> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.mergewatch.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Deployment Models

> Choose how MergeWatch runs — fully self-hosted with Docker or fully managed SaaS.

MergeWatch supports two deployment models. Each makes a different trade-off between setup effort, infrastructure control, and data residency. Pick the one that matches your compliance and operational requirements.

## At a glance

| Feature                     | Self-Hosted                                       | Managed SaaS                                                              |
| --------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Where it runs**           | Your infrastructure (Docker)                      | MergeWatch AWS account                                                    |
| **Storage**                 | Postgres (you manage)                             | DynamoDB (MergeWatch manages)                                             |
| **LLM provider**            | Your choice (Anthropic, Bedrock, Ollama, LiteLLM) | Amazon Bedrock (MergeWatch account)                                       |
| **Code leaves your infra?** | No — all processing is local                      | Diff transits MergeWatch in-memory, not persisted                         |
| **Billing**                 | Free (you pay your LLM provider only)             | 5 free reviews (lifetime), then prepaid credits (≈$0.01–$0.10 per review) |
| **AWS account required?**   | No                                                | No                                                                        |
| **Setup time**              | \~15–30 min                                       | \~5 min                                                                   |
| **Dashboard**               | docker-compose second service                     | Next.js on Amplify (hosted by MergeWatch)                                 |

***

## Self-hosted

<Card title="Best for strict compliance, air-gapped environments, or full control" icon="server">
  You run the MergeWatch Docker container on your own infrastructure. Nothing touches MergeWatch systems. You choose your LLM provider and manage your own database.
</Card>

### How it works

You run MergeWatch as a Docker container exposing an Express server on port 3000. A reverse proxy (nginx or Caddy) terminates TLS and routes GitHub webhooks to the container. Review data is stored in Postgres.

```
PR opened → GitHub webhook → Your Domain (nginx/Caddy) → Express Server (Docker, port 3000)
  → LLM Provider (your choice) → Review posted to GitHub
  → Postgres (review history)
```

### What you manage

| Resource             | Your responsibility                             |
| -------------------- | ----------------------------------------------- |
| **Docker container** | Deploying updates, monitoring, scaling replicas |
| **Reverse proxy**    | TLS certificates, domain DNS, rate limiting     |
| **Postgres**         | Backups, migrations, connection pooling         |
| **LLM provider**     | API keys, quotas, cost monitoring               |
| **Dashboard**        | Second service in docker-compose, optional      |

### Data residency

* **All data** stays on your infrastructure. No data is sent to MergeWatch.
* **No telemetry**, no phone-home, no external dependency beyond your chosen LLM provider.
* Suitable for air-gapped environments when combined with a local LLM via Ollama.

<Note>
  Updates are applied by pulling the latest MergeWatch Docker image and restarting the container. You control when to upgrade.
</Note>

***

## Managed SaaS

<Card title="Best for teams that want zero infrastructure overhead" icon="cloud">
  Everything is hosted by MergeWatch. Install the GitHub App and start getting reviews. No AWS account, no Docker, no server management.
</Card>

### How it works

MergeWatch runs the full pipeline on AWS — API Gateway, Lambda functions, DynamoDB, and Bedrock. You install the GitHub App and configure your repositories. That is it.

```
PR opened → GitHub webhook → MergeWatch API Gateway
  → WebhookHandler Lambda (512 MB, 30s) → ReviewAgent Lambda (1024 MB, 300s)
  → Bedrock (us.anthropic.claude-sonnet-4-20250514-v1:0)
  → Review posted to GitHub
  → DynamoDB (review history)
```

### What you get

* No AWS account required
* No infrastructure to manage
* Bedrock costs are included in your MergeWatch pricing
* Automatic updates to the latest review pipeline
* Dashboard hosted on Amplify at mergewatch.ai

### Data residency

* **PR diffs** are processed in-memory on MergeWatch Lambda functions (`us-east-1`). Diffs are not persisted after the review completes.
* **Bedrock calls** run in MergeWatch's AWS account. Model inputs and outputs are not logged or stored beyond the review lifecycle.
* **Review metadata** (timestamps, repo, score) is stored in MergeWatch-managed DynamoDB with a 90-day TTL.

<Tip>
  You can start with SaaS and migrate to self-hosted later without losing your configuration. Your `.mergewatch.yml` stays in your repo either way.
</Tip>

***

## Decision guide

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Strict compliance or air-gapped?" icon="shield-halved">
    Choose **Self-Hosted**. No data leaves your infrastructure. You control every component and can run fully offline with a local LLM.
  </Card>

  <Card title="No infrastructure team?" icon="cloud">
    Choose **Managed SaaS**. Install the GitHub App and you are done. No cloud account, no Docker, no server management. First 5 reviews free, then pay-as-you-go.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## Data residency summary

| Data type                           | Self-Hosted                      | Managed SaaS                                        |
| ----------------------------------- | -------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------- |
| **PR diff**                         | Never leaves your infrastructure | In-memory transit through MergeWatch, not persisted |
| **LLM inputs/outputs**              | Your LLM provider                | MergeWatch Bedrock account                          |
| **Review metadata**                 | Your Postgres                    | MergeWatch DynamoDB (90-day TTL)                    |
| **GitHub credentials**              | Your environment variables       | MergeWatch SSM Parameter Store                      |
| **Configuration (.mergewatch.yml)** | Your GitHub repo                 | Your GitHub repo                                    |

***

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Self-Hosting Install" icon="server" href="/self-hosting/install">
    Deploy MergeWatch on your own infrastructure with Docker.
  </Card>

  <Card title="SaaS Getting Started" icon="rocket" href="/saas/getting-started">
    Install the GitHub App and start reviewing PRs in minutes.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>