Deployment Modes

Overview

Webiny supports two deployment modes: development and production. These modes deploy different network and security configurations to balance cost and security based on your environment’s needs.

Development mode uses the AWS default VPC with public subnets, minimizing cost and complexity for testing environments. Production mode deploys a custom VPC with private subnets, NAT gateways, and multi-availability-zone configurations for enhanced security and high availability.

Mode Selection

By default, Webiny uses development mode for all environments except prod. When deploying to an environment named prod, production mode is automatically activated.

Key Differences

The primary differences between modes are:

• VPC Configuration: Development uses the default VPC; production creates a custom VPC
• Subnet Access: Development uses public subnets; production uses private subnets for Lambda and databases
• Availability Zones: Development uses single AZ for OpenSearch; production uses three AZs with three data nodes
• Security Posture: Production isolates resources from public internet access via private subnets

These differences apply to the infrastructure that hosts your GraphQL API and background tasks. The Admin Area infrastructure is identical across both modes, as it serves static files through CloudFront and S3.

Cost Implications

Development mode is designed for lower costs, suitable for testing and staging environments. Production mode incurs additional costs for:

• NAT Gateway usage (data transfer charges)
• Three-AZ OpenSearch deployment (three data nodes instead of one)
• Enhanced monitoring and logging resources

Choose development mode for non-production environments and production mode for your live environment.