Deployment options

Choose a RisingWave deployment mode: standalone, Docker Compose, Kubernetes/Helm for production, or fully managed RisingWave Cloud.

RisingWave supports multiple deployment modes, each designed for different use cases and environments. This guide helps you choose the right option quickly.

How to choose (quick checklist)

• Just want to try RisingWave locally? Use Standalone mode.
• Need production reliability with minimal ops? Use RisingWave Cloud.

Quick comparison

Deployment option	Time to deploy	Production use?	Best for	Documentation
Standalone mode (Script, Docker, or Homebrew)	< 5 minutes	No	Learning, development, quick experiments	Standalone mode
RisingWave Cloud	< 5 minutes	Yes	Managed production deployments	RisingWave Cloud
Docker Compose	< 5 minutes	No (testing only)	Local testing with bundled services	Docker Compose
Kubernetes (Helm)	~30 minutes	Yes	Self-managed production deployments (simpler)	Kubernetes (Helm)
Kubernetes (Operator)	~30 minutes	Yes	Self-managed production deployments (more automation)	Kubernetes (Operator)

Recommendations

Quick start and development

Recommended: Standalone mode

Best for learning, development, and quick testing. It runs as a single process and gets you started in minutes.

Learn more →

Production environments

Recommended: RisingWave Cloud (managed) or Kubernetes (self-managed)

• RisingWave Cloud: Fully managed. Best when you want production reliability without infrastructure management.
• Kubernetes: Self-managed. Best when you need full control and already operate Kubernetes in production.

RisingWave Cloud → · Kubernetes (Helm) → · Kubernetes (Operator) →

Testing and single-machine deployment

Recommended: Docker Compose

Easy setup for local testing with multiple services. Not recommended for production.

Learn more →

See also

• Quick start — Get RisingWave running in minutes
• What is RisingWave? — Core concepts and architecture
• RisingWave Cloud — Fully managed cloud service
• Hardware requirements — Sizing guidelines