identity Kumo.io already runs as |
| Plans and billing | Team, Business and Enterprise after a 14-day trial, managed in your Kumo.io account | A licence from your Kumo.io account, after a 14-day trial |
| Updates | Applied for you | You pull a new image and restart |
| Usage metering and analytics | Yes, to run plans and limits | Never: built into the self-hosted image and can't be switched on |
Hosted: what you get
- Your own address. Your team logs in at
https://kumo.io/@<workspace-address>. You choose the address when you create your account, and it can't be changed later. - One login. Password, two-factor authentication and sessions are managed in your Kumo.io account. In the workspace, Settings points you there: "You log in to this workspace with your Kumo.io account."
- Plans. Start with a 14-day trial, then choose the plan that fits your sources, users, history and features. When a trial or subscription ends, the account becomes read-only until you renew. See Plans and limits.
- Data location. Workspace data is stored in the United States. Other locations are not available yet.
Everyone who is a member of your Kumo.io account can log in to its workspace. Account owners invite teammates, and set up single sign-on and SCIM, in your Kumo.io account. See Invite your team.
Self-hosted: what you get
- Your data stays with you. The inventory, revisions and diagrams live in your installation's own database. The fastest start is a single container with its database built in; see Run Kumo.io on your laptop.
- No usage tracking. A self-hosted installation never sends usage metering or product analytics.
- Runtime identity. Running inside AWS, Kumo.io can read your accounts as the instance profile or task role it already has, so there's nothing to paste.
- You operate it. You choose when to upgrade, configure email, and back up the data volume.
A self-hosted installation needs a Kumo.io account. A new installation stays locked until you connect it to your account, and connecting starts your account's one 14-day trial. After the trial, the installation needs a licence; when you buy one, a waiting installation unlocks within minutes, with no restart. The installation checks in with your account to stay licensed.
Moving between them
Hosted plans and self-hosted licences are separate: a hosted plan doesn't move to a self-hosted installation, and a licence doesn't move to hosted. To take a workspace's data out of Kumo.io, see Workspace export and import.