If you are new to Countly and looking to install the Countly server, then this is a great place to start. You'll be introduced to the different hosting options, deployment types, system requirements, installation, and finally, the configuration.

Hosting Options

Before installing the Countly server, you must decide where to install it. Would you like to install the server on-premises, or would you like Countly to handle deployment, maintenance, and backups? 

This is an important topic, and that's why we offer two hosting options: 

1. Countly on-premise (self-hosted), 
2. Countly-hosted through private cloud deployment. 

We highly recommend checking out the following article for more detailed information on the differences between these two options:

Deployment Types

If you choose to install the Countly server on-premises, we offer three deployment types depending on your infrastructure and business requirements.

1. VM Standalone Deployment: Countly is installed directly on a virtual machine (e.g., Ubuntu)
2. Offline deployment: You can deploy Countly in an air-gapped environment where servers cannot connect to external networks. (For example: for Financial institutions with no outbound internet access)
3. Docker/Kubernetes deployment: Countly runs inside containers using Docker or is orchestrated using Kubernetes for high availability and scaling.

High Availability & Scalability

For production environments requiring higher reliability and performance, Countly also supports:

• MongoDB replica sets for high availability and disaster recovery 
• Sharded MongoDB clusters for horizontal scaling across large datasets

For more detailed information on the deployment types and scenarios, check out our documentation:

System Requirements

Below are the recommended system requirements for deploying Countly servers. Please note that requirements vary depending on expected traffic, data volume, and retention period.

Installation

We offer multiple installation options tailored to your infrastructure, including VM-based setups, Docker containers, and Kubernetes clusters. This section guides you through each deployment type step by step.

Configuration

Once your Countly server is installed, it's now time to configure it! Check out this article where we share detailed information on how to configure Countly + MongoDB:

Maintenance & Backup

Keeping your Countly server updated and regularly backing up your data are best practices we highly recommend. The following guides will walk you through the steps to do this: 

Data Cleanup (purging)

Performing data cleanup (purging) of historical data no longer needed is an essential maintenance task. It helps keep your server efficient and prevents unnecessary database growth. To learn more about the methods we offer, see our guide below. 

Exporting Data

There may be cases where you need to export data from Countly, whether for archiving or loading into a data lake. For detailed instructions on performing these exports, please refer to our guide below.