Deployment

Docker Compose (quick start)

Use Docker Compose to start the dependency stack (PostgreSQL, MinIO, Meilisearch, Dragonfly, NATS, and the text extractor). Run Bosca servers via Gradle or containers. Ideal for local development, demos, and small pilots.

Kubernetes (preferred)

Kubernetes offers scalable, efficient operations with strong cost and reliability controls. It’s our recommended path for production and growth.

Deployment considerations

• Environment: Compose or Kubernetes
• Load and scaling: Plan for traffic and data growth
• Caching and CDN: Reduce origin load and cost
• Workflow throughput: Match runner capacity to processing needs
• Redundancy: Plan for failover (e.g., PostgreSQL primaries/replicas)
• Backups: Balance frequency with cost and risk
• Observability: Useful, but not free—budget accordingly

Cost and scaling

A minimal Bosca setup can run on a very small VM (as little as $6/month) with trade-offs. With a good CDN strategy, this can work for small sites. As demand grows, you can migrate components to more robust infrastructure.

Cloud providers

• Start lean: DigitalOcean offers simple pricing and is great for small to medium deployments
• Scale up: Google Cloud or AWS can be cost-effective at scale, especially with committed use

CDN recommendations

• Cloudflare: Excellent defaults and pricing for most teams
• Fastly: Great performance at business/enterprise tiers
• Cloud provider CDNs: Consider when co-locating services

Start small, scale smart

Begin with a modest setup and a solid CDN. As needs grow, move individual components (e.g., runners, storage, analytics) to the best-fit provider. You can even mix providers—e.g., run Bosca Server on DigitalOcean while runners and AI workloads run on Google Cloud.

Small deployment example

A small blog or microsite can run several Bosca components on a $12/month Droplet.