---
title: Choosing Your Shopware Operation Mode | Shopware Community Hub
description: >-
  Self-hosted, SaaS, and PaaS operation modes—responsibilities and when to use
  each.
canonical_url: 'https://hub.shopware.com/learn/unit/user-shopware-operation-modes'
---

# Choosing Your Shopware Operation Mode

<LearningObjectives>

- Compare **self-hosted** and **cloud** operation modes.
- Explain the difference between **SaaS** and **PaaS**.

</LearningObjectives>

# Choosing Your Shopware Operation Mode

How you run Shopware determines **who manages infrastructure** and **how much you can customize**.

## Self-hosted

You install Shopware on **your server** (or a server you rent). You control the stack and customizations. You are responsible for hosting, updates, backups, and incident response.

**Choose self-hosted when:** you need full control, already have ops capacity, or use the Community Edition for development.

## Cloud

Cloud offloads infrastructure management. Shopware offers two cloud types:

![SaaS & PaaS](./assets/operationModes.png)

| Mode | You manage | Shopware manages | Typical fit |
|------|------------|------------------|-------------|
| **SaaS** | Shop content, business configuration | Software, hosting, updates | Fast start, minimal ops |
| **PaaS** | Customizations + deployments | Platform infrastructure | Tailored setups with cloud convenience |

### Shopware SaaS

With **Shopware SaaS**, Shopware takes care of the infrastructure, hosting, and software updates. This allows you to focus on managing your shop instead of operating the platform.

Because the platform is fully managed, you **cannot access the application code or the database directly**. In addition, only **cloud-compatible extensions** from the Shopware Store can be installed.

- [Shopware Cloud (SaaS)](https://docs.shopware.com/en/shopware-6-en/in-the-cloud)
- [Shopware PaaS](https://docs.shopware.com/en/shopware-6-en/paas)

Many teams start with SaaS and move to PaaS or self-hosted as their requirements grow.

<ArticleQuestionnaire>
  <ArticleQuestionnaireQuestion>Which mode gives the most infrastructure control on your own server?</ArticleQuestionnaireQuestion>
  <ArticleQuestionnaireAnswer>SaaS</ArticleQuestionnaireAnswer>
  <ArticleQuestionnaireAnswer correct>Self-hosted</ArticleQuestionnaireAnswer>
  <ArticleQuestionnaireAnswer>PaaS only</ArticleQuestionnaireAnswer>
</ArticleQuestionnaire>

## Summary

- Self-hosted = maximum control, maximum ops responsibility.
- SaaS = managed hosting and updates, but no direct code or database access. Only cloud-compatible extensions can be used.
- PaaS = balance of customization and managed platform.

**Next:** [Store and sales channels](https://hub.shopware.com/learn/unit/user-shopware-store-sales-channels).